Recommendations and best practice on the management of hemorrhoidal disease in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Several techniques were developed for managing hemorrhoidal disease, but their use in clinical practice and the general management of the condition seems highly variable in Saudi Arabia. CONSENSUS PANEL: To develop consensus recommendations that ensure the best possible diagnosis and treatment of hemorrhoidal disease in Saudi Arabia, the consensus panel consisted of experts in surgery in Saudi Arabia who met from December 2017 to September 2018. CONSENSUS FINDINGS: The discussions focused on the need: to set up a proctology society in Saudi Arabia to assess the prevalence of hemorrhoidal disease and to regulate the role of health-care professionals (HCPs) in the management of the disease; to initiate guidelines to ensure proper diagnosis (considering symptoms, medical history, and physical/clinical examination) and treatment (topical creams and suppositories should be limited as no strong evidence supports their efficacy); to educate patients on diet and lifestyle modifications using education materials and social media during and after the treatment (regular physical activity, drinking enough fluids, regular meal time with food rich in fibers, and regular bowel habit with non-straining defecation); to refer patients to a general/colorectal surgeon when needed; and to teach junior surgeons the best use of surgical techniques. CONCLUSION: These recommendations can be a step forward toward a recognized guidance for all HCPs in Saudi Arabia for a better management of hemorrhoidal disease. They will be of a great value for general practitioners, family medicine doctors, junior surgeons, and pharmacists who are the gate keepers and first contact with patients.

Consensus-based management of differentiated thyroid cancer in a tertiary care set-up.

INTRODUCTION: This study describes the experience of a tertiary care hospital in the management of differentiated thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer accounts for less than 1% of all human malignancy. Nevertheless, it is the commonest endocrine malignancy constituting 90% of endocrine cancers. It is the commonest cancer in Saudi Arabian women second to breast cancer. This fact makes differentiated thyroid cancer an important tumor and a challenging disease. METHODS: The medical records of patients diagnosed to have differentiated thyroid cancer in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between 1st January 2000 and 30th September 2006 were reviewed retrospectively. The data included patient's demographic details, clinical diagnoses, co-morbid conditions, relevant investigations, imaging studies, medical and surgical treatment offered, types of surgeries performed, radioactive iodine therapy given, and the complications and outcome of management. Management of these patients follows a clinical care pathway set up by the hospital Thyroid Cancer Group representing various multidisciplinary team members. RESULTS: One hundred and eight medical records were reviewed. Of these, 72 (66.7%) patients were females and 36 (33.3%) were males. Median age for the females was 40 years, and for males 45 years. Ninety patients (83.3%) had a papillary carcinoma, four patients (3.7%) had a follicular carcinoma and fourteen patients (13%) had other types, namely medullary thyroid carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma and lymphoma. A total of 78 patients underwent various forms of surgery in our hospital and the remaining patients underwent operation in the district hospitals before they were referred to our centre for further management. Complications included bleeding (1.8%), voice changes (4.5%), and hypocalcaemia (3.8%). The overall outcome showed that 99 patients (91.7%) were alive and well at the time of analysis, 4 patients (3.7%) died and 5 patients (4.6%) were lost to follow up. CONCLUSIONS: This hospital-based epidemiological study, the largest one done in the western part of Saudi Arabia, showed that differentiated thyroid cancer behavior and the management approach we adopt is not different from other centres of excellence. In spite of the relatively higher number of redo surgery we performed in these patients, yet the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and hypocalcaemia are similar to what is published in the literature.