Gallbladder Carcinoma Unassociated with Cholelithias

Carcinoma of the gallbladder is a rare and often over looked cause of right upper abdominal quadrant pain. Diagnostic delay is common as the clinical features are confused with those of chronic cholecystitis. We report two cases of gallbladder carcinoma not associated with gallstones occurring in two middle-aged women. To our knowledge this is the first report in Nigeria of gallbladder carcinoma unassociated with cholelithiasis. We conclude that there should be a high index of suspicion in patients presenting with weight loss and chronic cholecystitis syndrome

Management of penetrating colorectal injuries in civilian practice

The changing trend in the management of penetrating colorectal trauma favouring primary repair without faecal diversion has generated a lot of interest among surgeons. In West Africa; surgeons face peculiar challenges of inadequate facilities; late presentation; delay to surgery and faecal loading of the colon. This study was carried out to determine the place of this trend in our practice. There were seventeen consecutive patients (aged 15 to 50 years) with injuries at 21 different anatomic sites: five in the right colon and 16 in the left. Twelve (75) patients had primary repair without faecal diversion; two of which had colon related complications. The median duration of hospitalisation was shorter in patients managed without faecal diversion. Two patients died in the immediate peri-operative period and could not be included in the study. From our experience and from a review of literature we conclude that primary repair without faecal diversion should be favoured in good surgical risk patients

Surgical abdominal tuberculosis in Nigerians: a series of 17

Seventeen cases of abdominal tuberculosis were seen over a period of thirteen years in the surgical units of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. There were 9 males and 8 females and their ages ranged from 15 to 60 years with a median age of 38.9 years. There were 7 cases of tuberculous mesentric lymphadenitis; 3 of gastric tuberculosis; 2 each of tuberculous peritonitis and ileo-ccaecal tuberculosis fistula-in-ano. The common presenting clinical faetures were abdominal pain; fever; vomiting; weight loss; abdominal distension and abdominal mass which were not always diagnostic. Laparotomy was mostly used to obtain tissues for diagnosis in which there was histological confirmation of tuberculosis in all 17 cases and positive bacterial examination in only 5 patients. [abstract terminated]