Endobronchial Tuberculosis Simulating Carcinoid Tumor.

Diagnosing endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) can be difficult due to the lack of specific signs and symptoms that differentiate it from other respiratory diseases, such as lung tumors. We hereby report a case of a very rare presentation of tuberculosis (TB) in a patient who presented with a dry cough and significant weight loss for 3 months. Chest X-ray and CT scan of the chest showed partial atelectasis and a segmental collapse of the right upper lobe and tumor-like arising from its bronchus along with a large right para-tracheal mediastinal lymphadenopathy, mimicking a metastatic (N2) disease. Fiber-optic bronchoscopy revealed a fleshy, highly vascularized mass occluding the right upper lobe bronchus, and thus the initial diagnosis of carcinoid tumor was made. Mediastinoscopy and biopsy of these mediastinal lymph nodes showed caseating chronic granulomatous inflammation consistent with TB, which changed the diagnosis to EBTB. The patient was treated with first-line anti-tuberculous drugs that led to a full resolution in terms of symptoms, radiological findings and complete disappearance of the endobronchial mass by bronchoscopy. To the best of authors' knowledge, there are no other similar cases in presentation and management in the literature.

Variation in access to pediatric surgical care among coexisting public and private providers: inguinal hernia as a model.

BACKGROUND: Faced with growing healthcare demand, the Saudi government is increasingly relying on privatization as a tool to improve patient access to care. Variation in children's access to surgical care between public (PB) and private providers (PV) has not been previously analyzed. OBJECTIVES: To compare access to pediatric surgical services between two coexisting PB and PV. DESIGN: Retrospective comparative study. SETTINGS: A major teaching hospital and the largest PV group in Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The outcomes for children who underwent inguinal herniotomy (IH) between May 2010 and December 2014 at both providers were with IH serving as the model. Data collected included patient demographics, insurance coverage, referral pattern and access parameters including time-to-surgery (TTS), surgery wait time (SWT) and duration of symptoms (DOS). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): TTS, SWT and DOS. RESULTS: Of 574 IH cases, 56 cases of in-hospital referrals were excluded leaving 290 PB and 228 PV cases. PV patients were younger (12.0 vs 16.4 months, P=.043) and more likely to be male (81.6% vs 72.8%, P=.019), expatriates (18% vs 3.4%, P < .001) and insured (47.4% vs 0%, P < .001). The emergency department was more frequently the source for PB referrals (35.2% vs 12.7%, P < .001) while most PV patients were self-referred (72.8% vs 16.7%, P < .001). Access parameters were remarkably better at PV: TTS (21 vs 66 days, P < .001), SWT (4 vs 31 days, P < .001) and DOS (33 vs 114 days, P < .001). CONCLUSION: When coexisting, PV offers significantly better access to pediatric surgical services compared to PB. Diverting public funds to expand children's access to PV can be a valid choice to improve access to care in case when outcomes with the two providers are similar. LIMITATIONS: Although it is the first and largest comparison in the pediatric population, the sample may not represent the whole population since it is confined to a single selected surgical condition.

Correlation of pretreatment hemoglobin and platelet counts with clinicopathological features in colorectal cancer in Saudi population.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In Saudi Arabia, colorectal cancers (CRCs) are registered as the second most common cancers. However, no data has been reported about correlation of the severity of the anemia and pretreatment platelets level with clinicopathological features of CRCs. We aimed to evaluate the association between pretreatment hemoglobin and platelets level and the clinicopathological features of CRC patients in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September 2005 and November 2011, One hundred and fifty-four confirmed CRC patients underwent thorough physical examination, blood investigations, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), and computed tomography (CT) for staging before surgery. Findings of physical assessment, EUS, CT, and pathological specimens were correlated with pretreatment hemoglobin and platelets levels the Pearson-Kendall tau correlative coefficients. RESULTS: The mean age of cohort was 56.6 years (range: 26-89). Left-sided CRC were predominant (97 patients; 63%). Mean size of primary tumor was 6 cms (1-18) SD ± 3.55. Mean values of hemoglobin, red blood cells, hematocrit, white blood cells, and platelets were 11.9 SD ± 2.3, 35.5 SD ± 5.7, 4.43 × 10 6 /mL SD ± 0.6, 7.67 10 6 /mL SD ± 2.44, and 343 × 10 3 /mL SD ± 164.4, respectively. Pretreatment hemoglobin was inversely correlated with primary tumor size (R: 0.71, R2: 1.55, P = 0.0001) and nodal status (R: 0.02, R2: 0.05, P = 0.01). Right-sided CRC had significantly low pretreatment hemoglobin levels ( P = 0.001). Interestingly, pretreatment thrombocytosis was seen only in right-sided CRC (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Pretreatment anemia and thrombocytosis were found mainly in right-sided CRCs and advanced primary and nodal stages. Pretreatment hemoglobin and thrombocytosis can be considered as useful prognostic markers in CRC patients.