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Five seat-belt related injuries to the supra-aortic and cervical vessels occurring in four patients are reported. All patients but one were symptomatic, none presented with stroke, and in one case arterial lesion was revealed by delayed onset of symptoms. Outcome of surgical treatment was overall good. Systematic search of such injuries and surgical repair of those without major neurological signs might be advisable.

Ingestion of foreign bodies (FB) seems to be a relatively common occurrence in certain classes of people. The majority of ingested objects reach the stomach end 80% of these pass spontaneously without complications. However nearly 20% of FB that pass from the stomach result in complication distally such to required a surgical operation. The authors report a case of chicken bone perforation of the ileus, which was diagnosed by surgical operation. The case reported is of interest for several reason. The lack of condition that can predispose patients to accidental ingestion of FB, no specific history of FB ingestion and the impossibility to detect chicken bones on plain radiography.

Acute idiopathic pancreatitis is a term used when no underlying cause can be identified on routine investigations. However more specialized investigations, such as endoscopic, endoscopic retrocolangio pancreopathy (CPRE), may detect aetiological factors, particularly biliary sludge and pancreatic duct abnormalities. The authors, reviewing the current literature, report their caseload of idiopathic pancreatitis. They conclude that CPRE is indicated if ultrasonography shows a calibre of the common duct at the superior limits of normal values and in each idiopathic recurrent AP.

A case of low molecular weight heparin induced thrombocytopenia is reported. Mechanisms and treatment of this condition are discussed.

The authors report a case of acute pancreatitis (AP) occurring in a patient under treatment with carbamazepine (CBZ) for post-traumatic petit mal epilepsy, and review the current literature of drug-induced AP. The evidence of high plasmatic levels of CBZ and the absence of other aetiologic factors lead the authors to conclude that the overdose of CBZ could have represented the precipitating of the episode of acute pancreatitis.

Acute idiopathic pseudo-obstruction of the colon, or Ogilvie's syndrome, is a rather unfrequent condition. Although it has been associated to a variety of pathological conditions, the etiology is still unknown. The authors refer upon a case of Ogilvie's syndrome observed by them and, confronting the data that emerged reviewing the literature with their experience, they retain that if the conservative therapy fails, and in absence of perforations or ischemic lesions, the treatment to prefer is the positioning of a cecostomy tube in local anesthesia. For elderly patients with unsufficiently good general conditions who present a recurrent acute pseudo-obstruction of the colon, it is advisable to confection a definitive cecostomy.