A rare cause of right iliac fossa lump: contained fish bone perforation of caecum

Ingested foreign bodies usually pass uneventfully through the gastrointestinal tract but few of them can cause symptoms. They can get stuck at acute angulations or narrow part of intestine and can perforate leading to localized to generalized peritonitis, collection or abscess formation. We describe a case of 59 year old gentleman who presented with pain in right iliac fossa with fever and a hard, tender lump. Initial investigation revealed a mass in right iliac fossa adherent to anterior abdominal was in right iliac fossa region with a foreign body inside. Patient was managed with exploratory laparotomy, removal of a fish bone from cacecum and limited right hemicolectomy. Fishbone perforation of caecum is a rare entity. Careful corroboration between patient’s presentation and radiological findings with a high index of suspicion is needed for pre-operative diagnosis.

Surgical diseases and surgical outcomes in geriatric patients

Background: To study the demography, disease distribution and co morbid conditions, complications and mortality among elderly patients undergoing operation in general surgical wards.Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted among elderly patients of age ≥60 years admitted in General Surgery wards at our institute for a period of a year. Results: A total of 137 patients were recruited in this study. Out of them 62.04% were men and 37.96% were women. Most common system involved was hepatobiliary with a total of 38 cases (27.7%), most common surgical disease in our study was hernias (27%) and gallstone disease (25%). About 55.5% of our study population had co morbid medical conditions. Hypertension was the most common co morbidity (38%) in our study. Out of 137 cases, 115 cases were elective cases and 22 were emergency cases, operated in emergency settings. About 16.7% of the study population had surgical complications. Post-operative seroma formation at the surgical site was the most common complication. About 7 cases were succumbed to death and mortality rate was about 5.1% in our study population.Conclusion: Prevalence of medical co morbidities is higher in elderly population. Out of them, hypertension and diabetes mellitus are the most common co morbid conditions. Most common indications for elective surgery in our study are hernias and gallstone disease. Early elective surgical intervention is preferred in elderly population when presented, as age, co morbidities and emergency settings increase risk of perioperative mortality.

A Case Report And Literature Review Of A Huge Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma

Liposarcoma is the most common retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma. It is non capsulated, fast growing tumour which is diagnosed late, so presents as huge masses. Preoperative diagnosis is aided by CT scan. Primary treatment is surgery. Recurrence is common, so patient needs to be followed up. Acase of 40 years old male is discussed with huge retroperitoneal sarcoma invading into transverse colon and compressing middle colic vessels which was managed by surgery with good outcome.

Calcinosis in juvenile dermatomyositis mimicking cold abscess.

We report a case of dystrophic calcification presenting as soft cystic swelling in a patient with juvenile dermatomyositis. A 15-year-old boy with lumbosacral cystic swelling, which was considered a cold abscess clinically, was evaluated for nonresponse to antitubercular therapy. The cystic swelling had liquefied calcium with a well circumscribed calcified wall on imaging, which was subsequently excised. Natl Med J India 2016;29:87–8

Anaplastic transformation of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma at shoulder mimicking soft tissue sarcoma.

A 52-year-old woman presented with fracture upper end of the left humerus after trivial trauma and aspiration cytology from the lytic lesion in the upper humerus seen on X-ray revealed a metastatic papillary carcinoma from the thyroid. Total thyroidectomy confirmed the papillary carcinoma thyroid. Post-operatively, she was given radioactive iodine (I-131) ablation therapy for 8 years and was asymptomatic during this period; however, for the last 1 year, she has been complaining of swelling in the shoulder, which did not respond to palliative radiotherapy and rapidly increased in size. Disarticulation of the shoulder joint was performed, which showed anaplastic carcinoma on histopathological examination. Anaplastic transformation of papillary carcinoma at the metastatic sites is well documented in the literature and is rare. However, the same has not been reported at the shoulder and from India before. Although soft tissue sarcomas are most common at this site, however, the possibility of anaplastic transformation should be kept in the differential diagnosis of rapidly enlarging painful mass in a known case of metastatic thyroid carcinoma to prevent misdiagnosis.

Peritonitis: 10 years' experience in a single surgical unit.

BACKGROUND: Peritonitis secondary to gut perforation is still one of the commonest surgical emergencies in India and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The present study examines the aetiology and outcome of peritonitis cases operated on in our surgical unit, and compares our findings with those of previous studies performed between 1981 and 1991. METHOD: A retrospective study of 260 peritonitis patients operated on in a single surgical unit from 1995 to 2006 was done and data involving clinical presentation, operative findings and post-operative course were studied and analysed. RESULTS: Causes of peritonitis were small bowel perforation (96 ileal, 17 jejunal), peptic perforation (45 duodenal, 16 gastric), appendicular perforation (36), primary peritonitis (8), and others (42). The incidence of major complications was 25% (burst-11%, leak-5%, intraabdominal abscess-5%, multi-organ failure-6.5%). The overall mortality was 10%. High mortality was observed in jejunal, gall bladder and liver abscess perforation cases (> 20%). Histopathological evaluation (143 specimens) revealed tuberculosis in 42 (mostly small bowel), malignancy in 8, and inflammation in the rest. Comparisons with a similar study carried out in the same unit and published in 1995 revealed similar demographic features and mortality, but a change in the most common cause (peptic ulcer perforation to small bowel perforation), and an increased performance of enterostomy compared with primary repair in small bowel perforation and a decrease in the leak rate (13% to 4%). CONCLUSION: Small bowel perforation is the commonest form of perforation and the mortality rate associated with peritonitis remains unchanged.

Colonic actinomycosis masquerading as perforated colonic carcinoma.

A case of Actinomycosis affecting the transverse colon masquerading as an abdominal neoplasm with perforation to abdominal parietal wall is presented. Abdominal actinomycosis lesions may present as a perforated abdominal neoplasm requiring emergency laparotomy. This case report highlights the diagnostic dilemma and the management algorithm for such infections.

Mesenteric fibromatosis with involvement of the gastrointestinal tract.

Primary mesenteric fibromatosis is a rare condition. The aggressive nature of these tumors and the potential for major morbidity secondary to resection makes it a challenging disease for the surgeon. We report a case of mesenteric fibromatosis with involvement of small bowel.