ARE THYROID NODULES AN OBSTACLE TO MINIMAL INVASIVE PARATHYROID SURGERY? A SINGLE-CENTER STUDY FROM AN ENDEMIC GOITER REGION.

CONTEXT: Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) procedure has become a widely accepted alternative to the standard four-gland exploration nowadays. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), who had been treated with thyroidectomy and bilateral neck exploration (BNE), rather than MIP alone, due to coexisting thyroid nodules and to determine the benefits of simultaneous thyroidectomy and the possible negative outcomes of not performing this additional procedure. DESIGN: There were 185 patients who were operated for PHPT at our clinic from January 2014 to November 2016. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 50 patients meet inclusion criteria: have thyroidectomy at the same time of parathyroid surgery, have concordant findings of parathyroid adenoma localization at preoperative MIBI-SPECT and the cervical US and have not had malignancy on fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 55.3±10.4, and female to male ratio was 7:1. All patients had parathyroidectomy with BNE and thyroidectomy: 11 (22%) patients had micropapillary thyroid cancer (mPTC), 2 (4%) had papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). CONCLUSION: The results were inconclusive in clearly demonstrating which patients presenting with coexisted thyroid nodules should undergo thyroidectomy, rather than MIP, and which should be monitored for thyroid nodules after MIP. However, we consider that in cases who are not clearly indicated for thyroidectomy, MIP followed by monitoring of thyroid nodules can be the treatment approach.

Distinguishing between acute appendicitis and appendiceal mucocele: is this possible preoperatively?

PURPOSE: Mucocele of the appendix is an infrequent event, characterized by a cystic dilatation of the lumen. It is often diagnosed clinically from signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis or, if it is asymptomatic, as an incidental finding during ultrasonography, computed tomography, or laparotomy. METHODS: We evaluated the histological data of patients who were believed to have mucocele of the appendix. These patients (n = 23) were compared with sex- and age-matched control subjects (n = 79) with appendicitis. RESULTS: The main reason for emergency surgery was lower right abdominal pain in 15 patients, and intestinal obstruction in three. Univariate analysis using sonography demonstrated that the larger appendiceal outer diameter was positively correlated with the diagnosis of appendiceal mucocele (p = 0.001) and the mean white blood cell count was negatively correlated (p = 0.023). In urine analysis, 41.7 % of the mucocele patients and 10 % of the appendicitis patients had microscopic hematuria, respectively (p = 0.019). An outer diameter of 10 mm or more was predictive of appendiceal mucocele diagnosis, with a sensitivity of 76.5 %, specificity of 81 %, positive predictive value of 76.5 %, and negative predictive value of 94.12 %. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 80.2 %. One point was given for the presence of each of these factors to develop a new score. The resulting area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.855 (95 % CI 0.741-0.969) for the score. The histological examination of the specimens revealed mucocele in 15 cases, mucinous cystadenoma in seven cases and mucinous cystadenocarcinoma in one case. Twenty patients underwent appendectomy, and three patients were treated with right colectomy. CONCLUSIONS: A threshold 10-mm diameter of the appendix under compression is a useful preoperative measurement for differentiating between appendiceal mucocele and acute appendicitis. Microhematuria is simple test that can provide a significant role in supporting the clinical diagnosis of appendiceal mucocele in the emergency department.

Comparison of the therapeutic effects of tri-iodothyronine and methylprednisolone during early sepsis in laboratory animals.

BACKGROUND: Despite major advances, the treatment of sepsis is still a challenging problem for surgeons. This study was aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of methylprednisolone and tri-iodothyronine replacement therapy during an early sepsis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty male Wistar albino rats weighing 300-340 g were divided into the Control, CLP, CLP/MP, CLP/T3 and CLP/MP/T3 groups. The Control group underwent a sham operation. Only cecal ligation and puncture was performed in the CLP group. The CLP/MP groups received an intramuscular injection of (MP) methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) at one and half hour before CLP. The CLP/T3 group was given an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of tyroid hormone (T3) 0.4 µg/100 g immediately after CLP. The CLP/MP/T3 group was given IM injection of MP 30 mg/kg before CLP and IP injection of T3 0.4 µg/100 g after CLP. Hemavet changes, blood cultures, peritoneal bacteria content, hormonal alterations and histopathologic changes of intestinal, lung and liver tissue were used to asses the possible therapeutic effects of MP and T3 during early sepsis. RESULTS: A septic insult resulted in significant alterations on hemavet values, free T3, free T4 and cortisol levels, peritoneal bacteria content and intestinal lung and liver tissue samples of the CLP group. Hemavet changes and peritoneal inflammation findings were significantly limited in the CLP/T3 and CLP/MP/T3 groups. Histopathologic changes had no significant difference between the groups during an early sepsis. CONCLUSION: Compared to the MP replacement therapy, therapeutic effects of T3 replacement therapy have been found significantly more promising (Tab. 1, Fig. 10, Ref. 49).

Carcinoid tumor of the appendix: report on ten cases.

AIM: To conduct a retrospective analysis of the incidence and long-term outcomes of carcinoid tumor of the appendix in emergency appendectomies. METHODS: From a histopathologic database of 2197 appendectomies from a single center, all appendiceal carcinoid tumors were identified and case notes reviewed. Demographic data, clinical presentation, histopathology, operative reports, and survival were scored and compared with those reported in the literature. RESULTS: Ten patients (0.45%) with appendiceal carcinoid tumor were identified (2 male, 8 female; mean age, 29.2 years; age range, 14-56 years). In all cases, the clinical presentation resembled the symptoms of acute appendicitis. Open appendectomy was performed in all patients. All tumors were located at the tip of the appendix, with a mean diameter of 0.4 cm (range, 0.1-0.9 cm), and the mesoappendix was invaded in one patient. No patient had repeat surgery after the initial operation. After a mean follow-up period of 55 months (range, 26-82 months), all patients were alive and disease- and symptom-free. CONCLUSION: To conclude, carcinoid tumors are extremely rare, and the diagnosis is often made after surgery. We emphasise the value of obtaining histopathological analysis of every removed appendix because visual examination does not always correlate with later pathological examination. Furthermore, small appendiceal carcinoids (<1 cm) have an excellent prognosis after appendectomy.