A 53-year-old male patient underwent a Nissen fundoplication with short gastric vessel (SGV) division for gastroesophageal reflux disease. During the procedure, the upper pole of the spleen was noted to have discrete color changes suggesting ischemia of this area. One month later he presented with a splenic abscess, which required splenectomy. The clinical presentation and management of this case is reported and comments are made on surgical aspects of SGV division during fundoplication to prevent this potentially dangerous situation. Issues such as the surgical management of splenic abscesses, the limitations of laparoscopic splenectomy in these cases, and the risks and benefits of SGV division, are also discussed in this article.

An experimental model for local administration of neuronotrophic substances at the site of peripheral nerve lesion is presented. The model consists of a subcutaneously located silicone reservoir and a connecting tube with its distal end fixed in the proximity of the severed and repaired nerve. The results of the preliminary tests of the model are presented. Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups: control (saline-treated) (n = 30) and NGF-treated (n = 30). After axotomy of the sciatic nerve, an epineurial repair is performed. NGF or saline is injected daily into the subcutaneous reservoir during the first 3 weeks after axotomy and a single dose in the fourth week. The regenerated nerve observed in the NGF-treated group after four weeks of treatment presents a greater percentage of myelinated axons, thicker myeline sheaths, and more mature endoneurial layers. This experimental model provides a reliable and quantitative way to deliver neuronotrophic substances in site and at different administration rates.

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Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a malignant skin neoplasm of slow growth characteristics. A case of inguinal DFSP is presented in order to review clinical diagnosis challenges, histological variants, malignancy behaviour and therapeutic modalities. Although rare in frequency of presentation, its high recurrence rate and metastatic potential make it an important tumor for the general surgeon to keep in mind.

La urolitiasis es un trastorno obstructivo total o parcial de las vías urinarias, frecuente en pequeños rumiantes en producción intensiva. En una población de 58 caprinos confinados, se detectaron 8 casos de urolitiasis, de los cuales murieron 6 animales afectados (machos castrados). Los caprinos enfermos manifestaron decaimiento, apatía y anorexia. Posteriormente hubo animales que presentaron postura antiálgica (lomo encorvado), abdomen distendido y muy sensible a la palpación, prueba de apnea negativa, respiración superficial y acelerada, así como también balido interrumpido. Se realizaron sondajes uretrales, extracciones de sangre y necropsias a los animales muertos, efectuando las correspondientes tomas de muestras para análisis histopatológicos y de laboratorio. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron la existencia de trastornos obstructivos, lo cual derivó en la reformulación de la dieta de los caprinos y generó el control de la enfermedad, sin posterior aparición de nuevos casos.