Twenty-two cases with communication of an artery and the portal vein or one of its tributaries are discussed. Four conditions in which relatively significant arterio-portal shunts may exist can be differentiated: (1) angiodysplasias or arteriovenous malformations, (2) cirrhosis of the liver and inflammatory lesions, (3) traumatic and postoperative lesions, and (4) benign and malignant tumors. The significance of the portal vein's early opacification during arteriographic examinations of the abdominal organs is discussed, and the findings are compared to those reported in the literature.

Amongst one hundred patients examined radiographically, segmental early relaxation (SERP) of the antero-lateral wall of the left ventricle was observed in 21 cases; in 17 cases this was associated with a significant stenosis of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery. The reversibility of this phenomenon produced by vaso-dilators or by aorto-coronary by-pass operations with consequent increase in oxygen supply, as well as the frequency of this phenomenon in coronary disease suggests that it is due to mild, local hypoxia. On this view, SERP has clinical significance as an angiographic indicator of local oxygen deficit. Other possible causes are discussed and the findings compared with those reported in the literature.