[Laparoscopic excision of huge spleen in a 5-year-old boy with hypersplenism]. / Laparoskopowe usuniecie olbrzymiej sledziony u 5-letniego chlopca z powodu hipersplenizmu.

Minimally invasive surgery has been recently gaining acceptance as an alternative to "open" surgery. The benefits of video-surgery consist of minor surgical trauma of tissues, shorter hospital stay, quicker return to full activity and better cosmetic effect compared to traditional splenectomy. Less peritoneal adhesions after laparoscopic splenectomy decreases also the risk of strangulation ileus in the future. Authors present laparoscopic splenectomy in 5 year-old boy with hypersplenism. Technical details, intraoperative difficulties, immediate and late outcome were described. The early results, advantages and disadvantages were also discussed.

[Palliative procedures in advanced stomach cancer]. / Zabiegi paliatywne w zaawansowanym raku zoladka.

Gastric carcinoma still occurs in the advanced form, despite easier availability of endoscopic examinations. Symptoms, location and the degree of progression of gastric carcinoma in 186 patients treated between 1980-1997 were presented in the paper. Curative partial gastrectomy was carried out in 69 patients. The palliative procedure of partial gastrectomy, gastroenterostomy shunt and trophic fistula was carried out 117 patients. Attention was paid to the most recent methods of treatment which, hopefully, improve the results of the treatment of advanced gastric carcinoma.