Predicting heat process efficiency in thermal processes when bacterial inactivation is not log-linear.

The food industry widely uses the F-value which considers microbial log-linear inactivation, while microbial heat inactivation may result in a non-log-linear inactivation pattern due to genetic or phenotypical heterogeneity. This may yield discrepancies in predicting microbial heat inactivation under dynamic conditions of heat treatment. In this paper, we suggest the calculation of the equivalent time of heat treatment at a given temperature to overcome these constraints.

[Perianal basal cell carcinoma].

Introduction: The perianal localisation of a basal cell carcinoma is exceptional. Its long term progression and the modalities for its treatment should be known.

Observation: A 66 Year-old man was referred for a non-regressive haemorrhoidal thrombosis.

[Black esophagus associated with hypothermia].

The authors report a clinical case concerning a necrotizing esophagitis following severe hypothermic shock. They recall the usual aetiology of the "black esophagus", emphasize the importance of ischemia and the multispeciality management of this very unfrequent disease.

[Spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection].

Spontaneous carotid artery dissection is one of the main causes of stroke in young adults. We report two cases occurring after non-traumatic hyperextension of the head. Most of these events result from minor head trauma.

Blunt injury to the common iliac artery.

Objectives And Design: iliac artery lesion after blunt trauma is uncommon, with only 12 previously reported cases. We report nine patients treated in two French teaching hospitals over a six-year period. Mechanism, symptomatology, treatment and outcome were analysed.

[Surgical abstention in closed injuries of the spleen].

Splenic conservation avoids the overwhelming postsplenectomy infection. The high percentage of patients treated by noninvasive procedures would be due to the simple clinical course of splenic trauma and precision of diagnosis, using CT scan. Only clinical evaluation could provide further information on the indications for surgical treatment, as there is no available score regarding the value of CT scan for choosing the therapeutical option.

[Comparison of magnetic resonance angiography with injection of gadolinium and conventional arteriography of the ilio-femoral arteries].

Twenty-three patients underwent conventional arteriography and 3D contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography explorations. The study was limited to the iliofemoral arteries (13 segments for each patient). Each segment was classified as having 0-49%, 50-99% or 100% stenosis.

[Lesions of the iliac arteries secondary to closed traumas. Apropos of 5 cases].

Lesions of the iliac arteries after blunt trauma is uncommon. We observed 5 cases in our unit from 1992 to 1995. This pathology usually is seen in young men and the diagnosis often is made late.

[Laparoscopic resection of ileo-cecal tuberculosis].

Rarely seen in industrialised countries, ileo-caecal tuberculosis does not require surgery unless complications or diagnosis uncertainly occur. When laparotomy is contre indicated in presence of chronical respiratory disease, laparo-assisted ileo-caecal resection is an interesting alternative to classical surgery as it has less effect on ventilation. This laparo-assisted ileo-caecal resection appears to the first reported in presence of intestinal tuberculosis.

[Posterior trans-anal-sphincter approach in the management of urethro-prostate-rectal fistula].

Uretroprostatorectal fistulas occur rarely, often due to trauma or iatrogenic causes. We observed a case caused by a gun wound and present our surgical route for treatment. The deep situation of these fistulae explains the difficulty in surgical access.

[Osteoblastomas of the coccyx. Apropos of a case. Review of the literature].

A 24-year-old man presented with a painful and invalidating coccyx. Exploration revealed a bony lesion involving parts of 2nd and all of the 3rd coccygeal vertebrae. The pathology examination of the surgical specimen revealed the diagnosis of benign osteoblastoma of the coccyx.

[Divided pancreas. General review apropos of 6 cases].

The aim of this work is to perform a general review of pancreas divisum. Six cases are reported. A clinical and therapeutic study is made, successively studying the circumstances of discovery, the morphological and functional studies, and the therapeutic methods.

[Carotid injuries. Apropos of 5 cases].

The authors use a series of 5 treated carotid wounds to identify the characteristics of these lesions and their management. The gravity of carotid wounds is due to the risk of hemorrhage as well as that of respiratory distress and secondary neurological deficit. Controversy persists regarding the legitimacy of revascularisation procedures in the presence of neurological lesions and, according to the majority of authors, such an approach is recommended unless the patient is in coma.

[Gunshot wounds of the ureter].

Lesions of the ureter caused by penetrating wounds of the abdomen rare a are complication of abdominal gunshot wounds, of which the reported incidence is 2 to 17%. The preoperative diagnosis is difficult and unrecognized initially in every third case. There are no early clinical signs of ureteral lesions.

[Cancer of the urachus. A rare form of tumors of the bladder].

Cancers of the middle umbilical fold are very infrequent, making up 0.1% to 0.7% of all bladder tumors.

[Congenital stenosis of the esophagus. A rare diagnosis in children and adults].

The authors report about 3 cases of congenital stenosis of the upper third of the esophagus. This is an exceptional condition, for which 3 main types are described: a mucous diaphragm, to be compared with membranous atresia, fibrous stenosis and stenosis caused by bronchial heterotopy. The location of the stenosis in the upper third of the esophagus is extremely rare.

[Cancer of the urachus. A rare form of tumors of the bladder].

Cancers of the urachus are very infrequent, making up 0.1% to 0.7% of all bladder tumors.

[Darier-Ferrand dermatofibroma. An unusual tumor of the soft tissues].

Darier and Ferrand dermatofibroma is a rare skin tumour arising in the dermal connective tissue. It has a slow course over several years and presents very unusual histological features. It is characterised by a marked potential for local recurrence, frequently multiple due to insufficient primary resection.

[Gunshot wounds of the ureter].

Lesions of the ureter caused by penetrating wounds of the abdomen rare a are complication of abdominal gunshot wounds, of which the reported incidence is 2 to 17%. The preoperative diagnosis is difficult and unrecognized initially in every third case. There are no early clinical signs of ureteral lesions.

[Surgery of the thyroid gland in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania].

The authors on the results of 116 surgical interventions against thyropathy. The indications were: hyperthyroidy (18.10 p.