- Laparoscopic appendectomy is the method of choice of many professional societies owing to its many advantages. The question arises whether surgeons urge more easily to laparoscopic exploration due ...to its less invasiveness, faster recovery and adequate exploration of the entire abdominal cavity than to observation in unequivocal cases. This retrospective analysis (2009-2016) included 1899 patients undergoing laparoscopic (lap) or gridiron intra-abdominal approach treated at Zagreb University Hospital Centre. The analysis included total negative appendectomy, negative-negative appendectomy (normal appendix and no other pathology found), and negative-positive appendectomy (normal appendix but another pathology found) in children (≤16 years) and adults. There was no statistically significant difference in the rates of negative appendectomy (children) - lap
. open (p=0.24); negative appendectomy (adults) - lap
. open (p=0.15); negative-negative appendectomy (children) - lap
. open (p=0.36); negative-negative appendectomy (adults) - lap
. open (p=0.21); negative-positive appendectomy (children) - lap
. open (p=0.53); negative-positive appendectomy (adults) - lap
. open (p=0.56); and laparoscopy group negative appendectomy in children
. adults (p=0.56). There was a statistically significantly higher perforation rate with the open approach in total (p<0.0001), in children (p<0.0001) and in adults (p=0.02). There was no statistically significant difference between adults and children in the perforation rate with laparoscopic approach (p=0.24) and perforation rate with open approach (p=0.29). Results confirmed that there was no statistically significant difference in the rate of negative appendectomy in all subgroups. It is concluded that laparoscopic appendectomy should be offered as the method of choice in any patient population with suspicion of acute appendicitis.
To explore the way the doctor–patient communication process may be improved by adopting the patients’ conversational style in the development of written materials for surgical patients.
Written ...information prepared by doctors, specialists in abdominal surgery, was tested for comprehension on patients undergoing cholecystectomy, using the standard Cloze test procedure. At the same time, the patients were asked to describe in their own words all they knew about their illness and the treatment. The collected 150 patient narratives were analyzed, and a typical narrative for each educational level was selected based on average SMOG score, word count and sentence length. The patient-worded information was then tested for comprehension on new patients, selected from primary health care, using the same Cloze procedure as with doctor-developed information. Patient profile of best lay communicators was defined using also sociodemographic characteristics, and reported information seeking and decision making preferences.
Only 50% of patients completed Cloze test, of which over 40% showed poor comprehension. Analysis of transcribed narratives collected from 150 patients showed increasing complexity of style by educational level (average SMOG score 7, 8, and 9; sentence length 11, 13, and 15 words; for low, medium, and high educational level, respectively). Cloze tests based on typical narratives, and tested on primary care patients, indicated to the style best understood by all. Dominant characteristics of patients producing a narrative of similar style to the best-understood narrative were observed: medium educational level, women over 60, urban workers, interviewed after surgery, informed by specialist at ultrasound, knowledge about illness from 1 to 10 years, learned most about illness from lay people, those who wanted more information in both oral and written form, and preferred active role in decision making.
Analysis of patient profiles with typical narratives that were best understood by other patients shows where to look for lay experts in doctor–patient communication.
Obtained findings indicate to the importance of patient participation in developing informed consent information, and to the possible method for improving comprehension of educational patient materials in general.
Summary Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) are rare soft-tissue tumors that can occur at virtually any anatomical site. We report the case of a 58-year-old male with an IMT of the fourth part ...of the duodenum who presented with signs and symptoms of high intestinal obstruction and bilious vomiting. The patient underwent a surgical resection of the fourth part of the duodenum with end-to-end duodenojejunal anastomosis. The follow-up period of 6 months was uneventful with no evidence of recurrence. According to our knowledge, only six cases of duodenal IMTs have been reported in the literature thus far, and this is the first report of a duodenal IMT sited at the fourth part of the duodenum. The duodenum is among the rarest sites of IMTs. Signs and symptoms resulting from diagnostic imaging investigations are nonspecific and inadequate to obtain diagnosis accurately. In most cases, surgical treatment is considered a cure for IMTs. There is no evidence of deaths caused by duodenal IMT. IMT of the duodenum is a possible diagnosis in differential diagnosis of tumor-like lesions of the duodenum.
: Vanishing bile duct syndrome is a severe cholestatic disease associated with toxic effects of medications. Stevens‐Johnson syndrome is a hypersensitivity disorder that may also be caused by ...medications. We present a case of a 62‐year‐old male patient who developed vanishing bile duct syndrome a month after Stevens‐Johnson syndrome. These adverse drug reactions were associated with the use of azithromycin (500 mg daily for 3 days). The patient was initially treated for Stevens‐Johnson syndrome with steroids, antihistamines and proton pump inhibitors and fully recovered. However, a month after the beginning of Stevens‐Johnson syndrome, he developed vanishing bile duct syndrome and was treated with steroids, ursodeoxycholic acid, antihistamines and tacrolimus. Unfortunately, the treatment was unsuccessful and he was listed for liver transplantation which was performed 7 months after the beginning of jaundice. This is the first case of vanishing bile duct syndrome associated with the use of azithromycin and one of few that reports vanishing bile duct syndrome and Stevens‐Johnson syndrome co‐occurrence.
Most complications after appendectomy occur within ten days; however, we report the unusual case of a suture granuloma 12 years after open appendectomy. The afebrile 75-year-old woman presented with ...a slightly painful palpable mass in the right lower abdomen. There was no nausea or vomiting and bowel movements were normal. She lost 10 kg during the 3 mo before presentation. The patient had undergone an appendectomy 12 years previously. Physical examination revealed a tender mass, 10 cm in diameter, under the appendectomy scar. The preoperative laboratory findings, tumor markers and plain abdominal radiographs were normal. Multi-slice computed tomography scanning showed an inhomogenous abdominal mass with minimal vascularization in the right lower abdomen 8.6 cm × 8 cm ×9 cm in size which communicated with the abdominal wall. The abdominal wall was thickened, weak and bulging. The abdominal wall mass did not communicate with the cecum or the ascending colon. Complete excision of the abdominal wall mass was performed via median laparotomy. Histopathological examination revealed a granuloma with a central abscess. This case report demonstrates that a preoperative diagnosis of abdominal wall mass after open appendectomy warrants the use of a wide spectrum of diagnostic modalities and consequently different treatment options.
Treatment of oncological patients must be based upon multidisciplinary approach, and takes place in specialized oncological centers. By the end of a specific oncological treatment further follow-up ...is being managed mostly by the oncologists, but the role of the general practitioners becomes more important every day and therefore should be precisely defined. Nowadays, most of the existing follow-up guidelines are not being based on prospective studies, yet on the expert’s opinion of a precise oncological center or specialists. The aim of the Croatian Society of Medical Oncology (CSMO) with these recommendations is to standardize and rationalize the diagnostic procedures’ algorithm in follow–up of oncological patients after primary treatment, in patients with planocellular head and neck cancer, oesophageal cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer.
The work of the War Hospital in Tomislavgrad during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995 is described. The War Hospital in Tomislavgrad was one of the first medical institutions ...organized in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the intention of providing surgical treatment and care to soldiers, local civilians, and refugees who found shelter in this part of the country. It was located on the main communication route connecting Bosnia and Herzegovina and the south part of Croatia. During the 4-year period, 23,191 examinations, of which 8,341 were first-time examinations, and 1,547 surgical operations were performed. The hospital provided a high level of surgical and anesthesiology service in an area where none existed before the war. All patients were treated regardless of their nationality or religion, thus mitigating the consequences of the war.
We present a case of a 37-year-old female, with large adenocarcinoma of transverse colon, and metastases in spleen, liver, peritoneum, greater omentum, gall bladder and right adnexa. She was ...transferred to our Hospital, and extensive elective cytoreductive surgery with intraabdominal hyperthermal chemotherapy (HIPEC) was performed. Couple of months later, she was operated on for a newly evidenced secondary nodus in liver segment VII, and metastasectomy was performed. Throughout entire postoperative period she was receiving cyclic chemotherapy. At this point, 2 years from the first operation, she was without evidenced recurrence of the disease. Aggressive cytoreductive surgery with multiorgan resection, peritonectomy, HIPEC and adjuvant chemotherapy which was proved to be a feasible option in some patients, with synchronous liver resection (LR) proved to be feasible and beneficial for patients with three or fewer liver metastases. This is the first liver resection included in usually performed cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC in Croatia.
The associating liver partition and portal vein ligation (ALPPS) is a novel procedure with increasing number of scientific and clinical studies, and by now, it showed to be efficient and safe ...procedure in selected group of patients. Here we present the first case of ALPPS done after double TACE procedure in a 64-years-old female patient with extensive hepatocellular carcinoma of the right liver lobe. The procedure was successful and liver remnant showed significant 90% hypertrophy which proves that ALPPS sometimes can be performed after palliative procedures in liver malignancies.
The triple A syndrome (Allgrove syndrome, OMIM #231550) is caused by autosomal recessively inherited mutations in the
AAAS
gene on chromosome 12q13 encoding the nuclear pore protein
ALADIN
. This ...multisystemic disease is characterised by achalasia, alacrima, adrenal insufficiency and neurological impairment. We analyse long-term clinical follow-up and results of sequencing of the
AAAS
gene in eight patients with triple A syndrome aged from 2 to 35 years. At the time of diagnosis, all patients presented with alacrima, neurological dysfunction, dermatological abnormalities, seven of them with adrenal insufficiency and five of them with achalasia. Sequencing of the
AAAS
gene identified the p.S263P mutation in five of eight patients, supporting the hypothesis that this mutation is a founder mutation in Slavic population. One of the patients is homozygous for the p.S263P mutation, two are compound heterozygous for the p.S263P and the p.G14fs mutation, two are compound heterozygous for the p.S263Pro mutation and p.S296Y mutation, two are compound heterozygous for the p.G14fs and the p.Q387X mutations and one is homozygous for the p.Q387X mutation. In the course of the follow-up time of 4–29 years, progression of existing and appearance of new symptoms developed. Although severe, many of these symptoms presented in all six young adult patients are often overlooked or neglected: postural hypotension with blurred vision and syncope, hyposalivation resulting with complete edentulosis, talocrular contractures with permanent walking difficulties and erectile dysfunction in male patients. Triple A syndrome is a progressive debilitating disorder which may seriously affect quality of life and even be life-threatening in patients with severe neurological impairment.
Conclusion
: Long-term follow-up of patients with triple A syndrome revealed a variety of the clinical features involving many systems. Progressive natural course of the disease may seriously affect quality of life and even be life-threatening in patients with severe neurological impairment.
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