ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We report a case of appendicitis presenting in an incarcerated femoral hernia, otherwise known as de Garengeot hernia. This rare hernia usually presents with both diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. We wish to underline the usefulness of laparoscopy in both the diagnosis and treatment of de Garengeot hernias. METHODS: A diagnostic laparoscopy was performed initially. The appendix was seen to disappear into the hernia sac. A laparoscopic appendectomy was then performed prior to open exploration of the groin. RESULTS: We were able to obtain a correct diagnosis and perform an appendectomy prior to making a groin incision. Operative findings included an incarcerated, inflamed appendix within a femoral hernia. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic laparoscopy could be a valuable tool in the correct diagnosis and management of unusual presentations of incarcerated groin hernias.
Subject(s)
Appendectomy/methods , Appendicitis/surgery , Hernia, Femoral/surgery , Laparoscopy/methods , Aged , Appendicitis/complications , Appendicitis/diagnosis , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Hernia, Femoral/complications , Hernia, Femoral/diagnosis , HumansABSTRACT
Artificial insemination (AI) and the cryopreservation of sperm with full reproductive capabilities are vital in the armamentarium of infertility clinics and reproductive laboratories. Notwithstanding the fantastic successes with AI and sperm cryopreservation in numerous species, including humans and cattle, these assisted reproductive technologies are less well developed in other species of importance for biomedical research, such as genetically modified mice and nonhuman primates. To that end, AI at high efficiency in the rhesus macaque (Macaca mullata) and the successful cryopreservation of rhesus sperm is presented here, as are the complexities of this primate model due to differences in reproductive tract anatomy and gamete physiology. Cryopreservation had no effect on the ability of sperm to fertilize oocytes in vitro or in vivo. Post-thaw progressive motility was not affected by cryopreservation; however, acrosome integrity was lower for cryopreserved (74.1%) than for fresh sperm (92.7%). Fertilization rates did not differ when fresh (58.1%; n = 32/55) or cryopreserved sperm (63.8%; n = 23/36) were used for in vitro fertilization. Similarly, pregnancy rates did not differ significantly after AI with fresh (57.1%; n = 8/14) or cryopreserved sperm (62.5%; n = 5/8). Seven live rhesus macaques were born following AI with fresh sperm, and three live offspring and two ongoing pregnancies were obtained when cryopreserved sperm were used. Cryopreservation of rhesus sperm as presented here would allow for the cost-effective storage of lineages of nonhuman primates with known genotypes. These results suggest that either national or international centers could be established as repositories to fill the global needs of sperm for nonhuman primate research and to provide the experimental foundation on which to explore and perfect the preservation of sperm from endangered nonhuman primates.
