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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Erector spinae plane block is an updated method than paravertebral block, possessing a lower risk of complications. This study aimed to compare erector spinae plane and paravertebral blocks to safely reach the most efficacious analgesia procedure in laparoscopic cholecystectomy cases. METHODS: The study included 90 cases, aged 18-70 years, classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II, who underwent an laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure. They were randomly separated into three groups, namely, Control, erector spinae plane, and paravertebral block. No block procedure was applied to Control, and a patient-controlled analgesia device was prepared containing tramadol at a 10 mg bolus dose and a 10-min locked period. The pain scores were recorded with a visual analog scale for 24 h postoperatively. RESULTS: The visual analog scale values at 1, 5, 10, 20, and 60 min at rest and 60 min coughing were found to be significantly higher in Control than in paravertebral block. A significant difference was revealed between Control vs. paravertebral block and paravertebral block vs. erector spinae plane in terms of total tramadol consumption (p=0.006). Total tramadol consumption in the first postoperative 24 h was significantly reduced in the paravertebral block compared with the Control and erector spinae plane groups. CONCLUSION: Sonography-guided-paravertebral block provides sufficient postoperative analgesia in laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery. Erector spinae plane seems to attenuate total tramadol consumption.
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Abstract Objective: The present study purposed to determine characteristics of ovarian carcinoma and to analyze predictors of survival in patients with ovarian carcinoma. Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted including the patients with diagnosed ovarian carcinoma treated at the Clinic for Operative Oncology, Oncology Institute of Vojvodina in the period from January 2012 to December 2016. Seventy-two women with ovarian carcinoma were included in the analysis. The data about the histological type of tumor, disease stage, treatment, lymphatic infiltration, and surgical procedure were collected retrospectively, using the database of the institution where the research was conducted (BirPis 21 SRC Infonet DOO - Information System Oncology Institute of Vojvodina). Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards model were performed. Results: The univariate Cox regression analysis identified histology, tumor grade, FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage, NACT (Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy), number of therapy cycles, type of surgery, and chemotherapy response as independent predictors of mortality. Finally, the type of tumor and chemotherapy response had an increased hazard ratio for mortality in the multivariate Cox regression model. Herewith, the percentage of high-grade, advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients with complete response to chemotherapy, absence of recurrent disease, and lymphovascular space invasion were significant predictors of survival in patients with ovarian carcinoma. Conclusions: Herein, emerging data regarding precision medicine and molecular-based personalized treatments are promising and will likely modify the way the authors provide multiple lines of treatments in the near future.
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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: In patients who experience difficulties in oral feeding, alimentary intake can be supported by creating direct access into the stomach through a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. The present study purposed to compare naïve and exchanged percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes in terms of Helicobacter pylori infection and other clinical characteristics. METHODS: A total of 96 cases who underwent naïve or exchanged percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy procedures with various indications were incorporated into the study. The patients' demographic data, such as age and gender, etiology of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, anti-HBs status, Helicobacter pylori status, the presence of atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, biochemical parameters, and lipid profiles, had been analyzed. In addition, the anti-HCV and anti-HIV statuses had also been evaluated. RESULTS: The most common indication for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement was dementia in 26 (27.08%) cases (p=0.033). The presence of Helicobacter pylori positivity was significantly lower in the exchange group compared to the naïve group (p=0.022). Total protein, albumin, and lymphocyte levels were significantly higher in the exchange group compared to the naïve group (both p=0.001), and the mean calcium, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels were statistically significantly higher in the exchange group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Preliminary outcomes of the present study revealed that enteral nutrition attenuates the incidence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Considering the acute-phase reactant, the significantly lower ferritin values in the exchange group suggest that there is no active inflammatory process in the patients and that immunity is sufficient.
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Abstract OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is a leading cause of death not only in the young population but also in the elderly. There are no consensus treatment guidelines for elderly breast cancer patients. We purposed to discuss surgical treatment options for breast cancer cases over 80 years concerning morbidity and mortality. METHODS: This retrospective study includes 58 patients over 80 years of age at the time of surgery for breast cancer between 2006 and 2017. A sum of 58 cases (54 females and 4 males), over 80 years of age, with an average age of 84.5±4.07 (80-94) years were included in the study. The modified radical mastectomy was the most common surgical modality in 30 (51.7%) cases, and the axillary intervention was performed on 41 (70.7%). Axillary dissection and sentinel lymph node biopsy were performed for 30 (51.7%) and 11 (18.9%) cases, respectively. RESULTS: Minor and major complications were observed in 8 (13.8%) cases. The average follow-up period of the patients was 37.5 (1-120) months. During the follow-up period, breast cancer-related mortality was observed in 9 (15.52%) cases. No statistical differences were detected in mortality with/without axillary intervention and chosen surgical modality. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidity, the American Society of Anesthesiologists score, and life expectancy should be considered in the management and surgical planning of patients over 80 years of age with breast cancer. Minimally invasive approaches should be preferred for the elderly whenever feasible and applicable in the light of oncologic surgery principles in order to reduce complications and mortality rates.
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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on appendicitis and the relevant outcomes in a tertiary hospital, designated as a "pandemic institution" by the Ministry of Health, between pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19, i.e., between 2019 and 2020, of the identical period in terms of the annual schedule. METHODS: The data of cases with acute appendicitis, who were followed up at the Department of General Surgery, a 400-bed, tertiary care, a university-affiliated education and research hospital, providing health care to a population of approximately 450,000 people, during the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, during the identical time intervals of pre-COVID-19 (March 12, 2020 to November 12, 2020) and post-COVID-19 (March 12, 2019 to November 12, 2019), were retrospectively analyzed in a detail. RESULTS: Of the 212 appendectomy operations in total, 99 (46.7%) were performed in the pre-COVID-19 and 113 (53.3%) were performed in post-COVID-19. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, patients who had undergone appendectomies in post-COVID-19 revealed significantly lower neutrophil counts and significantly greater appendix diameters (p<0.001 for both). A significantly lower (p=0.041) acute appendicitis with abundant gangrenous appendicitis and phlegmonous appendicitis (p=0.043 and p=0.032, respectively) was recognized in post-COVID-19 compared with pre-COVID-19 interval. CONCLUSION: The number of appendectomy operations decreased in the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients operated during the pandemic period had wider appendix diameter and lower neutrophil levels. The pathological diagnosis was less frequent acute appendicitis, more frequent gangrenous appendicitis, and phlegmonous appendicitis in the pandemic period.
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The thyroid is an endocrine gland composed of two lateral lobes connected by a strip of thyroid tissue called an isthmus. The thyroid gland is usually associated with extensive morphological variations and developmental anomalies. During the 4th intrauterine week, the thyroid gland begins to develop mainly from the invagination of the endodermal cells of the ventral floor of the primitive pharynx. One of the anomalies of the thyroid gland is the agenesis of the isthmus of the thyroid. It is a rare condition and very few cases have been reported in the literature. Another rare developmental abnormality is the presence of ectopic thyroid tissues, which are characterised by the presence of thyroid tissue in locations other than the anterolateral region of the second and fourth tracheal cartilages. Ectopic thyroid tissues are most commonly found in the lingual region but are also found in the other head/neck localisations as well. In this present case report, a 54-year-old female patient with the agenesis of the isthmus of the thyroid gland with accompanying tissues of multifocal and multicentric papillary thyroid carcinoma will be discussed. When an agenesis of the isthmus of the thyroid is detected, the agenesis of the thyroid lobes or the presence of an ectopic thyroid tissue must be considered. Especially in the patients who will undergo a thyroid surgery, it should not be forgotten that the identification of an agenesis of the isthmus as well as the other thyroid anomalies during the preoperative examination, will make a remarkable contribution in deciding the strategy of the surgery and will help in preventing the development of surgical complications. However, it is not always possible to detect the presence of these anomalies, during the preoperative examinations of the patients who will undergo thyroid surgeries; therefore, one must be careful with regard to these type of anomalies in the perioperative examinations. To the best of authors' information, the present case is considered to be the first in the literature in English, presenting with an agenesis of the isthmus of the thyroid gland in the presence of ectopic thyroid tissues associated with papillary carcinoma