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485 women underwent induced abortion by the vacuum aspiration method. 231 underwent the operation with diazepam narcosis and paracervical blockade as an outpatient procedure, 203 were hospitalized and underwent the operation under full anesthesia, and 51 patients comprised a "risk group", and were not included in the analysis. There were no significant differences in the incidence of complications and side effects. Genital infections were the most common complication, occurring in 6.9% of the outpatient group and 5.9% of the hospitalized group. The outpatient technique can be recommended as a safe procedure for the performance of abortions.

A foreign worker died after a compressed air injury. The insufflation of high pressure air into the anus caused multiple ruptures in the part anterior of the dilated sigmoid and colon descending. For the reconstruction of the case it was necessary to know the minimum distance between the nozzle and the gluteal region. Experimental work has shown that clothing does offer protection against the high pressure air and colon perforations can only be expected if there is a small distance between the jet of the compressed air and the anal region.

A 44 year old male alcoholic was throttled by his wife. The visible white furrow after strangulation was massaged with unguentum; afterwards, the corpse was transported with a scooter by the sons of the victim into a lake. Here, the man was found 24 hours later without any external signs of strangulation. Experimentally produced strangulation furrows (at lower legs of human deceased and at neck of shaved and deeply narcotized guinea-pigs) disappeared when exposed to water or treated with ointments.

Radioiodine therapy and surgical enucleation as a functionally legitimate operation are adequate methods of treatment for the autonomous adenoma of the thyroid. With reference to a series of our own patients, the making of the indication, the operation technique and the carrying out of radioiodine therapy are commented on. The aim of the operation is the enucleation of the autonomous adenoma without traumatizing the healthy thyroid tissue and without ligature of the polar vessels. The aim of radioiodine therapy is the selective destruction of the adenoma. The indication for the operation should certainly be made more liberally to perform the low-risk enucleation.

By "camera-cinematography" of the heart, we mean an isotope method which permits detailed observation of cardiac mechanics without the use of a catheter. All that is necessary is an intravenous injection of 10 to 15 mCi 99mTc human serum albumen followed after ten minutes by a five to ten minute period of observation with a scintilation camera. At this time the isotope has become distributed in the blood. Variations in the precordial impulses correspond with intra-cardiac changes of blood volume during a cardiac cycle. Analysis of the R-wave provides adequate information of cyclical volume changes in limited portions of the heart. This is achieved by a monitor with a pseudo-3-dimensional display; contraction and relaxation of the myocardium can be shown for any chosen longitudinal or horizontal diameter of the heart. Our programme allows simultaneous presentation of the movement of any point on the myocardium as a time-activity curve. The method is recommended as an addition to chest radiography, heart screening or cardiac kymography before carrying out cardiac catheterisation.

The diagnostic accuracy of CT in cases of lumbar disk prolapse was investigated on the basis of a group of 158 of our own patients who were divided into three separate groups. CT findings were compared on the one hand with myelograms and on the other with results of surgery. Simultaneously performed myelographic and CT examinations produced different diagnostic findings in 7 out of 80 lumbar disks (approx. 9%). These deviating findings ranged from gradual differences (in 3 cases) to completely contradictory findings (in 4 cases). In 31 patients who underwent surgery, approximately the same amount of false-positive and false-negative findings were obtained in preoperative diagnosis using CT as with myelography. The overall accuracy calculated for non-invasive computerized tomography was 93.7%, while for myelography it was 90.7%. Out of a further 91 patients in whom myelography was not performed and whose condition was checked surgically, the diagnosis had been established correctly by CT in 88. This represents a degree of accuracy of 96%. The vertical and lateral location of the disk prolapses as determined by CT corresponded with findings at surgery in every case. It is concluded from the results of these investigations that CT should be given absolute priority over myelography in the diagnosis of lumbar disk prolapse and that if there is a correlation between clinical history, neurological deficiency symptoms, and CT findings, myelography is unnecessary, even for surgery. Only if there are discrepancies between the findings myelography is indicated as a supplementary examination. CT and myelography are examination methods which complement, rather than complete with one another.

1) The influence of acids and bases on the development of the early wound reactions in the intact and the mechanically injured skin of guinea pigs was investigated. The cellular and the enzymohistochemical reactions showed to be different: the tissue leucocytosis after mechanical trauma is less restrained by chemical effects than the reactive increase of enzymic activity in the border of wounds, which proved to be affected by acids more than by bases. Changes in activity of structure bound enzymes could not be demonstrated in the skin after mere action of acids and bases, but only after mechanical trauma. The cellular reaction is in the border of the base necrosis more compact, in case of the acid necrosis broader and more diffuse. Characteristic changes in the nucleus were preferentially found after basic reaction. 2) In the mechanically unhurt skin a significant excess of histamine was found after the action of acids, while the liberation of serotonin was distinctly decreased. After incision and addition of acid the histamine level was decreased and the serotonin concentration significantly increased. After exposition of guinea pig skin to chemicals, the concentrations of the so-called tissue hormones showed a contrary course. 3) After postmortal incision and following cauterization a distinct increase of histamine was found in the wound area. Generally the excess of free histamine in comparison to the unhurt skin is considered to be a vital reaction. But because degranulation of mast cells and liberation of histamine can also be caused by chemical influence in the postmortal period, a critical interpretation in cases of skin exposition to acids or bases is necessary.

Case report about a myocardial infarction following stab wound of the left atrium including a complete severance of the left coronary artery: An athletic 35-year-old man suffered a latero-medial stab wound of the thorax. The knife had penetrated the left lung and the atrium of the hypertrophic left heart. Postoperatively, the patient developed a heart infarction; 40 h after trauma he died. The postmortem revealed traumatic necrosis of the left atrium, an intraoperatively undiscovered complete severance of the ramus circumflexus arteriae coronariae sinistrae and an antero-lateral ischemic cardionecrosis of the left ventricle. The location of the infarction could be explained by an extreme right preponderance of the coronary blood supply. Traumatic and ischemic myocardial necrosis differed distinctly in the amount of contraction bands. Other causes for such morphological changes like catecholamine-cardiomyopathy (so-called epinephrine myocarditis) or heart operations are discussed.

For the first time results of investigations on rats with radioactive compounds in autochtonal tumors of the central nervous system, induced via placenta by Ethyl-Nitrose-Urea (ENU), are reported. In contrast to transplantation tumors the tumors induced by ENU are comparable in regard to the szintigrafic results with human brain tumors. The radiopharmaceuticals 131I-HSA, 99mTc-Pertechnetate, 203Hg-Chlormerodrin and 113m/111In-DTPA are similar to human brain tumors taken up by the ENU-tumors. For these findings it may be important, that the ENU-tumors are of neurogenic origin and do not differ histologically from the human brain tumors. The accumulation of the radioactive substances in ENU-tumors can be explained with the lesion at the blood-brain-barrier and at the blood-nerv-barrier. Therefore, it is discussed that the mechanism of the uptake is similar in human brain neoplasms and in ENU-tumors of the brain. The ENU-tumor model is suitable for testing new radiopharmaceuticals before their application in men.

The early phase of wound repair after liver incisions was investigated by histological, enzyme-histochemical, and biochemical methods in guinea pigs. There are considerable differences in cellular and histochemical reactions in comparison to incisions of the skin: 1. The rapid leukocytic reaction showed little change during the observation interval (48 h). In short survival times epithelial cells show signs of hypoxidosis and loss of glycogen at the edge of an incision. Proliferation of organ-specific and mesenchymal cells was observed after more than 24 h. 2. Alterations of the investigated enzymes in the traumatic area are important diagnostic parameters in the early stages of wound healing. 3. In the early 12 h after injury distinct increase of histamine was observed, while serotonin was noticed to decrease. 4. Therefore, the determination of wound age in the early wound reactions after injuries of the liver should include enzymehistochemical methods.

Cyclic precordial variations of radiation after i.v. administration of 15 mCi 99mTc-HSA correspond to cyclic volume changes of ventricular volumes of the heart. The "gated blood pool procedure" yields reliable data. Extensive analysis of these data results in subsequent information concerning left ventricular myocardial behaviour: 1. extent of the regional myocardial contraction 2. homogeneity of the contraction 3. regional contraction velocity 4. regional relaxation velocity. Four parametric scans present the distribution of each one of those parameters within the heart. Gated blood pool data have been compared with angiographic data. Reliability of those parameters obtained by extensive analysis of the gated blood pool data could be proven.

The subjects of investigation were 13 dead thorotrast patients, 10 male, 3 female, with ages ranging from 45 to 79 years. Two thousand organ and tissue specimens were investigated by means of autopsy and by both microscopic-autoradiographic and neutron activation analysis in order to detect late effects and to determine on approximate mean concentration of 232Th (mg per g of tissue). A comparison between late effects and concentrations of the dye medium led to the following conclusions: 1. 232Th is, after intravascular injection, deposited in all organs and tissues of the human body. 2. The highest mean concentrations are shown in the spleen, liver, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. 3. The distribution of 232Th is inhomogeneous in all organs and tissues. The variations of maximum and minimum concentration lie around factor 2.2 X 10(0)-2.4 X 10(5). 4. Late effects occur only in spleen, liver, lymph nodes, and bone marrow, but not in organs and tissues that show a mean concentration of 232Th under 10(-1) mg per g tissue. 5. It is highly probable that tumors of thorotrast patients in organs other than spleen, liver lymph nodes, and bone marrow are not caused by deposition of 232Th or ThO2.

Contradictory findings from experiments designed for the reconstruction of the circumstances in crimes committed with firearms induced us to systematically investigate the conditions leading to the occurrence of non-typical bullet exit wounds. For this purpose, skin samples and pig heads were fired at with different types of small arms and, on the exit side, the skin was brought into contact with various materials. The bullet exits were investigated morphologically and by means of emission spectrum analysis. The results from these investigations are classified and discussed.

It is reported about a female patient with two lipomas of the liver. The special diagnosis and the differentiation against metastases and other malignant tumors of the liver are only possible by means of computertomography. Scintigraphy and sonography do not allow a differential diagnosis. On the one hand lipoma of the liver is a very rare and benign disease but on the other hand a correct diagnosis may be - like in this case - very important because of therapy and prognosis.

Scintigraphic radio-spirometry combines conventional spirometry with the advantages of a functional isotope technique, thereby providing a clinically useful method for the study of pulmonary function. The advantage of the method consist principally in the ability to estimate physiological values separately for the two lungs, and also for selective portions of each lung. The apparatus, method and quantitative evaluation of the results are discussed in detail and the method is critically evaluated. Indications for radiospirometry are given.

Camera-Kinematography is a nearly noninvasive method to investigate regional motion of the myocard, and allows evaluation of the function of the heart. About 20 min after injection of 15-20 mCi of 99mTC-Human-Serum-Albumin, when the tracer is distributed homogenously within the bloodpool, data acquisition starts. Myocardial wall motion is represented in an appropriate quasi three-dimensional form. In this representation scars can be revealed as "silent" (akinetic) regions, aneurysms by asynchronic motion. Time activity curves for arbitrarily chosen regions can be calculated and give an equivalent for regional volume changes. 16 patients with an old infarction have been investigated. In fourteen cases the location and extent of regions with abnormal motion could be evaluated. Only two cases of a small posterior wall infarction did not show deviations from normal contraction pattern.

Die Differentialdiagnose des Ikterus bereitet trotz Einsatz aller modernen klinischen und blutchemischen Untersuchungsmethoden Schwierigkeiten. In 10–20% ist eine Differenzierung zwischen intra- und extrahepatischem Verschlusikterus nicht moglich. Im Tierexperiment wurden am Hund angiographische und szintigraphische Untersuchungen vorgenommen, um folgende Fragen zu klaren: 1. Welche Gefassysteme der Leber sind neben den Gallenwegen beim Verschlus-ikterus beteiligt? 2. Sind die Gefas Veranderungen angio- und szintigraphisch zu verifizieren? 3. Konnen die erhobenen Befunde zur Diagnostik des Verschlusikterus in der Medizin herangezogen werden?