Between 1969 and 1985, 245 patients with diffuse malignant mesothelioma were treated (157 male, 88 female). The average age was 55.8 years and the sex ratio was 1.8:1 in favour of males. The right side was more frequently affected than the left (56.7% vs. 43.3%). A pleural effusion and dyspnoea were the presenting signs and symptoms in 83.7% of the patients and unilateral chest pain in 64.2%. Noninvasive diagnostic procedures included a chest X-ray and computed tomography of the thorax. Pleural effusion and pleural thickening were detected most frequently. Malignant cells were identified by pleural fluid cytology in 45.3% and by needle biopsy of the pleura in 42.7% of the patients. Forty-five patients were treated conservatively and 200 patients underwent operation: diagnostic thoracotomy (78); partial pleurectomy (72); total pleurectomy (46); extended pleuropneumonectomy (2); partial removal of the diaphragm (1) and total pleurectomy and upper lobectomy (1). The perioperative mortality was 6%. The conservative and postoperative treatment depended on the patients' symptoms and included radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone or in combination. The mean survival time of the 222 non-survivors was 9.2 months. After 1 year, 36% of the patients were still alive, after 2 years, 10.8% and the 5-year survival was 4.1%. The median survival time in patients treated non-operatively was 6 months--a little over half that of the patients treated surgically (10.1 months).

In the Special Research Centre 414 of the German Research Funding (DFG, Bonn) a system for robot-assisted cranial surgery was developed. It is designed for the accurate and safe execution of craniotomies and repositioning of bone pieces. The system is intended for use in the surgical therapy of craniosynostosis. Preoperatively, CT imaging is performed. In a computerized planning system the position and shape of the intended craniotomy is intuitively planned on a virtual model of the patient's skull. Intraoperatively, after conventional removal of the covering soft tissue, the robot performs the craniotomy autonomously. Extensive testing in phantom studies and animal tests confirmed the reliability and accuracy of the system. A thorough risk analysis of the system was performed. In this paper, the first clinical use of the system on a patient is described and the clinical importance is discussed.

Between 1975 and 1985 76 patients underwent surgery of pulmonary metastases in our hospital. Most often the primary tumor was located in carcinomas of the colon and rectum (19 patients), followed by carcinomas of the kidney (14 patients), the breast (13 patients) and the skin (malignant melanoma: 9 patients). Conditions for pulmonary metastasectomy are radical removal of the primary tumor, metastases located only in the lung, resectability of the metastases and low operative risk. Three years after pulmonary metastasectomy 35% of the patients were still alive, the 5 year survival rate was 18%. The median survival time was 22 months. The prognosis in patients with pulmonary metastases is largely dependant upon tumor type. Pulmonary metastases of breast carcinomas and carcinomas of colon and rectum can be treated best by surgical intervention. (5 year survival rate: 35% and 33%). Hypernephroma and malignant melanoma have a 5 year survival rate of 0% and 23%. Other prognostic factors are the number of pulmonary metastases and the disease-free interval between surgery of the primary tumor and pulmonary metastasectomy. Furthermore resection techniques are of prognostic importance. Lobectomy and segmental resection showed a better 5 year survival rate than pneumonectomy (21%, 24%, 0%). Median sternotomy is recommended as standard access for pulmonary metastasectomy. Surgery of pulmonary metastases is encouraging.

Sonography is an integral part of primary tumor diagnosis and follow-up for the great majority of organ systems. However, its value in the field of space-occupying processes of the locomotor system, especially of malignant bone tumors, has mostly been underestimated. The sonographic examination has to investigate the whole tumor region and the corresponding lymph nodes statically and dynamically. The examination procedure should be standardized and the documentation reliable. Evaluation criteria are the localization, dimensions, and volume of the tumors, echogenicity and homogeneity, peri- and intratumoral vascularization (vessel density and architecture), borders of the tumor, and neighboring structures. Pathologic changes not only of the soft tissues but also of the bones can be evaluated sonographically. Even subtle analysis does not permit definitive assessment of tumor status. Taking its physical limitations into consideration, high-resolution sonography, enhanced by color/PowerDoppler and three-dimensional techniques, is a valuable adjunct to improve diagnosis, therapy planning, monitoring, and posttherapeutic care of tumors of the locomotor system.

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