[The conservative treatment of infected vascular prostheses in surgery to revascularize the lower limbs]. / Trattamento conservativo delle protesi vascolari infette nella chirurgia di rivascolarizzazione degli arti inferiori.

Infected vascular grafts are associated with very high rates of limb loss and mortality. "Classic" treatment has invariably included graft excision. Recent reports have suggested that a more conservative approach may be indicated in selected cases, leaving the graft in place and using an aggressive local treatment associated with appropriate intravenous antibiotics. The authors report their experience with two patients with infected prosthetic vascular grafts in the groin. They both had purulent drainage from the groin wound, with the graft exposed close to the femoral anastomosis. They were both treated successfully without graft removal, and both graft maintained patency, with a follow-up of 22 and 19 months.

[Infected pseudoaneurysms of the upper limb. A case re-evaluation]. / Pseudoaneurismi infetti dell'arto superiore. Rivalutazione di un caso.

The authors report a case of infected pseudoaneurysm of the brachial artery in a drug addict, treated with aneurysm excision and brachio-brachial bypass with inverted saphenous vein. They review the literature on the subject and management options.

[Subacute Budd-Chiari syndrome treated with rTPA. Considerations on a case]. / Sindrome di Budd-Chiari subacuta trattata con rTPA. Considerazioni a proposito di un caso.

The authors report on a case of hepatic vein thrombosis or Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) successfully treated with recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rTPA). They briefly outline the etiology and symptomatology of this disease as well as the various surgical procedures used for treatment. Medical therapy has been so far poorly effective in treatment BCS, but recently various reports seem to indicate that rTPA may have a role. The authors suggest that rTPA may be used as the only therapy in selected cases, or in treating patients that are not candidates for surgical intervention, or as a temporizing measure to improve symptoms in patients awaiting surgery.

[Rectal foreign bodies. Principles of therapy]. / Corpi estranei endorettali. Principi di terapia.

The authors report their experience with the treatment of endorectal foreign bodies (EFB). They review the literature on the subject and examine the various therapeutic options. Considering the possible complications of leaving an EFG in place for prolonged period of times in the hope of spontaneous delivery, they suggest that immediate removal is always indicated. They describe various technical modalities for endoscopic removal, that can avoid laparotomy in the majority of cases.

[Heterotopic splenic autotransplantation: a therapeutic option in splenic trauma]. / L'autotrapianto eterotopico di milza: un'alternativa terapeutica nel trauma splenico.

The Authors report two cases of splenectomy for trauma, followed by heterotopic autotransplantation of splenic tissue in omental pockets. A follow-up nuclear scan and ultrasonography showed function and growth of the splenic implants. The pertinent surgical literature is reviewed.

[Idiopathic and torsion-induced omental infarct: case reports and a review of the literature]. / Infarto omentale idiopatico e da torsione: contributo casistico e revisione della letteratura.

The authors review nosologic problems related to the infarction of the greater omentum on the ground of two cases (one idiopathic, the other by torsion) recently observed. Omental infarction, far from being a real diagnostic or surgical problem, is an unusual cause of acute abdomen; resection of the affected omentum is curative in 100% of cases.

[Acute appendicitis secondary to carcinoma of the right colon]. / Appendicite acuta secondaria a carcinoma del colon destro.

In a series of 954 laparotomies performed for suspected acute appendicitis 5 (0.5%) cecal carcinomas were encountered. When considering patients over 50 years of age only, the incidence of right sided colon carcinomas raised to 5%. The authors review the therapeutic options in order to optimize patients' survival.