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Inflammatory aneurysms of the abdominal aorta raise particular problems, as they are often detected as a result of their complications. In the light of one case presenting with anuria, the authors discuss the various treatment options and the value of preoperative corticosteroids.

The difficult insertion of a right subclavian catheter in a 63-year-old patient resulted in a pseudoaneurysm of the brachiocephalic artery requiring a resection-suture. The preventive measures of that complication are reminded.

A series of letters that Freud wrote to Joan Riviere in the period from 12-8-1921 to 22-1-1939 has been transcribed, translated into French and published here for the first time in the original text. They were given by Joan Riviere to the Sigmund Freud Archives and deposited at the Library of Congress in Washington where access to them had been restricted. Through the efforts of Dr. Harold Blum, the present Executive Director of the Freud Archives, the restriction was lifted. The letters concern arrangements that Freud made for his analysis of Joan Riviere; his (and her) relationship to Ernest Jones; the translation into English and the publication of his works in England. They also concern Freud's reaction to the reception in England of Anna Freud's book on The Technique of Child Analysis (1927) and his view of Melanie Klein's approach to the theory and practice of child analysis.

During the beta 1-24 corticotropin stimulation test, it appears the increase of Aldosterone Blood level is more important (170,91% +/- 35,89 (S. E.)) and more significant (alpha less than 0,001) than for cortisol (+/- 54,47% +/- 9,45 (S. E.) - alpha less than 0,10). The authors suggest aldosterone assays have to be done in order to obtain a better estimation on adrenal response to synthetic A.C.T.H.

The authors report a case of giant diverticulum of the sigmoid colon, a very rare complication of diverticulosis of the colon, since only 38 cases have been reported in the literature. The diverticulum was seen at barium enema in a 66-year-old man complaining of digestive symptoms consisting of lower abdominal pain, tenesmus, diarrhea and fever. Segmental resection of the sigmoid colon including the site of implantation of the diverticulum with end-to-end anastomosis at the same operative stage led to definitive cure. On the basis of a study of the literature, the authors define the clinical, diagnostic and pathogenic characteristics of the condition.

In graves' disease small amounts of radioactive iodine administered repeatedly on a monthly basis depending on the progress of the disease is a method whose effectiveness we have studied on 192 cases over a period of 3 to 7 years. Relapses (4 %), failures (11 %) permanent hypothyroidism (24 % after 7 years) and the duration of the active stage have been collated with different clinical or biological parameters in order better to define the main factors that determine the course and prognosis. The size of the goitre and the presence of antithyroglobulin antibodies are among the most significant.

In three patients suffering from Cushing's disease, exploration revealed an enclosed pituitary adenoma in one case and a microadenoma in two cases. Selective excision via a transphenoidal approach resulted in cure of Cushing's disease as reflected by complete regression of clinical signs and the restoration of circadian rythm of cortisol. Regular follow-up over a period of more than two years showed the persistence of normal regulation of the corticotrophic sector of the pituitary.