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Abdominal abscess is a very important problem nowadays, being responsible for prolonged hospitalisation, because these infections still cause substantial morbidity and mortality. For many years, surgical drainage has been considered the best therapeutic option in abdominal abscesses but several studies have subsequently shown that the percutaneous approach is as effective as surgical drainage. Starting from this background, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether or not percutaneous drainage is a valid treatment of choice. In the Department of Surgical Sciences, Organ Transplantation and Advanced Technologies of the University of Catania, 451 ultrasound guided percutaneous drainages of intra-abdominal abscesses were performed on 430 patients. Abscess drainage was successful in 322/403 (80%) of postoperative abscess, in 16/18 (90%) of primitive abscesses, in 10/12 cases (85%) of acute cholecystitis, in 3/6 cases (50%) of intrahepatic abscess and in 12/12 cases (100%) of pyelonephritis. US-guided drainage is currently the gold standard in the treatment of simple abdominal abscesses.

The firm opposition of public opinion and the reduction in public funding have remarkably curtailed the role of experimental surgery which several years ago was a key aspect of the activity of a surgical department. Experimental surgery in large animals has been virtually banned and experimental research in small animals requires the use of complex microsurgical techniques. In our opinion, experimental surgery is still useful in order to test new surgical devices and new drugs, especially in the field of transplant surgery. Another important function of experimental surgery is to facilitate the training of surgical residents in order to speed up the process of acquiring experience and expertise. Public opinion can be reassured because the legislation is very strict and safeguards the well-being of animals.

Totally implantable venous access ports are valuable instruments for long-term intravenous treatment of patients with cancer, but implantation and use of these devices may be associated with complications. The aim of our study was to compare two implantation techniques in order to establish which one is better for the patient and the surgeon as regards morbidity, surgical time, tolerability, and costs. A prospective study was conducted on a series of 99 patients undergoing implantation of totally implantable venous access ports with surgical cut-down or percutaneous access from January 2000 to June 2004 at the Department of Surgical Sciences, Organ Transplantation and Advanced Technologies. Our experience shows that there are no statistically significant differences between these two techniques in terms of associated morbidity, technical failure, operative time and patient acceptance.

Ancient schwannomas are rare benign tumours, deriving from neural crest cells. Schwannomas of the head and neck are frequently misdiagnosed and preoperative investigations are often fruitless. We report a very rare case of a patient with a schwannoma of the seventh nerve. T.A., a 43-year-old male, was referred to our department in September 2003 with a 6-month history of a gradually enlarging asymptomatic right neck mass. Ultrasonography of the parotid gland demonstrated the presence of a nodule, with irregular borders, measuring about 2.90 x 2.00 x 1.70 cm. During surgery we found a mass apparently spreading from the parotid gland and therefore we decided to resect the mass together with the gland. The histological examination yielded a diagnosis of ancient schwannoma. Schwannomas are very rare and approximately 25-30% of all reported cases occur in the head and neck, mostly in the eighth nerve, while involvement of the seventh nerve is extremely rare.

Ganglioneuroma is a very rare tumour characterised by a slow evolution and arising from cells originating in the neural crest. This type of tumour occurs most commonly in the posterior mediastinum and is considered malignant in childhood and benign thereafter. It grows very slowly and can usually grow to a substantial size without giving rise to an evident clinical picture. We report the case of an 18-year-old asymptomatic patient, who had undergone a medical examination in a military hospital where a chest X-ray revealed a roundish mass in the right lung displacing the trachea to the left. Computed tomography showed that the mass was located in the posterior mediastinum. Surgical resection was performed. The tumour was encapsulated and adhered tightly to the pleura of the costovertebral angle. Histological examination revealed a ganglio-neuroma composed of Schwann cells and mature ganglion cells without any neuroblastomatous elements. This case of a mediastinal ganglioneuroma in a young male patient is a typical example of this rare pathological entity. The totally asymptomatic clinical picture could be explained by the very slow growth of this type of tumour which can displace the surrounding anatomical structures without infiltration.

Portal vein thrombosis usually appears in the course of acute abdominal septic complications or after splenectomy, though in 50% of cases no aetiological factors can be identified. In our department we recently treated two patients affected by portal vein thrombosis, the first after splenectomy for haematological disease, and the second after sigmoid diverticulitis. When portal vein thrombosis occurs after splenectomy for haematological reasons, the increased viscosity of the blood due to thrombocytosis is the main factor regarded as being the cause. In the first case, acute abdominal pain appeared 15 days after splenectomy and the diagnosis was suspected and confirmed by Doppler ultrasonography. The clinical course in the second case was less typical, because, although the sigmoid diverticular disease was known, the symptomatology presented with high fever but no clear subjective or objective abdominal picture. The diagnosis was achieved by computed tomography. The clinical picture may vary greatly but usually abdominal pain, fever and intestinal ischaemia are present. Nowadays the diagnosis has improved as a result of the extensive use of Doppler ultrasonography and computed tomography. Fibrinolytic therapy and acetylsalicylic acid are the treatment of choice and in our experience the clinical picture tends to clear up rapidly. When the patient presents a number of risk factors, prophylaxis of portal vein thrombosis should be planned.

Hydatid cysts are most often located in the liver and lungs (55-90%), while their location in the adrenal gland is very rare (0.5%). We observed a patient with a hydatid cyst in the adrenal gland, the diagnosis of which was incidental during ultrasonography and computed tomography. The experience acquired in Sicily where hydatid disease is endemic makes serological tests unnecessary, also because they often require a lengthy waiting period and are expensive. The patient had undergone surgery for the treatment of hepatic hydatid cysts. The adrenal localization may be explained as a consequence of secondary dissemination via the blood stream. The cyst developed inside the gland and caused atrophy of the glandular tissue. The surgical treatment called for adrenalectomy as the adrenal gland was entirely occupied by the cyst.