Search

A case of hepatic and intestinal secondary amyloidosis in 43 years old patient with Hodgkin's disease is presented. Diagnostic difficulties due to atypical localization of Hodgkin's disease were discussed. Therapeutic problems were caused by severe hepatic insufficiency.

The paper is a description of prolapse of small intestine through vagina in 66 year old woman, who had hysterectomy by laparotomy four years earlier. The intestines were repositioned by the vaginal route and then the opening at the top of vagina was sutured by laparatomy. In the next stage colpo-perineoplasty with formation of very high perineum was made.

Diamine oxidase (DAO) is an enzyme found almost exclusively in the enterocyte of the villous tips. In the basal state plasma DAO activity is low but increases significantly after i.v. injection of heparin. It is well recognised that postheparin plasma activity of DAO reflects clearly the integrity of the small bowel mucosa. The aim of this study was to investigate postheparin plasma DAO activity in diabetics with enteropathy. The study was carried out in a group of 72 individuals subdivided into five groups. Group I consisting of 16 patients with type 1 diabetes, group II--20 patients with type 2 diabetes, group III--8 patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, group IV--8 diabetics with enteropathy and group V--the control group. Blood samples were taken at the time 0' and at 60' and 120' intervals following i.v. injection of heparin. DAO activity was assessed by RIA methods. Basal values of DAO were nearly the same in all of the subjects (< 50 pmol/min/ml). After injection of heparin a very high DAO activity was observed in all groups (> 400 pmol/min/ml) except group IV (< 270 pmol/min/ml) (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the groups according to the type of diabetes, its duration and the methods of treatment. In conclusion, the postheparin plasma DAO activity in diabetics with enteropathy was very low, but of itself, diabetes and its treatments had no effect on the results under investigation.

Several hundreds of thousands of operations on the lumbosacral spine are carried out annually for decompression of nerve roots and disc removal. It is the opinion that serious intraoperative complications developed in 2.5 to 13.7% of cases. In the few literature reports cases have been described of dural sac rupture, injury to large retroperitoneal vessels, intestinal perforation and complete severing of ureters.

A case report is presented describing an ileus in a women suffering from chronic inflammatory lesions of Auerbach and Meissner plexuses of the small intestine.