Search

Safe and permanent closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) can be accomplished with an ivalon plug introduced by catheterization from the femoral artery. The authors' experience thus far obtained from treating more than a hundred patients suggests that the technique described in this paper is a feasible alternative to the surgical approach. A prerequisite has been the size and shape of the PDA, the lumen of which had to be conical in shape and smaller than the lumen of the femoral artery. Now safe closure of oversized PDA complicated by pulmonary hypertension has become possible, using a plug designed with a special mechanism for anchorage to the PDA. The technique of this closure is described in detail in this report of its successful use in a 50-year-old woman patient with an oversized, calcified PDA complicated by pulmonary and systemic hypertension and cystic lung disease. Treating such high-risk cases with transfemoral closure means real improvement in therapy over surgical treatment.

Tuberous sclerosis and von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis are frequently considered to be related organic neurocutaneous syndromes. While cystic lung disease of the honeycomb variety is known to occur in patients with tuberous sclerosis, its presence in persons with neurofibromatosis is not well documented. Four cases are presented of cystic lung disease occurring in patients with neurofibromatosis. Two patients were found to have both roentgenologic and pathologic evidence of cystic disease of the honeycomb variety. The other two patients exhibited bullae in the upper lobes of both lungs although in one, a more diffuse cyst formation was not excluded. In two cases pulmonary function studies were performed, three patients had open lung biopsies. The relationship between tuberous sclerosis and von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis is discussed.

Excerpt Von Recklinghausen's disease is known to affect many systems and organs in addition to the usual neurocutaneous findings. Thoracic involvement most commonly presents as neuromatous tumors o...

Many articles have dealt with the etiology of cystic lung disease. A year and a half ago, Siebert and Fisher1described a group of 12 cases, including 2 of their own, fitting into a particular clinicopathological pattern, and they applied the name "bronchiolar emphysema" to these cases. Their report included a lucid and logical account of the pathogenesis of the lesions, especially in comparing it with the mechanism producing the more commonly observed vesicular emphysema. The fact that to date there are 4 cases of bronchiolar emphysema in the American literature attests to the relative rarity of the condition, and it is with this in mind that the following is reported. Report of Case This elderly woman was admitted in December, 1955, at the age of 73 for continuance of anti-tuberculous therapy instituted the previous month at the Bristol Hospital, Bristol, Conn. Past history reveals bilateral simple mastectomy reportedly