[Use of pneumoperitoneum in the repair of giant abdominal hernias].

The preoperative use of progressive pneumoperitoneum has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in the treatment of large hernias. The indications for this technique include massive hernias, hernias in patients with high surgical risk, and large recurrent hernias. We describe four patients in whom progressive pneumoperitoneum was carried out under local anesthesia and sedation between 1 and 3 weeks before surgery.

[Intestinal linitis plastica: late metastasis from gastric signet ring cell adenocarcinoma].

Linitis plastica is a malignant disease that usually occurs in the stomach, although it can affect any segment of the alimentary tract. Typically, this entity shows slow progression and insidious clinical course. We present the case of a patient with a previous diagnosis of signet ring cell cancer of the stomach that had been treated with curative intent 12 years before the clinical onset of small and large bowel linitis plastica.