Medullary sponge disease in horseshoe kidney

We report on a patient with a combination of medullary sponge disease and horseshoe kidney. The coexistence of two uncommon conditions of the kidney in this case obscured the clinical picture, and the patient was perhaps subjected to unnecessary invasive tests to establish the diagnosis. Medullary sponge disease occasionally will present as hematuria, and the condition should be kept in mind as a differential diagnosis since it is almost always recognizable on intravenous urography.

Primary retroperitoneal teratoma in adults

We report on a case of primary monodermal retroperitoneal teratoma composed solely of thyroid tissue. The CT scan appearance of such a tumor is presented.

Acute pancreatitis complicating excessive intake of phenolphthalein

A case is described in which a patient presented with acute pancreatitis following inadvertent ingestion of large quantities of phenolphthalein for the treatment of his chronic constipation. There was complete recovery and no sequelae from the acute attack of pancreatitis.

Penetrating stab injuries of the chest and abdomen

A retrospective review was carried out of 100 consecutive patients with penetrating stab injuries of the chest and/or abdomen, requiring admission to hospital. Laparotomies were performed in 44 patients, while a further 7 were subjected to thoracotomy. Only 1 patient died, and this was a case of combined thoraco-abdominal injury. There was an annual increase in the numbers of such injuries, which were particularly prevalent in young, unemployed persons, often under the influence of alcohol.

Cryosurgery in the treatment of rectal carcinoma

Four patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectum were treated by cryosurgery. In all cases there was considerable improvement in local symptomatology following treatment, although in 2 patients troublesome complications were encountered following application of the cryoprobe. All 4 patients are alive at 2 years.

Abdominal tuberculosis

In Britain abdominal tuberculosis is an uncommon condition and most cases come to laparotomy for diagnosis. A high index of suspicion is required in areas with a large immigrant population and in areas which are overcrowded and nutritionally deprived. Nine of 28 patients presented acutely and a wide variety of preoperative diagnoses were entertained. Most of the remainder had a long history of vague constitutional symptoms and laparotomy was required for diagnosis in all but 5. Histology proved the surest way of establishing the diagnosis.