Transvaginal evisceration 20 years after hysterectomy. Case report and literature review.

UNLABELLED: Vaginal evisceration is a rare emergency complication which needs prompt surgical treatment. We report a rare case of a seventy-three year old patient presented with late onset of transvaginal intestinal evisceration, 20 years after hysterectomy. A short review of the literature focused on the last 10 years. The laparoscopic approach represents an additional risk factor for evisceration, but data are poor, and prospective studies are difficult to perform. The treatment of transvaginal evisceration is exclusively surgical, by abdominal, transvaginal or combined abdominal-vaginal approaches along with laparoscopy. The abdominal and combined vaginal-abdominal approaches, allow a complete inspection of the abdominal cavity and to apply a mesh for repairing and preventing recurrences. Transvaginal evisceration despite being rare, can still represent a challenging problem in emergency for general surgeons and gynecologists. Knowledge of the related problems and the surgical approach is mandatory to optimize the outcome. KEY WORDS: Evisceration Complication, Mesh repair, Post-hysterectomy.

Does hip osteoarthritis have a protective effect against proximal femoral fractures? A retrospective study.

The inverse relationship between proximal femoral fracture incidence and hip osteoarthritis remains controversial. However, femoral neck fractures rarely occur in patients with hip osteoarthritis, suggesting a protective effect of osteoarthritis. We sought to determine if the severity of osteoarthritis influenced fracture type. We examined the radiographs of 190 consecutive patients treated at our institution after hip trauma. They were divided into three groups according to the outcome of the trauma: femoral neck fracture; trochanteric fracture; and no fracture. We then analysed the severity of osteoarthritis within these groups. No relationship between the grade of hip osteoarthritis and the presence of a proximal femoral fracture was found. However, the grade of osteoarthritis was related both to the outcome of the trauma (p<0.0001) and to the location of the fracture (p<0.0001). Patients with osteoarthritis of the hip had a three-fold increased likelihood of trochanteric fracture compared to femoral neck fracture. Osteoarthritis does not protect against proximal femoral fractures, but strongly affects the location of the fracture in the proximal femur, increasing the possibility of a trochanteric location.

Medial neck femoral fractures: algorithm of treatment and the use of f.g.L. ™ memory shape stem.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: We treat undisplaced or minimally displaced medial neck femoral fractures with screws in both young and elderly patients with good activity of daily living, without severe comorbidity. Total hip replacement is preferred in middle-advanced age, with good level of functional activity. Bipolar hemiarthroplasty is performed on patients who may require early mobilization to avoid deterioration due to existing comorbidities. Bipolar hemiarthroplasty with memory shape stem  (F.G.L.™) is our preferred mode of surgery for high risk patients (ASA classification). In fact, higher perioperative mortality from cardiopulmonary complications has been attributed to the use of cement during arthroplasty. This stem in its metaphyseal region has 10 tabs, made of a Nitinol™ alloy, that facilitate the restoration of the implant to its original enlarged shape at physiological temperature. This enables a strong fit in the metaphyseal region. METHODS: We report the clinical and radiological results of 24 patients (mean follow-up: 14 months) who underwent surgical procedure of bipolar hemiarthroplasty with F.G.L.™ stem in our department between March 2008 and December 2009. RESULTS: No perioperative complications were observed and the results were comparable to those of patients who underwent standard cemented bipolar hemiarthroplasty. CONCLUSIONS: A significant advantage to the use of F.G.L.™ stem is that it allows immediate primary stability without using cement. A limiting consideration is the higher cost associated with the implant & procedure in comparison with standard cemented bipolar hemiarthroplasty. This implant may thus be most suitable for patients with pre-existing cardio-pulmonary complications for whom the use of cement is a major risk factor.

Adjusting CA19-9 values to predict malignancy in obstructive jaundice: influence of bilirubin and C-reactive protein.

AIM: To find a possible relationship between inflammation and CA19-9 tumor marker by analyzing data from patients with benign jaundice (BJ) and malignant jaundice (MJ). METHODS: All patients admitted for obstructive jaundice, in the period 2005-2009, were prospectively enrolled in the study, obtaining a total of 102 patients. On admission, all patients underwent complete standard blood test examinations including C-reactive protein (CRP), bilirubin, CA19-9. Patients were considered eligible for the study when they presented obstructive jaundice confirmed by instrumental examinations and increased serum bilirubin levels (total bilirubin > 2.0 mg/dL). The standard cut-off level for CA19-9 was 32 U/mL, whereas for CRP this was 1.5 mg/L. The CA19-9 level was adjusted by dividing it by the value of serum bilirubin or by the CRP value. The patients were divided into 2 groups, MJ and BJ, and after the adjustment a comparison between the 2 groups of patients was performed. Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values were calculated before and after the adjustment. RESULTS: Of the 102 patients, 51 were affected by BJ and 51 by MJ. Pathologic CA19-9 levels were found in 71.7% of the patients. In the group of 51 BJ patients there were 29 (56.9%) males and 22 (43.1%) females with a median age of 66 years (range 24-96 years), whereas in the MJ group there were 24 (47%) males and 27 (53%) females, with a mean age of 70 years (range 30-92 years). Pathologic CA19-9 serum level was found in 82.3% of MJ. CRP levels were pathologic in 66.6% of the patients with BJ and in 49% with MJ. Bilirubin and CA19-9 average levels were significantly higher in MJ compared with BJ (P = 0.000 and P = 0.02), while the CRP level was significantly higher in BJ (P = 0.000). Considering a CA19-9 cut-off level of 32 U/mL, 82.3% in the MJ group and 54.9% in the BJ group were positive for CA19-9 (P = 0.002). A CA19-9 cut-off of 100 U/mL increases the difference between the two groups: 35.3% in BJ and 68.6% in MJ (P = 0.0007). Adjusting the CA19-9 value by dividing it by serum bilirubin level meant that 21.5% in the BJ and 49% in the MJ group remained with a positive CA19-9 value (P = 0.003), while adjusting the CA19-9 value by dividing it by serum CRP value meant that 31.4% in the BJ group and 76.5% in the MJ group still had a positive CA19-9 value (P = 0.000004). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values of CA19-9 > 32 U/mL were 82.3%, 45% and 59.1%; when the cut-off was CA19-9 > 100 U/mL they were, respectively, 68.6%, 64.7% and 66%. When the CA19-9 value was adjusted by dividing it by the bilirubin or CRP values, these became 49%, 78.4%, 69.4% and 76.5%, 68.6%, 70.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study proposes CRP as a new and useful correction factor to improve the diagnostic value of the CA19-9 tumor marker in patients with cholestatic jaundice.

Appendicular tuberculosis: the resurgence of an old disease with difficult diagnosis.

Gastrointestinal tuberculosis (TB) is quite rare, representing only 3% of all extra-pulmonary cases. Blind gut and ileum are the most common gastrointestinal localizations, while appendix involvement is infrequent. Appendix involvement is usually related to symptoms of acute appendicitis since the caseous necrosis may lead to adhesions and surgical complications such as perforation. For this reason patients with suspected appendicular TB usually undergo surgery even without a secure diagnosis. In these cases, due to the absence of specific symptoms and signs, the diagnosis is delayed after surgery, thus resulting in a high percentage of important, and sometimes lethal, complications. Histopathological examination is often the only way to reach a diagnosis and to establish specific antibiotic therapy, while an early diagnosis could avoid surgical treatment. We report a case of appendicular TB not only for its rarity but also to discuss the difficulty in its diagnosis.