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The results are presented of transthoracic, mainly fine-needle biopsies in 500 patients. The procedure was carried out under biplane fluoroscopic control. The overall accuracy was 89% in establishing malignancy for lung lesions (93% for lesions with a diameter greater than 20 mm and 71% for lesions less than 20 mm diameter). Biopsies were done on pleural lesions and mediastinal lesions with an accuracy of 76% and 83%, respectively. The complications were few: a pleural tube was needed in only 2% of the patients and one patient died. Inadequate material was attained from small peripheral lesions (diameter less than 20 mm) in 24% of the patients, so efforts should be made to improve the method in this respect.

Thrombectomy performed with the Fogarty balloon catheter may, in a small percentage of cases, give rise to complications. In four cases reviewed, this procedure was associated with aneurysms or arteriovenous fistulae. Careful catheter manipulation and a judicious use of fluoroscopy or angiography during the procedure can reduce the number of such complications.

Fifty-two patients with Raynaud's phenomenon of the upper extremity were examined by angiography because of suspected organic stenosis or occlusions in areas available for reconstructive vascular surgery. Different vasodilatating treatments were compared either singly or combined: blockade of the brachial plexus, intraarterial injections of phentolamine or reserpine, body warming, and orally administered alcohol. Body warming in combination with 4 mg phentolamine gave optimal vasodilatation within the shortest time and without vasospasm after local cold provocation in patients with sympathetically induced vasospasm, enabling a clear visualization of organic lesions. A proper vasodilatation was also obtained after blockade of the brachial plexus or reserpine injection combined with body warming, but not until 40 min after the start of the treatments.

Fifteen patients with bronchial carcinoma were treated with infusions of 10 mg Mitomycin C (MMC) in the bronchial artery feeding the tumor. The treatment was repeated three times with 2-3 weeks interval between treatments. Half of the patients then received radiation to the tumor area and mediastinum. All tumors decreased in size, complete remission occurred in two and partial remission in five patients. Survival time, however, was not prolonged and esophageal complications occurred in several patients.

Fifty patients with postthrombotic disease were examined by phlebography and by bilateral femoral vein pressure measurements. The degree of obstruction to venous flow was best evaluated by measuring the pressure elevation and pressure difference after exercise and the time required for these parameters to return to pre-exercise levels; pressures during rest and exercise were less conclusive indicators of obstruction. Good correspondence was found between femoral vein pressure and the severity of postthrombotic symptoms, while phleboraphy provided largely morphologic, rather than functional, information. We, therefore, consider it important to determine femoral vein pressure during and after exercise to evaluate the significance of postthrombotic iliac vein disease.