Is it possible to protract the maxilla by surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion and intermaxillary class III elastics?

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate skeletal and soft tissue changes with surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) and intermaxillary Class III elastics. Methods: A total of 15 patients (mean age: 19.58 years) were included in the study. Each patient underwent SARME with the use of Class III elastics (500 g) applied through miniscrews to stimulate maxillary advancement. Lateral cephalograms and posteroanterior radiographs obtained before treatment (T1), after SARME and elastic use (T2), and after treatment (T3) were analyzed to determine the changes in each phase of treatment. Planimeter was used to evaluate facial soft tissue changes. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to evaluate the changes that occur during treatment. Results: SARME provided permanent and efficient maxillary expansion at both skeletal and dental levels (p<0.01). Maxillary skeletal (ANS-Ver and U1i-Ver; p<0.01) and soft tissue (Pr-Ver, Sn-Ver, and ULA-Ver; p<0.01) variables and superior upper labial area (Area 1; p<0.05) increased due to maxillary dental and skeletal changes. Superior lower labial area (Area 3; p<0.05) decreased as a result of slight increase in facial height and changes in maxillary-mandibular incisor relationship at the end of the treatment. Conclusion: The results suggest that the improvement in the facial profiles of the patients is related to the significant increase in the bony and dental support of the upper lip region together with the contribution of the superior lower lip area

Effects of anterior cruciate ligament rupture and reconstruction on sexual activity of male patients

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the impact of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and its reconstruction on men's sexual functions. Patients and methods: Between February 2016 and November 2019, a total of 27 sexually active male patients (mean age: 33.7±4.3 years; range, 26 to 40 years) who were operated for ACL injury at least six months after trauma were retrospectively analyzed. Erectile function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire (IIEF) and knee function was evaluated by using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Scoring System, Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, and Tegner Activity Score. Sexual and functional questionnaires were applied to evaluate three different periods retrospectively. These periods were as follows: the period before an ACL injury (Period I); the period in which the patient suffered from an ACL injury, but not operated (Period II), and the period after the ACL reconstruction (Period III). Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the comparison of knee function scores according to three different periods. Sexual function scores were significantly different between Periods I and II, and between Periods I and III. However, although the IIEF value was higher in Period III than in Period II, no statistically significant difference was observed. A moderate correlation was found between the sexual functional scores of IIEF and IKDC scores. Conclusion: Our study results suggest that ACL injury affects sexual functions adversely. The change in sexual functions after ACL surgery depends on the success of surgery. While deciding on the treatment of ACL injury, the patient's sexual life should be questioned along with his expectations

Endocrine Surgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommendations from the Turkish Association of Endocrine Surgery

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was initially seen in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. World Health Organization classified COVID-19 as a pandemic after its rapid spread worldwide in a few months. With the pandemic, all elective surgeries and non-emergency procedures have been postponed in our country, as in others. Most of the endocrine operations can be postponed for a certain period. However, it must be kept in mind that these patients also need surgical treatment, and the delay time should not cause a negative effect on the surgical outcome or disease process. It has recently been suggested that elective surgical interventions can be described as medically necessary, time-sensitive (MeNTS) procedures. Some guidelines have been published on proper and safe surgery for both the healthcare providers and the patients after the immediate onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We should know that these guidelines and recommendations are not meant to constitute a position statement, the standard of care, or evidence-based/best practice. However, these are mostly the opinions of a selected group of surgeons. Generally, only life-threatening emergency operations should be performed in the stage where the epidemic exceeds the capacity of the hospitals (first stage), cancer and transplantation surgery should be initiated when the outbreak begins to be controlled (second stage), and surgery for elective cases should be performed in a controlled manner with suppression of the outbreak (third stage). In this rapidly developing pandemic period, the plans and recommendations to be made on this subject are based on expert opinions by considering factors, such as the course and biology of the disease, rather than being evidence-based. In the recent reports of many endocrine surgery associations and in various reviews, it has been stated that most of the cases can be postponed to the third stage of the epidemic. We aimed to evaluate the risk reduction strategies and recommendations that can help plan the surgery, prepare for surgery, protect both patients and healthcare workers during the operation and care for the patients in the postoperative period in endocrine surgery

Distribution of Orthopedic Surgery Interventions: Evaluation of 6236 Cases

Objective: Epidemiological studies can provide valuable guidance for the planning and improvement of healthcare services and medical education. In developing as well as developed countries, orthopedic interventions are considered basic healthcare and there is very high demand. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of orthopedic and traumatological surgical interventions performed at state hospitals in a province of Turkey and to calculate the number of orthopedic beds required for that population