[Thoracic diseases with predominant abdominal symptomatology]

Common and uncommon diseases whose symptom picture includes signs that may lead to an incorrect diagnosis are examined. Questions of this kind are obviously important in both medicine and emergency surgery, since incorrect diagnosis may involve either delay in the commencement of suitable treatment or the taking of what may even be dangerous therapeutic measures. Instances of heart and lung disease frequetly marked by abdominal symptomatologies are presented: bronchopulmonitis of various aetiologies, myocardial infarct, rhythm disturbances. In addition to the more atypical signs, such as epigastric pain in infarct and right hypochondriac pain in right basal bronchopulmonitis, manifestations such as vomiting, diarrhoea, diffuse abdominal pains and intestinal occlusion must be borne in mnd in establishing the correct diagnosis.