Incidence and prevalence of liver disease in hundred and seventy open cholecystectomies

In this study, liver biopsy was taken from 170 patients who underwent open cholecystectomy for calcular cholecystitis and was subjected to a pathological examination. Only 42 livers were normal. Seventy-five biopsies had fatty liver [steatosis], 21 showed congestion, 30 showed chronic viral hepatitis and 18 showed fibrosis [1 of them was periportal and 17 posthepatitic]. Reactive hepatitis was found in five cases. In one of the biopsies, there was a sarcoidal reaction and another evidence of amyloidosis. The high evidence of fatty liver may suggest that this pathological change could be the cause of lithogenic bile. Taking a liver biopsy during cholecystectomy is safe, simple and beneficial

study of lymphadenopathy in children

Ninety-three lymph node biopsies were taken from 93 children with lymphadenopathy in whom surgical biopsy was indicated. Forty-eight cases were due to infective causes including tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, dermatrophic and viral. Twenty-three cases were caused by malignant neoplasia. Eighteen cases showed reactive hyperplasia and collagen disease was detected in four cases. Biopsy taking for a final diagnosis should be done in all cases of generalized and localized lymphadenopathy, if it is not reached by conventional methods, especially when the nodes persist and have no obvious cause

Pilonidal disease: a simple treatment for a simple disease

In this study, 28 patients with pilonidal disease were treated, either conservatively by hair removal and local hygiene or surgically by a simple procedure of limited excision and modified marsupialization [i.e. suturing the skin edge on either side of the elliptical wound to the middle of the floor of the wound]. The results were strongly in favor of this policy of simple procedures whether surgical or nonsurgical