Hepatic hydatidosis is an endemic disease that affects vast segments of the populations of various countries in the Mediterranean region, South America, the Pacific, and temperate zone nations that possess large numbers of sheep. Four hundred and ten patients bearing 561 hydatid cysts were treated at 2 major hospitals in Madrid, Spain in the period 1974-1989. In order to establish the modifications in diagnostic and therapeutic management introduced as a result of modernization of our clinical facilities and improved technological standards, they were divided into 2 groups: group A corresponded to the period 1974-1984, and group B, corresponded to the period 1985-1989. Since no effective parasiticide agent is available, hepatic hydatidosis must be treated surgically. Today's better knowledge and advancements in liver surgery have made it possible to extirpate the cyst completely with little risk and improved results; hepatic resection should only be considered in exceptional cases; aspiration, drainage procedures, or partial resections of the cyst yield inferior results. We have had no relapse of the hydatid disease in the liver or in any other abdominal site.

Background: the objective of our paper is to report on the long-term results of patients with gastric cancer treated by mini-invasive surgery with "intention-to-treat" laparoscopy. Patients and methods: between June 1993 and January 2006, 130 patients comprising 94 men and 36 women with gastric adenocarcinoma were prospectively selected by two surgical teams in three hospitals based on a prior agreement (CHU Charleroi, Belgium, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg and Zumárraga Hospital, Spain). Patients with adenocarcinoma of the cardia were excluded. Mean age of patients was 68 years (range, 37-85 years). Results: post-operative mortality within 60 days of operation was 6 patients; 109 patients were therefore properly followed up for an average of 49 months (range, 2-153 months). Average survival time for 10 non-resected patients was 4.5 months. Average survival rate for all 14 palliatively resected patients was 6.9 months. Actuarial 5-year survival rate for R0-type surgery was 35%. Global actuarial 5-year survival rate after resective surgery was 31%. Conclusions: laparoscopic gastrectomy with any kind of lymphadenectomy is a major but safe operation with acceptable mortality and morbility rates in patients with advanced gastric cancer, usually in poor general condition. Laparoscopic gastrectomy for locally advanced cancers is equivalent to laparotomy as far as long-term oncological results are concerned.

With the object of designing a feasible and more radical surgical intervention for the treatment of carcinoma of the gastric cardia and improving the long term survival of these patients, a procedure was described which entails total esophagogastrectomy and resection of the distal pancreas, spleen and regional lymphnodes. The esophagus was mobilized via the diaphragmatic hiatus without thoracotomy. Intestinal continuity, installed isoperistaltically was restituted in the same operation using a segment of transverse and descending colon transferred to the left lateral cervical aspect by way of the posterior mediastinum. The procedure was used in four patients and mortality and serious complications were nil.

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