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Since April 1989, a departmental information system has been working at the Radiology Dept. of Desio Hospital, Desio, Milan. The system has six work-stations, connected in a local network. The Proram program (Metrika, Verona) is employed, which allows the computerized management of departmental activities. After a short description of Proram's functions and of their advantages, a special attention is paid to the reporting activity, as limited to normal reports. The latter can be made either as free or as codified and previously stored texts. The percentage of use of codified reports (49%) is evaluated on the basis of about 8,000 X-ray exams per year. Through the analysis of percentage data of codified reports, according to exam categories, previously stored reports appeared to be more frequent for inpatients and for emergency examinations (58% of overall figure). Codified reporting appeared to be proportionally less employed in the most specialized diagnostic examinations. On the whole, considerable time was saved, and the number of misprints decreased; moreover, higher language standardization was achieved. More detailed information was thus available for the clinician.

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is a generally well-tolerated treatment. However, some patients exhibit such complications as to prevent the continuation of treatment. Peritonitis is the major problem, but the continuation of treatment may also be undermined by different complications, such as peritoneal leakage, hernia, catheter malfunctioning, and scrotal-penile edema; a careful investigation of the patient is always needed in such cases. From November 1985 to February 1990, we examined 20 patients, who had presented with different types of complications in the course of dialysis. Peritoneography demonstrated 3 cases of abdominal hernias, 2 cases of patency of the peritoneal-vaginal duct, and 2 cases of catheter obstruction. Peritoneal CT allowed the identification of leakage in 3 patients, while the combined use of the two techniques showed adhesions or pathologic peritoneal recesses in 7 cases. In 3 patients normal patterns were observed. Peritoneography, especially if combined with CT, can carry out a double function, that is in both the screening and choice of the subjects to destine to peritoneal dialysis, and in therapeutics, to evaluate complications. Moreover, the technique is extremely reliable thanks to both its simple execution and lack of disadvantages.

The authors report 73 cases of abdominal aortic aneurysms with particular emphasis to early and long-term results as well as postoperative complications: 4 patients died at admission, 16 were treated with medical therapy, and 53 underwent surgery. Surgical patients were stratified in two groups: 18 emergency cases (group 1) and 35 elective cases (group 2). Early results showed the highest mortality in group 1 cases presenting with shock. Late results, at the end of the follow up, (6 months-8 years), showed a 56.6% 5-year survival rate, with overlapping survival rates after the immediate postoperative period. The most frequent postoperative complications were thrombosis of prosthesis and lymphorrhea. Survival rates of emergency cases were influenced by early diagnosis and prompt aorta clamping. Before surgery an haemodynamic evaluation of all vascular districts seems necessary in elective cases to prevent complications of atherosclerotic disease.

The aim of this work was to identify the best treatment available for massive pulmonary thromboembolism which still remains a frequent and sometimes lethal complication for surgical and non-surgical patients. The Authors underline the difficulties of diagnosis and the need for therapy at the earliest possible stage. At present, clinical management involves the use of: anticoagulants, thrombolytic agents and surgical embolectomy. In conclusion, the authors state that pulmonary thromboembolism, even when massive, has been transformed into a medically interesting pathology which can be cured using heparin and thrombolytic agents. However, surgical treatment is mandatory when patients reveal adverse effects to drug therapy, when medical therapy is insuccessful, or when patients are seriously ill with recurrent cardiac arrest.

The main phases of ossification are shown-based on the results achieved by re-examining the X-ray pictures of 14 patients affected by tubular bones pseudoarthrosis treated with Ilizarov's closed compression-distraction osteosynthesis. The roentgen signs in particular are examined which are considered as expressive of positive evolution of the pseudoarthrosis. An outline of X-ray evolution of nonunions is also proposed, referring to the peculiar biological characters of ossification under compression-distraction stimulation.

According to results of experimental study on 70 women, either normal or osteoporotic, the authors come to a critical valuation of known radio-morphometric index concerning the measure of amount of bone and propose the cortical planimetric percent area of the second right hand metacarpal as original radio-morphometric index, greatly correlated (r = 0,879) to gamma-absorptsiometric mineralometry.