The authors report five cases of gastric amyloidosis in addition of the fourty three published cases. These cases was polyvisceral forms, 4 times primitive and 1 time secondary to a psoriasic rheumatism. Three times only the patients had complaints of digestive tract. Four times non specific radiologic and endoscopic signs lead to a biopsy which permits diagnosis. The biopsy of gastric mucosa must take place beside the rectal biopsy; more difficult to do, it might be more successfull because the stomach is more often infiltrated by amyloidosis than the colon.

Abdomen↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Needle biopsy of the liver in an internal medicine department].

The authors presents 1 129 liver biopsies done during 7 years in a service of general medicine. Three accidents has been encountered representing a 0,17% mortality. Histologically, 50% of patients presented alterations due to ethylism, 25% presented a normal liver picture, which can be a diagnosis argument; 20% presented various lesions, of which tuberculosis is predominant, as well as acute, parasitary or hematological livers. Only 5% of the histological pictures are ininterpretable. The liver biopsy done very early in the evolution of a disease is sometimes a diagnosis argument which superior to others, allowing the rapid installation of the necessary treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Constipation--a new approach].

Chronic idiopathic constipation is defined as the emission of less than 3 stools per week. Beside signs evoking a severe form (Hirschsprung's disease, idiopathic megacolon), a treatment with bran, at a dose of 20 grams per day, is instituted right away, which cures almost 60% of the patients (constipation secondary to dietetic errors). If this is not the case, the study of the colonic transit time of markers, anorectal manometry, defecation radiographs, enables to recognize various etiological forms (colonic inertia, irritable colon, anism, descending perineum, etc...) which require a specific treatment.

Anal Canal↗

PubMedDate not supplied