Vagal Nerve Schwannoma Clinically Mimicking Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor: Report of a Case

Introduction: Mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are mainly comprised of a spectrum of spindle cell tumors which include gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), leiomyomas or leiomyosarcomas, and schwannomas. As all of these tumors of the GI are located in the submucosal layer of the bowell wall, differential diagnosis is very difficult. Histopathological evaluation using immunohistochemical staining is required for the definitive diagnosis.Presentation of case: A 20-year-old female patient was presented with an upper abdominal pain and dyspepsia since 2 months duration.This case  is initially thought as GIST but finally diagnosed as vagal nerve schwannoma by histopathological evaluation after resection of the mass.Conclusion: Schwannomas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of other mesenchimal tumors, such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors and leiomyomas or leiomyosarcomas, indeed it can grow in any part of the peripheral nerves along the gastrointestinal tract. Histopathological evaluation including immunohistochemical staining is required for the definitive diagnosis

A rare cause of recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding: mesenteric hemangioma

Lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage accounts for approximately 20% of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The most common causes of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage in adults are diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, benign anorectal diseases, intestinal neoplasias, coagulopathies and arterio-venous malformations. Hemangiomas of gastrointestinal tract are rare. Mesenteric hemangiomas are also extremely rare

Outcomes of Endoscopic Totally Extraperitoneal (TEP) repair of clinically occult inguinal hernia diagnosed with ultrasonography

Inguinal hernias generally present with groin lump and pain. Although inguinal hernias can be diagnosed clinically in most cases, patients without a groin lump pose a considerable diagnostic challenge. The first-line diagnostic imaging tool in these cases is ultrasound (US) and the recommended surgical procedure is laparoscopic-endoscopic repair. This retrospective study aims at evaluating postoperative results and complication rates of TEP technique in patients with occult contralateral hernias diagnosed with US in comparison to patients with clinically diagnosed hernias. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the outcomes of TEP procedure in patients with radiologically diagnosed occult contralateral hernias in comparison to patients with clinically diagnosed hernias. All hernias included in this study were repaired by TEP technique and secured with an extraperitoneal mesh. Demographic data, patient characteristics and perioperative information were obtained by reviewing medical records. A total number of 109 patients were enrolled in the study. The majority of patients were male and the mean age was 48.9 ± 14.6 years. In 56 cases, hernias were repaired unilaterally, while the remaining 53 were repaired bilaterally. Right-sided hernias were more common than left-sided hernias. The morbidity rate was 7.1% in unilateral repairs and 3.8% in bilateral repairs. The recurrence rate was 3.6% for unilateral repairs and 5.7% for bilateral repair. Some studies report that the incidence of clinical contralateral inguinal hernias identified after primary unilateral surgery is approximately 10%. If these contralateral hernias were diagnosed prior to the primary surgery, the risk of performing another operation could be avoided. Laparoscopic surgery enables bilateral hernia repair without any additional incisions, presenting similar morbidity rates when compared to unilateral repair. There was no significant difference between unilateral and bilateral TEP repair in terms of intraoperative and postoperative surgical complications. These results suggest that laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is a safe and effective surgical technique for both unilateral and bilateral procedures. In order to prevent second operation, all patients with suspected inguinal hernia should undergo an US examination before surgery

An investigation of the foot ankle joint mobility, muscle strength, and foot structure in adolescent with type 1 diabetes

Muscle strength and joint mobility were decreased with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). However, the literature is limited about foot muscle strength, joint mobility, and structure in adolescent aged 13-17 with T1DM. The purpose of this study was to compare foot structure, muscle strength, and joint mobility of adolescents aged between 13 and 17 with T1DM to those of healthy adolescents. Cross-sectional study design including adolescents with T1DM aged 13-17 years, and healthy adolescents was used in the study. The range of motion (ROM) was measured by using a digital goniometer, and muscle strength was evaluated by using handheld-dynamometry. Footprint was used for foot structure. Assessments were performed by using the digital images, and Clarke's angle (CA), Staheli Arch index (SAI), and Chippaux-Smirak index (CSI) were calculated by using a scientific image-analysis program, ImageJ. Forty-one T1DM and 28 healthy adolescents were included with a mean age of 15.29 +/- 1.55 and 15.04 +/- 1.42, respectively. The T1DM group had significantly lower dorsiflexion, inversion and eversion ROM, and lower tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscle test (p 0.05). Adolescents with T1DM have lower ankle and foot joint mobility and muscle strength and altered foot structure compared to their healthy contemporaries. This indicates that early screening of muscle strength and foot structure are important to determine and avoid various risks such as foot deformities, gait deviations, and ulcer

Czynniki prognostyczne w ostrym niedokrwieniu krezki i ocena ich wpływu na wskaźniki chorobowości i śmiertelności metodą regresji logistycznej

Wprowadzenie: Ostre niedokrwienie krezki (ang. acute mesenteric ischaemia; AMI) jest katastrofalnym w skutkach i wymagającym natychmiastowej pomocy stanem jamy brzusznej, będącym następstwem nagłego, krytycznego przerwania dopływu krwi do jelit i często prowadzącym do zawału jelita i zgonu. AMI wciąż charakteryzuje się niekorzystnym rokowaniem, ze wskaźnikiem śmiertelności wynoszącym 50–69% wśród pacjentów hospitalizowanych. Ten wysoki wskaźnik śmiertelności jest związany z opóźnieniem w rozpoznaniu, które często nastręcza trudności i może zostać niewłaściwie postawione. Wczesna interwencja ma kluczowe znaczenie dla zachowania żywotności jelit. Metody: Dokonano retrospektywnej oceny dokumentacji klinicznej 140 pacjentów z AMI leczonych od maja 1997 r. do sierpnia 2013 w Klinice Chirurgii Ogólnej Wydziału Medycznego Uniwersytetu Ege. Parametry demograficzne i kliniczne, decydujące o najlepszych rokowaniach w zakresie chorobowości i śmiertelności, określono w analizie regresji logistycznej metodą wprowadzania (Enter) po uwzględnieniu poprawek na wpływ wszystkich możliwych czynników zakłócających. Wyniki: W grupie 140 pacjentów 77 osób stanowili mężczyźni (55%), zaś 63 kobiety (45%). Średnia wieku wyniosła 66,6 ± 14,5 (16–94) lat. Podsumowano: dane demograficzne, dane o chorobach współistniejących, wyniki w skali ASA, dane nt. stosowania leków związanych z niedokrwieniem krezki oraz materiały z badań diagnostyki obrazowej. Najczęstszymi chorobami współistniejącymi były problemy kardiologiczne (42,9%). U 27 (19,3%) pacjentów stwierdzono cukrzycę. Średni wynik w skali ASA wynosił 3. Najczęściej stosowaną metodą obrazowania była tomografia komputerowa (TK) jamy brzusznej, którą wykonano u 119 (85%) pacjentów. U 25 (17,9%) chorych stwierdzono wstrząs, zaś u 48 (34,3%) – kwasicę. Zwłoka między wystąpieniem ostrego bólu brzucha a zabiegiem wyniosła 24 godziny u 80 pacjentów (57,1%). Najczęstszą etiologią AMI był zakrzep (69 pacjentów, 49,3%). Najbardziej dotkniętymi bądź zajętymi narządami były jednocześnie jelito cienkie i grube (80 pacjentów, 57,1%). Najczęściej wykonywaną operacją była resekcja jelita cienkiego (42 pacjentów, 30%). Operacji chirurgicznej poddano 127 (90,7%) pacjentów, zaś 18 (12,9%) poddano laparotomii sprawdzającej. W przypadku 46 chorych (32,9%) stwierdzono jelito cienkie o długości poniżej 100 cm. Średni czas hospitalizacji wynosił 7 dni (1–90 dni). Wystąpienie chorób odnotowano u 51 pacjentów (36,4%), zaś wystąpienie zgonu u 74 pacjentów (52,9%). Wniosek: Celem niniejszego badania była ocena czynników prognostycznych AMI, mająca prowadzić do lepszego zrozumienia AMI, optymalizacji metod leczenia zarówno niechirurgicznego, jak i chirurgicznego, oraz poprawy wyników leczenia. Sugerujemy, że diagnostykę AMI należy wykonywać w oparciu o samo podejrzenie, oraz że w przypadkach takich konieczne jest niezwłoczne wykonanie laparotomii, w miarę możliwości przed wystąpieniem klinicznych objawów zapalenia otrzewnej. Wśród pacjentów z obrazem klinicznym obejmującym wstrząs i kwasicę najważniejszymi parametrami prognostycznymi śmiertelności są wiek i zwłoka między wystąpieniem ostrego bólu brzucha a zabiegiem wynosząca więcej niż 24 godziny

A Rare Cause of Colonic Obstruction “Colonic Intussusception”: Report of Two Cases

Colocolic intussusceptions are rare clinical entities in adults and almost always caused by a leading lesion which often warrants resection. Mostly being malignant, the leading lesions are rarely benign lesions where intraluminal lipomas are the most frequent among them. Most adult intussusceptions require surgical resection owing to two major reasons: common presence of a leading lesion and significantly high risk of malignancy—reaching as high as 65% regardless of the anatomic site—of the leading lesion. Resection of the affected segment is usually the treatment of choice, since preoperative diagnosis of the lesion is usually ineffective and most leading lesions are malignant. This paper represents two cases of adult colocolic intussusception caused by intraluminal lipomas with a brief review of the literature

Prognostic factors in acute mesenteric ischemia and evaluation with multiple logistic regression analysis effecting morbidity and mortality

Background: Acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI) is a catastrophic abdominal emergency characterized by sudden critical interruption to the intestinal blood flow which commonly leads to bowel infarction and death. AMI still has a poor prognosis with an in-hospital mortality rate of 50-69 %. This high mortality rate is related to the delay in diagnosis which is often diffucult and overlooked. Early intervention is crucial and the potential for intestinal viability. Methods: The charts of 140 patients who were hospitalazed with AMI between May 1997 and August 2013 in Ege University Faculty of Medicine, department of general surgery were retrospectively reviewed. Demographical and clinical features of patients determining the best predictors which effect on morbidity and mortality were evaluated by Multiple Logistic Regression analysis by Enter method after adjustment for all possible confounding factors. Results: After Multiple LR analysis by Enter method after adjustment for all possible confounding factors affecting morbidity; shock, exploration and stay in hospital were statistically significant. Age, cardiac comorbidities, ASA scores, the time delay between onset of acute abdominal pain to surgery, the presence of acidosis and shock, the involved organs (small bowel and both), type of surgery and medical treatment and small bowel length under 100 cm were statistically significant on mortality. Conclusion: Risk factors related to mortality and morbidity have been poorly analyzed due to lack of prospective studies and smaller number of patients. Early diagnosis generally depends on clinical awareness and suspicion. Age and time of delay between onset of acute abdominal pain to surgery longer than 24 hours are the most important parameters that predict the mortality for patients presenting with shock and acidosis

Retroperitoneal paraganglioma presenting with pancytopenia: A rare case with rare manifestation

INTRODUCTION: Paragangliomas are tumors that arise from extraadrenal chromaffin cells and most of them are asymptomatic presenting with painless mass. Retroperitoneal paragangliomas are mostly benign with good prognosis; however, they can present with abdominal pain, palpable mass, or hypertensive episodes. Surgical resection is still the main treatment and necessary for histological assessment. CASE REPORT: A 41 year old female patient presented with 6 months of loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness and breathlessness on exertion.. The patient's initial blood examination showed marked anemia, reduced leukocyte count with neutropenia and lymphopenia and a marked reduction in the platelet count. The patient was admitted for evaluation of her pancytopenia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 8 x 7 x 8 cm sized mass closed to the pancreatic tail invading splenic hilum. A large mass was identified retroperitoneally, closed to the tail of pancreas with a splenic hilum invasion. Total mass resection and splenectomy was performed. DISCUSSION: Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice for extra-adrenal paragangliomas as well as for recurrent or metastatic neoplasms. Reactive thrombocytosis is a common cause of thrombocytosis. Splenectomy was found to be one of the main causes of extreme reactive thrombocytosis. Reactive thrombocytosis is a predictable finding after splenectomy and management of the thrombocytosis and prevention of complications should be initiated. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

S-Shaped Wide Excision with Primary Closure for Extensive Chronic Pilonidal Sinus Disease

Background. The management of complex pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) with multiple pits on and beside the natal cleft is variable, contentious, and problematic. Wide excision of the sinus and reconstruction of the defect using different flap techniques have become more popular in recent years. Case Report. We report a case with a complex chronic PSD to which we applied primary closure after S-shaped wide excision. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, and at the end of one-year followup he is now disease-free and comes for routine checkups. Conclusion. The simplicity of the technique and the promising results support the applicability of the S-shaped wide excision in chronic bilaterally extended large PSDs. Further studies entailing large patient populations are needed to reach a definite conclusion