[Surgical treatment of small-cell bronchial carcinoma]. / Die chirurgische Behandlung des kleinzelligen Bronchialkarzinoms.

The analysis of 284 resected small-cell bronchial cancers from 4 Lung clinics has shown that these represent 11% of all resected lung cancers. The 5-year survival rate was 24%. The male-to-female ratio was 9.5: 1. Two-thirds were detected by X-ray mass screening. The majority of them (60%) were peripheral tumors. 50% of the patients had a stage Ia cancer and showed a 5-year survival of 40%! This result speaks for the primary surgical therapy even for stage I small-cell bronchial cancers, and for a 6-month screening interval of the respective risk groups. Patients with stage II or III cancers showed a 5-year survival rate of only 10%. In such cases postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy should be carried out. But such a therapy seems to be little effective in stage Ia patients.

[Late reintervention with lung resection following earlier lung resection]. / Spätreintervention mit Lungenresektion nach früherer Lungenresektion.

14 reoperations with lung resection for a recurrent tumour, metastasis or second malignant disease were performed in patients with lung resection for bronchial carcinoma (6 patients), solitary metastasis of hypernephroma (3 patients), and lung resection for tuberculosis (5 patients). The following patients were operated on the second time, viz. for cancer (2 patients), tuberculoma (1 patient), chondroma (1 patient), and haemangiopericytoma in the remaining lung after pneumonectomy (1 patient). There was a simultaneous cancer in 2 patients reoperated for malignant diseases. 2 patients died 12 or 21 months after resection, all the others are still alive 2 to 6 years after the second operation.

[Value of cytological diagnostic in differential diagnosis and staging of lymphogranulomatosis (author's transl)]. / Einsatzmöglichkeiten der Zytodiagnostik bei der Differentialdiagnose und Stadieneinteilung der Lymphogranulomatose.

Report on 38 cases with thoracic x-ray changes in Hodgkin's disease in a lung clinic. One third of the cases was found by preventive investigations (VRRU). There are various roentgenologic pictures. In 24 from 31 cases neck lymphonodules were involved. In 24 cases diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease was primarily made by cytologic fine needle biopsy of neck lymphomas, perbronchial or parasternal punctions. Only in 2 cases surgical bioptic intervention would have been necessary. There was no false positive cytological diagnosis. Fine needle biopsies in abdominal staging interventions are recommended.

[Chronic traumatic rupture of the diaphragm (author's transl)]. / Beitrag zur Problematik der veralteten Zwerchfellruptur.

The rising number of traffic accidents increases the number of traumatic ruptures of the diaphragm. Often there are no characteristic symptoms or those of other injuries may dominate. Sometimes a long time elapses before signs of hernia appear. Therefore the mass X-ray screening of the population is very important to demonstrate such cases. Chest X-ray, barium meal and pneumoperitoneum are required to detect a late herniation. Prompt surgical repair will give patients the best chance of recovery, thus avoiding complications which greatly increase the mortality rate.

[The anteroposterior (a--p) X-ray-picture in lateral radiographic position in patients after thoracic surgery (author's transl)]. / Das antero-posteriore (a.-p.) Thoraxröntgenbild in Seitenlage bei Thoraxoperierten

A new approach to the X-ray checking after chest operations is described. Instead of sitting upright the patient is lying on his nonoperated side, the operated side of the chest upward. By this way it is easy to differentiate pleural effusions from basal infiltrations of the remaining lung segments. Furthermore it is possible to check the diaphragm and the lateral portions of the lung much easier than with the conventional X-ray pictures taken in sitting position.

[Contribution to retrospective roentgenographic follow-up of solitary pulmonary nodules (author's transl)]. / Kritscher Beitrag zur retrospektiven Röntgenverlaufsbeobachtung beim peripheren Lungenrundherd

The diagnostic problems of malignant solitary pulmonary nodules are demonstrated in 5 cases with a roentgenographic history of many years. The slow growth rate of adenocarcinoma and alveolar cell carcinoma--mainly in woman--and the possibility of a scar tissue carcinoma has to be considered. Peripheral pulmonary nodules in adult persons suspicious of carcinoma must be verified histologically, even if their growth rate is very slow and their roentgenographic history lasts many years. If this is not possible a thoracotomy should be performed.