[Spontaneous pneumothorax: an uncommon clinical first sign of the bronchial carcinoma (author's transl)]

Seldom the bronchial carcinoma begins with spontaneous pneumothorax. About 20 cases are reported in the literature. A personal observation is described concerning a 63 year old patient with clinical symptoms of spontaneous pneumothorax. The histologic diagnosis was bronchial spinocellular carcinoma.

[Short-term tolerability of 2 types of termino-terminal jejuno-ileal bypass]

The short-term tolerability of two types of end-to-end jejuno-ileal bypasses with different distal ileal loop lengths was evaluated. A comparison was made for 20 days of the behaviour of the main parameters influenced by the malabsorption syndrome thus induced. It was found that the operation involving a greater loss of small intestine was burdened with a greater number of discharges per day, an increase in total water loss, and an elevatem operative risk. This was compensated by more rapid and more evident loss of weight. Evaluation of the real meaning of the inversion of the A:G ratio observed in the short term with this type of operation was postponed to allow a longer follow-up period to run.

[Post-splenectomy hyperthermia]

After an examination of the most important physiopathological alterations of splenectomised patients and on the basis of careful research into the literature on study and classification of post-splenectomy hyperthermia, the Authors stress the importance of infections in the genesis of such hyperthermia, until a few years ago defined as "sine causa". On the basis of the consideration that this fever is due to an infection acting on an area (the a-splenic area) which is more vulnerable as it is deprived of a certain part of the reticulo-endothelial system, it was possible to postulate and verify that such hyperthermia could arise only in patients with altered extra-splenic reticulo-endothelial system and hence does not normally occur in patients splenectomised for trauma. On the basis of extensive personal experience, the authors conclude by stressing the therapeutic principles which seem to be most suitable for management of this insidious complication of splenectomy.

[Neurinoma of the tongue]

The authors describe one case of neurinoma of the tongue, recently come to their observation, and offer a clinical and anatomopathological presentation of this heteroplasia. In the light of a careful search of existing literature they estimate the incidence of this tumor both versus neurinoma located elsewhere in the body versus pathological processes located in the tongue. In particular, they call attention to problems of differential diagnosis posed by neurinoma in clinical terms and in the pathologist's laboratory, in relation to other tumors and infectious processes observed in the tongue.