[Primary retroperitoneal tumors. Treatment modality and prognostic factors].

Background: Primary Retroperitoneal Tumors (PRT) form a heterogeneous group of malignant mesenchymal and neuroectodermal neoplasms making up only 1% of all solid neoplasms.

Methods: From 1965 to 1997, 27 patients (16 females and 9 males, age range 19-79 years) underwent operations at the General and Cardiovascular Institute of University of Milan for primary retroperitoneal tumors (22 malignant and 5 benign, sarcomas represented 68% of all malignant tumors). A retrospective analysis of these patients was performed to determine the prognostic parameters associated with a favourable prognosis.

Acute vascular abdomen. General outlook and algorithms.

Acute vascular abdomen is a severe and life-threatening pathology due to arterial degeneration, leading to hemorrhage or arterial occlusion leading to ischemia. Differential diagnosis of patients with severe abdominal pain and/or shock include several vascular and traumatic diseases, the most common being rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), or less frequently rupture of visceral artery aneurysm. Also acute aortic dissection, iatrogenic injury and acute mesenteric ischemia may lead to acute vascular abdomen.

Non specific aorto-arteritis. Clinical picture, diagnosis and therapy.

This study is aimed at analyzing clinical features, angiographic findings and evolution of Takayasu's arteritis and the criteria adopted to establish the indication for non-surgical versus operative treatment. Eighteen patients affected by non specific aortarteritis were observed and treated at our Department between 1973 and 1996. All patients met the American College of Rheumatology 1990 criteria of classification of Takayasu's arteritis.

[Primary hyperparathyroidism and acute pancreatitis. A rare clinical association].

Hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcaemia are considered to be a rare cause of acute pancreatitis. The relationship between hyperparathyroidism and pancreatic inflammatory disease remains controversial, but it may be related to the translation from inactive to active trypsinogen by hypercalcaemia. Surgical correction of parathyroid disease and normalization of serum calcium levels may ameliorate the acute pancreatitis.

[Malignant pheochromocytoma. A case report and comments on a rare pathology].

Pheochromocytomas and functioning paragangliomas are rare tumors arising from the primitive neural crest, and found in the adrenal medulla or elsewhere within the sympathetic paraganglion axis. Clinical symptoms are related to catecholamine production or less frequently to dopamine or other neuropeptides secretion. Malignant pheochromocytomas are very rare tumors comprising between 5-35%, but this value is uncertain because the usual criteria for malignancy, such as mitotic activity, nuclear pleomorphism, are not suitable to discern benign from malignant pheochromocytomas.