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The purpose of the study was to compare power 3-D with conventional 2-D sonography with color and power Doppler in assessment of tumor vascularity in small hepatic hemangiomas. The study group comprised 12 patients (7 males and 5 females) aged 28-60, (mean 44) with diagnosed hemangiomas. In all the patients 2-D and 3-D sonography was performed and their results were compared. Both color and power Doppler 2-D sonography failed to detect blood flow in the tumors. Blood flow signals were detected in 3-D power Doppler sonography. 3-D power Doppler is superior to 2-D color and power Doppler imaging in the detection of blood flow signal in hemangiomas.

During the past 21 years 222 patients with chronic pancreatitis have undergone surgery at the Department of General Surgery, Medical School Bialystok. In 117 cases (52.7%) resection was performed and 48 patients (21.6%) had anastomotic procedures and the rest of patients underwent bile duct anastomotic surgery or were re-operated on because of surgical complications. Based on the own clinical experience and the latest data from the world literature diagnostic criteria and indications for surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis are shown below. Good results obtained in 192 cases (86%) strongly support our opinion that resection procedures in chronic pancreatitis are the most effective management however patients should be operated on in specialized centers with good diagnostic bases because a correct diagnosis is essential while choosing the appropriate line of treatment.

Between 1992 and 1997, every year, approximately 30,000 examinations of the liver and bile ducts were done. Addition of colour Doppler imaging improves safety of procedures and allowed to perform ultrasound guided biopsy in 73 patients. On the basis of our experience we state that colour Doppler sonography guided percutaneous fine needle biopsy of the liver is useful, sufficient and safety diagnostic method of abscesses, cysts and malignant tumours of the liver.

Ultrasound vascular imaging with subtraction is considered as very useful method to evaluation vascularity of tumor and its relationships to great vessels. Lung tumor was evaluated with power color Doppler ultrasound with and without B-mode scanning. Power color Doppler imaging without B-mode scanning is better depicted tumor internal vascular architecture and its relationships to great vessels then with B-mode. This method makes differentiation of tumor character possibly and interventional procedures more safely.

Transthoracic fine needle aspiration specimens of the pulmonary tumors were obtained from 144 patients. Fine needle aspiration biopsy were performed using local anaesthesia and ultrasonographic or scopie control. The 20-gauge needles were used to obtain the specimens. 93 of patients have been diagnosed as squamous cell carcinomas, 28 as adenoid carcinomas, 18 as anaplastic carcinomas and 5 as a non neoplastic lesions (tuberculoma and abscessus). The tumors were typed according to the second WHO histological classification. Analysis of the date indicated that malignant neoplasms were identified correctly with an accuracy of 92.0%. There were not false positive diagnoses. There were two false negative diagnoses (squamous cell carcinoma) and in three cases the diagnosis were as suspected for malignancy. The results confirmed the value of fine needle aspiration cytopathology for the diagnosis of pulmonary tumors.

Between 1986 and 1995, 1800 ultrasound examinations of the chest were done. Addition of colour Doppler imaging improves safety of procedures and allowed to perform ultrasound guided biopsy in 47 patients. On the basis of our experience we state that colour Doppler sonography guided needle aspiration biopsy is useful, sufficient and safety diagnostic method of malignant lung masses, especially peripheral and wall-chest located.

On the basis of 162 cases of chronic advanced pancreatitis seen at our Department during the last 15 years the diagnosis, indications and surgical procedures are described in this paper. Quantitative and qualitative changes of pancreatic collagen in chronic inflammation were also analysed. Results of these investigations were compared with histological and ultrastructural pictures of pancreatic tissue. Amongst 162 patients, 142 (88%) were operated upon. 71 underwent pancreatectomy or pancreatoduodenectomy, 14 anastomotic procedures and rest of them various operation of the bile ducts. Overall, 18 (13%) patients experienced significant complications after resectional procedures and 6 (4%) died as well after anastomotic procedures.

A unusual pattern of hepatic fatty infiltration was detected sonographically in 43 patients over a 2-year period. At appropriate gain settings and time gain compensations, the liver parenchyma demonstrated diffuse increased echogenicity except for a solitary hypoechoic area with relatively distinct margins, usually locate in the medial segment of the left hepatic lobe or right lobe in pericholecystic, perivascular or subcapsular locations. This hypoechoic focus varied in size between 15 and 50 mm and was typically ovoid, but was occasionally spherical or irregular in shape. Fourteen patients with such skip area underwent percutaneous needle biopsy because of concern that there was a space-occupying mass. Microscopic examination of specimens from the hypoechoic region revealed normal hepatic parenchymal cells, while tissue samples from the surrounding liver had high fat levels. In the remaining 29 patients, correlative radiologic studies supported the diagnosis of fatty liver and excluded a central-mass lesion. A localized area of normal hepatic tissue should be considered among the possible hypoechoic periportal area demonstrated within a fatty liver.

The aim of study was presentation of our experiences in diagnosis and treatment in pancreatic carcinoma in confrontation with current opinions. Between 1984-1995 at our Department was treated 211 patients with carcinoma of exocrine part of the pancreas. It were 137 male and 74 female with mean age 58.9 years. In 151 cases (70.5%) primary seat of tumour was located in the head and in 60 cases (29.5.1%) in the body or tail of pancreas. The diagnosis was determined on the basis of clinical symptoms and laboratory investigation Diagnostic accuracy of X-ray investigations was as follow: Ultrasonography-86%, CT-scan-91%, ERCP-94%. Ultrasonography or CT guided biopsy and serodiagnosis improved detectability of resectionable carcinomas in the last past years. Among 211 patients, 199 underwent surgery. The procedures depended on the localisation and grade of advance of the tumours. UICC classification of pancreatic tumours, pTNM (4th edition 1987) was used. Only in 21 patients (9.9%) (tumours pT1a-b N0M0) was possible to perform radical operation (resection of the pancreas). However in 107 patients (50.7%) were done only paliative procedures (pT2N1M0). In 83 patients (39.3%) only laparotomy and biopsy were performed (tumours pT2N1M1). The study shows that although improvement of the diagnostic methods tumors of the pancreas are diagnosed in stages making unable the radical procedures and only about 10% of carcinomas are resectable. It is relevant with non-characteristic picture of the diseases in its early stages.