ABSTRACT
Background Skin and soft tissue swellings (SSTS) frequently present in dermatology, plastic surgery, and general surgery departments. While a general surgeon can take care of excisable lesions, people typically seek plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons. According to the signs and symptoms, soft tissue and skin lesions must be removed, and it is crucial to maintain cosmesis following their removal. Objective The aim of this article is to describe the clinical and histopathological types, sites, laterality, and postoperative complications of SSTS. Material and methods This retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan in November 2022. We studied admitted patients from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022 for SSTS excision. Data on patients' demographics, associated features of SSTS, and their postoperative complications was gathered using Google Docs-generated proforma and sent to a statistician for the computation of results via a Microsoft Excel-generated spreadsheet. Results Out of the total 60 patients, 66.7% of the lesions were found in women. The mean age at presentation came out to be 34.16±17.42 years. Nevi with 16.7% were the most common SSTS in our study. The most common site of presentation of SSTS was the scalp and face in 63.3% of cases. Fever was the most frequently encountered post-excision complication in 40% of patients. Conclusion A comprehensive history, clinical examination, signs and symptoms, and the histology of the lesion, all play a crucial role in the management of such swellings. Surgery was the definitive treatment option for SSTS. There were very few major complications in a handful of patients.
ABSTRACT
Background Histopathology of a tissue specimen plays a crucial role in formulating the final diagnosis of any disease. It confirms whether the histopathological findings are in correspondence with the clinical diagnosis and thus suggests an optimal management plan. Standard surgical practices guide that every human tissue specimen must undergo postoperative tissue analysis unless indicated otherwise. Objective To determine the significance of histopathology in determining the final diagnosis of appendectomy specimens. Materials and methods This retrospective clinical study conducted in May 2022 included 100 patients operated for appendectomy from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, in the emergency room of the Department of General Surgery, Unit-III, Lahore General Hospital, Lahore. Data were retrieved from patients' records and the picture archiving and communication system (PACS). A Google Forms-based pro forma (Google, Mountain View, CA) was generated to include the demographic details, clinical manifestations, and histopathology reports of the patients. Descriptive analysis was completed using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA). Results Fifty-two patients were females out of the total 100. The mean age at presentation was 23.02 ± 12.02 years. Of the samples, 54% were not sent for histopathology. Among the remaining ones, 27% of cases were proven to be acute appendicitis. Alvarado score was 7-10 in 50% of patients. Other lesions proven by histopathology were appendiceal phlegmon (4%), perforated appendix (4%), mucocele (1%), carcinoid tumor (1%), tuberculosis (1%), and adenocarcinoma (1%). Conclusions Histopathological analysis is the gold standard for the tissue diagnosis of a disease. The high percentage of the samples not sent for histopathology is alarming since the appendix is not only a site for inflammatory pathologies but for neoplastic lesions as well. This practice depicts that the incidence of non-inflammatory pathologies is being ignored by healthcare professionals and there is a dire need to emphasize the significance of acquiring histopathology reports for the specimens of appendectomy in all circumstances.
