Unusual segmental ischemia of the small bowel from cocaine abuse.

Cocaine abuse is rising in the young population, triggering uncommon and potentially life-threatening causes of acute abdomen in this age group. The authors present the case of a 30-year-old man with emergency admission due to abdominal pain, with no history of drug abuse. Several signs and symptoms elicited toxicologic blood screening, which disclosed high serum levels of cocaine and its metabolites.

Bile duct injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a 1994-2001 audit on 13,718 operations in the area of Rome.

Background: Bile duct injuries (BDIs) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) still are reported with greater frequency than during open cholecystectomy (OC).

Methods: In 1999, a retrospective study evaluating the incidence of BDIs during LC in the area of Rome from 1994 to 1998 (group A) was performed. In addition, a prospective audit was started, ending in December 2001 (group B).

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy: a worthwhile procedure performed in a general surgery department.

A laparoscopic procedure is considered the treatment of choice for adrenalectomy. We report the experience of a nonreferring unit for adrenal pathology; we have evaluated its safety and feasibility in a series of 40 patients. From 1994 to 2001, forty consecutive patients underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy, 37 with transperitoneal and 3 with retroperitoneal approach.

[Laparoscopic surgical treatment in abdominal emergencies: personal experience].

In recent years laparoscopic surgery has reached a crucial role in the surgical approach of both abdominal and thoracic pathologies. A diffused as elective surgery, its utilization has become necessary even in emergency surgery, both as diagnostic approach as curative aim. In this work the purpose of the Authors is to show their own experience in a six years period in the laparoscopic treatment of abdominal emergencies.

Dipyridamole echocardiography and 99mTc-MIBI spect dipyridamole scintigraphy for cardiac evaluation prior to peripheral vascular surgery.

Coronary artery disease accounts for most of the early and late mortality and morbidity associated with vascular surgery. Cardiac pre-operative evaluation is mandatory for the assessment of cardiac risk. The aim of this study is to compare dipyridamole scintigraphy with 99mTc-MIBI (MIBI-dipy) and dipyridamole echocardiography (ECHO-dipy) and to evaluate their capability in identifying cardiac risk for strong events such as death, unstable angina or myocardial infarction.

[Primary hepatic leiomyoma].

A young woman of 34 years old had an asymptomatic intrahepatic mass. The histological diagnosis, performed after a right lobe hepatectomy, was of leiomyoma of the liver.

[Presentation of a computerized clinical record for the study of risk factors and early diagnosis of breast neoplasia].

A new clinical report card is proposed for mass screening for the early diagnosis of breast cancer and the study of the risk factors involved. The card takes the form of a questionnaire on which information is coded for immediate transfer to punched cards. This system makes information easy to file and process on a computer.