Minimally invasive approach in a rare emergency surgery, gallbladder perforation.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder perforations are challenging to manage for surgeons due to their high morbidity and mortality, rarity, and surgical approach. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is now included with open cholecystectomy in surgical managing gallbladder perforations. This study aimed to evaluate the factors affecting conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy in cases of type I gallbladder perforation according to the Modified Niemeier classification. METHODS: Patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into two groups: LC and conversion to open cholecystectomy (COC). Demographic, clinical, radiologic, intraoperative, and postoperative factors were compared between groups. RESULTS: This study included 42 patients who met the inclusion criteria, of which 28 were in the LC group and 14 were in the COC group. Their median age was 68 (55-85) years. Age did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.218). However, the sex distribution did differ significantly between groups (p = 0.025). The location of the perforation differed significantly between groups (p < 0.001). In the LC group, 22 patients were perforated from the fundus, four from the trunk, and two from the neck. In the COC group, two patients were perforated from the fundus, four from the trunk, and eight from the neck. Surgical procedure times differed significantly between the LC (105.0 min [60-225]) and COC (125.0 min [110-180]) groups (p = 0.035). The age of the primary surgeons also differed significantly between the LC (42 years [34-63]) and COC (55 years [36-59]) groups (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: LC can be safely performed for modified Niemeier type I gallbladder perforations. The proximity of the perforation site to Calot's triangle, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), and Tokyo classification are factors affecting conversion from laparoscopic to open surgery of gallbladder perforations.

Outcomes of thyroidectomy for secondary thyroid malignancies, a single center experience.

BACKGROUND: Metastasis of primary malignancies of other organs to the thyroid gland is a rare condition that may pose a diagnostic challenge. In this study, we aimed to report the clinicopathologic features and outcomes of patients treated for secondary thyroid malignancies in our center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The results of patients who underwent thyroidectomy in our clinic between 2015 and 2023 were evaluated retrospectively. Four patients who met the inclusion criteria were evaluated. RESULTS: The primary tumor was renal cell carcinoma in 2 patients and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung in 2 patients. Median age was 64 years (min:59-max:69). The median nodule diameter was 2.85 cm. Extrathyroidal spread was present in 1 patient with renal cell carcinoma metastasis. The other patient with renal cell carcinoma metastasis had lymphatic invasion. Vascular invasion was detected in 1 patient with renal cell carcinoma metastasis and 1 patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung metastasis. Surgical margin positivity was present in 1 patient in each group. The median overall survival time was 27 (min:10-max:44) months in the renal cell carcinoma group and 11 (min:6-max:16) months in the squamous cell carcinoma group. After the diagnosis of primary renal cell carcinoma, one patient metastasized to thyroid tissue 43.00 and one patient 94.00 months later. In the squamous cell carcinoma group, one patient showed metastasis to thyroid tissue 6.00 months after the primary diagnosis, while the other patient was first diagnosed with metastatic tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Metastasis to the thyroid gland is a rare phenomenon with an incidence of 0.22% in all thyroid malignancies. It may occur before the detection of the primary tumor or during the follow-up of the primary malignancy. Although the overall prognosis is poor, it can be treated surgically.

Determination of Diagnostic Features of Serum Thyroid Hormones and Thyroglobulin Ratios in Normothyroid Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma Cases.

Objectives: Ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) are the gold standard methods in the prediction of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. However, despite being easily applicable, FNAB is an invasive procedure. Less invasive biomarkers should be utilized in the diagnosis of thyroid malignancies. In this study, we aimed to determine the parameters that can be used in the diagnosis of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) based on the serum thyroid and thyroglobulin (TG) levels which are routinely checked in patients followed up for thyroid nodules. Methods: In the study, we evaluated patients who underwent thyroid surgery for nodular diseases between January 2015 and June 2022. Of the 1444 patients evaluated, 919 patients who met the inclusion criteria (normothyroid benign nodular disease or normothyroid DTC) were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups as benign group (BG) and DTC group (DTCG). We compared patients' pre-operative serum thyroid and TG values and the diagnostic properties of their ratios. Results: Of the 919 patients included, 517 (56.3%) were in BG and 402 (43.7%) were in DTCG. In DTCG, 318 patients were female and 84 patients were male. The mean age in the DTCG was 47.8 years. Comparison of DTCG and BG revealed a significant difference between T3/T4 ratio (p=0.002), T3/TSH ratio (p≤0.001), T4/TSH ratio (p≤0.001), TG/TSH ratio (p≤0.001), and TSH/TG ratio (p≤0.001). However, evaluation of the specified values by ROC analysis showed that the T3/T4 ratio did not make a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.1), whereas the other values displayed a significant difference (p≤0.001 for T3/TSH, p=0.001 for T4/TSH, p≤0.001 for TG/TSH, and p<0.001 for TSH/TG). Conclusion: T3/TSH (cutoff =2.183), T4/TSH (cutoff=0.6), and TG/TSH (cutoff=29.67) values were found to be significant tumor markers for the prediction of malignancy in thyroid nodules, and low values were found to be associated with malignancy. TSH/TG (cutoff=0.031) value was also significant in predicting malignancy while high values were found to be associated with malignancy. Thyroid hormone and TG ratios may alter the preferred treatment method for thyroid nodules.