Spontaneous hemopneumothorax is a serious condition complicating spontaneous pneumothorax. Early stage thoracotomy has been advocated to stop the bleeding and evacuate the coagulated blood from the pleural cavity. The present review was undertaken to emphasize the potential life-threatening condition of spontaneous hemopneumothorax and reassess the benefit of conservative treatment with chest tube drainage. Out of six patients, five patients were treated conservatively and one required an emergency thoracotomy because of cardiovascular collapse. Although three patients still had minimal residual hemopneumothorax on discharge, none of them developed empyema or trapped lung. In conclusion, conservative treatment is efficient and should be performed if bleeding persists for less than 24 hours after chest tube placement.

Videodefaecography allows identification of three different types of rectoceles: type I or digitiform rectocele, type II or rectocele with a lax rectovaginal septum, an anterior mucosal prolapse and a deep pouch of Douglas, and a type III in which a rectocele is associated with intussusception or even rectal prolapse. Furthermore, videodefaecography gave information on functional mechanisms resulting in incontinence or constipation. Surgical treatment should be tailored to the radiological and clinical findings: endoanal approach in type I, posterior colpomyorhaphy in type II and double abdomino-vaginal approach in type III. One hundred and fifty cases were prospectively treated according to this policy. Recurrence occurred in one out of 150 cases (1.3%). Incontinence was cured in 93% and constipation in 88%.