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Two cases of subpleural lipoma are reported in which a characteristic flattening of the contour with deep inspiration could be demonstrated fluoroscopically and in spot roentgenograms. It us suggested that this finding is typical of subpleural lipomas.

Three patients with unusual amounts of fat accumulation in the upper mediastinum due to prolonged steroid therapy reported.A smoothly outlined, symmetric mass[See figure in the pdf file]density in the upper mediastinum without pressure effect on the trachea in an asymptomatic patient with this history should suggest the correct diagnosis.

Improved surgical and anesthetic technics permit removal or correction of esophageal lesions by thoracotomy in an increasing number of patients. For this reason, more precise anatomic and physiologic diagnosis is required. Since criteria for the roentgen diagnosis of hiatal herniation are disputed, and because the clinical significance of minimal to moderate degrees of herniation is often uncertain, a study was undertaken to evolve more specific criteria. A second objective was to evaluate these criteria by applying them to groups of patients in different age groups and over long periods of time. Initially, 300 cinefluorograms of the distal esophagus were reviewed. These were classified in three groups: (a) normal, (b) hiatal herniation, (c) other lesions. These interpretations were compared with the clinical histories of the patients and correlation between the roentgen diagnosis and the clinical impression was found to be poor. A restudy of the same group of cinefluorograms showed considerable intra-and...