Telescopic dissection versus balloon dissection during laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: A prospective randomised control trial.

BACKGROUND: Totally extraperitoneal (TEP) repair involves creating a preperitoneal space. The preperitoneal space can be created by balloon or telescopic dissection (TD). Nevertheless, these techniques may have some complications. However, there are very few studies that compare these two techniques. This study aims to assess the impact and comprehensively compare the TD and balloon dissection (BD) methods in patients undergoing laparoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repair. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a single-centre, double-blinded, prospective, randomised, controlled trial comparing BD and TD for the creation of the preperitoneal space. The primary end point was to compare the post-operative pain score, intraoperative complications and surgical site occurrence between the two groups. The secondary end point was to assess the impact of the dissection technique on operative time for the creation of extraperitoneal space during laparoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repair. RESULTS: A total of 46 patients were included in the study (23 in each group). Baseline parameters were comparable between the groups. The total operative time between the groups (120 min vs. 160 min; P < 0.005) was statistically significant. The incidence of the peritoneal breach was statistically less in the BD group (43% vs. 13%; P < 0.005). Other short-term and long-term complications were less in the BD group but not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: BD in TEP inguinal hernia repair reduces the operative time and peritoneal breach. When compared to TD in terms of operative time, routine use of BD can be proposed. It will be beneficial in the early part of the learning curve.

Pancreatitis with infected pseudocyst presenting as a prevertebral abscess with spontaneous rupture into the oesophagus.

The development of a prevertebral abscess due to an infected pancreatic pseudocyst and its spontaneous rupture into the oesophagus is a rare complication. We report a man who presented with odynophagia, dyspnoea and abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced CT showed evidence of pancreatitis and a prevertebral space abscess communicating with the pancreas through the oesophageal hiatus. The patient was diagnosed to have a prevertebral abscess with chronic pancreatitis. Surgical drainage was planned, but the patient died of spontaneous drainage of the prevertebral abscess into the oesophagus and aspiration of the collection into the lungs.

Duodeno-duodenal intussusception presenting as upper gastrointestinal bleed.

Duodeno-duodenal intussusception (DDI) is the type of intestinal intussusception in which a segment of the duodenum invaginates into the next part of the duodenum. We present a case of a male patient in his 50s presenting with right upper abdominal pain with multiple episodes of vomiting and a history of melena for 1 month. Imaging studies showed the presence of DDI without apparent growth. The patient underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, which showed a doubtful growth in the duodenum, and the biopsy, was suggestive of adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent Whipple's procedure, and postoperative histology was diagnostic of Brunner's gland adenoma. The patient improved well without any complications.

Isolated pancreatic tuberculosis masquerading pancreatic malignancy.

Pancreatic tuberculosis is the rarest form of abdominal and extrapulmonary tuberculosis. We present a patient in his 40s who presented with pain abdomen and a fever. On examination, the patient had mild jaundice and right hypochondriac tenderness. Blood investigation was suggestive of obstructive jaundice. Imaging studies were representative of pancreatic head lesion, causing mild intrahepatic biliary radical dilatation. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration done from the pancreatic head lesion was diagnostic of tuberculosis. The patient was started on antitubercular medications and responded well.

Paraneoplastic leukemoid syndrome in squamous cell carcinoma of the forearm.

The paraneoplastic leukemoid reaction is a rare haematological paraneoplastic syndrome, which is typically seen with solid tumours and squamous cell carcinomas. As an indication of bone marrow infiltration and malignancy involvement, it indicates a poor outcome and a grave prognosis. We report a woman in her 50s, who presented with an ulcer over the right forearm. Biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma. The patient underwent radiological investigations, which showed the presence of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. Incidentally, the patient was found to have leucocytosis, which was attributed to a paraneoplastic leukemoid reaction, after ruling out all other causes of leukemoid reaction. Due to metastatic disease, the patient was planned for palliative radiotherapy and the best supportive care.

Neuromucormycosis of Posterior Tibial Nerve: A Rare Presentation of Mucormycosis.

Opportunistic fungal infections are known to occur in immunocompromised patients. Mucormycosis is one of the most common opportunistic fungal infections with significant mortality rates. In this article, we present a case of an adult female, a known diabetic who presented with fever and pus discharge from the amputation site of toes in the left foot with blackening of the foot. Examination revealed gangrenous changes of the left foot with no distal pulses palpable. Computed tomography angiogram revealed no flow of blood in distal vessels of the left lower limb. Left below knee guillotine amputation was done. Intraoperative biopsy of the neurovascular bundle revealed invasive neuromucormycosis. She was started on liposomal amphotericin B. The wound started granulating after a few days with serial dressings and the patient was planned for split skin grafting.

Tension pneumoperitoneum following colonic perforation due to barotrauma.

Barotrauma of the colorectum is an uncommon entity that usually occurs after colonoscopy. Perforation of the colon by non-iatrogenic barotrauma of the colon, with tension pneumoperitoneum, is very rare. We present a case of a male patient in his 20s with colon barotrauma caused by industrial compressed air, causing perforation of the transverse colon, with multiple serosal tears throughout the colon. There was also evidence of contusion in the caecum and ascending colon. Primary repair of the perforation and repair of the serosal tears were done along with a covering loop ileostomy.

Regurgitation and prolapse of oesophageal mucosa: a dramatic presentation of the oesophagitis dissecans superficialis.

Oesophagitis dissecans superficialis is a rare benign entity that is usually self-limited, characterised by sloughing of the oesophageal mucosa. We preset a 38-year-old woman, known case of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita who presented to us with regurgitation and prolapse of the oesophageal mucosa from the mouth. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed sloughing of the mucosa. The patient was managed conservatively and discharged.

Hepatic haemangioma causing isolated right-sided pleural effusion and bilateral pedal oedema.

Hepatic haemangioma (HH) is a common benign tumour of the liver and is usually asymptomatic. HH causing isolated right-sided pleural effusion and bilateral pedal oedema due to inferior vena cava (IVC) compression have never been reported in the literature. We report a 35-year-old male patient who presented with breathlessness and mass per abdomen. On examination, the patient was found to have right-sided pleural effusion, bilateral pedal oedema, hepatomegaly. Contrast-enhanced CT showed compression of the IVC by the HH. The patient was managed with right-sided intercostal drain insertion for pleural effusion and hepatic artery embolisation. The patient improved gradually with reduced pleural effusion and resolving pedal oedema.

Chronic gastric volvulus secondary to eventration of the left hemidiaphragm due to radiation-induced phrenic nerve palsy: a rare presentation.

Partial mesentericoaxial gastric volvulus associated with acquired eventration of the left dome of the diaphragm is very rare. We present the case of a 65-year-old man who presented with features of gastric outlet obstruction. He had a prior history of laryngeal cancer for which total laryngectomy was done, and adjuvant radiotherapy was administered. He was subsequently diagnosed with eventration of the left dome of the diaphragm and partial gastric volvulus. The patient recovered completely with conservative management and was discharged.

Bilateral iliopsoas abscess presenting with abdominal wall cellulitis and left-sided empyema thoracis: a rare presentation.

Iliopsoas abscess is common in immunocompromised patients and rarely presents with empyema thoracis. We present a 26-year-old male with no comorbidities who presented with a 3-day history of abdominal pain, fever and dyspnoea. There was no history of tuberculosis or recent contact with a tuberculous patient. On examination, the patient had facial dysmorphism and abdominal wall cellulitis extending bilaterally from flank to the inguinoscrotal region. Chest X-ray showed a left pleural effusion. Ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced CT also showed bilateral iliopsoas abscess with a left massive pleural empyema. The patient underwent bilateral abscess open drainage, thoracostomy for left empyema thoracis and intravenous antibiotic therapy. The patient had an uneventful course postoperatively and was discharged.

Serial estimation of serum C-reactive protein and procalcitonin for early detection of anastomotic leak after elective intestinal surgeries: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Anastomotic leak can adversely affect the outcome of surgery especially if detected late. The present study was carried out to detect the anastomotic leak early in the postoperative period using serial estimation of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A single centre prospective cohort study was done on patients undergoing elective gastrointestinal surgery with anastomosis. Serial estimation of serum procalcitonin and C reactive protein was done on the first five postoperative days. Other parameters such as hemoglobin, total protein, albumin and WBC counts were noted perioperatively. Patients were followed up to 60th postoperative day to assess for anastomotic leak, wound infection and other septic foci. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients were included in the study. Anastomotic leak rate was 26.19% (22/84) and 3/22 patients died in the anastomotic leak group. Wound infection rate was 23.81%. The cut off value of CRP on third postoperative day in detecting anastomotic leak was 44.322 mg/dl with sensitivity of 72.73%, specificity of 66.13% and accuracy of 59.52%. The cut off value for WBC count measured perioperatively in detecting anastomotic leak was 9470 cell/mm3 with sensitivity of 72.73%, specificity of 56.45% and accuracy of 59.74%. Serum procalcitonin, haemoglobin, total protein and albumin measured were not sensitive enough to detect the anastomotic leak early. CONCLUSION: Measuring CRP on the third postoperative day can predict anastomotic leak with a cut off value of 44.32 mg/dl. Patients with raised CRP need careful evaluation to rule out anastomotic leak before deciding on early discharge.

Lymphoedema praecox in a young woman: a rare disease.

Primary lymphoedema is a rare disorder. Often presents at a young age with asymptomatic limb oedema with gradual progression. We present a 16-year-old woman who presented with a history of swelling of the left lower limb for 6 years. There was the presence of isolated left lower limb oedema, which was a non-pitting type. The patient underwent imaging studies and was diagnosed to have primary lymphoedema. The patient was managed conservatively as the patient did not have any other problems other than the left lower limb oedema.

Rare case of traumatic bilateral testicular dislocation.

Bilateral traumatic testicular dislocation is an uncommon condition and usually occurs after a direct impact on the scrotum. Herein, we report this as a rare case of a 21-year-old man presenting with bilateral traumatic dislocation of testes into the inguinal canal following a motorcycle accident. Imaging studies ruled out any other associated injuries. The patient underwent bilateral orchidopexy without any further complications.

Feeding gastrostomy stoma site cutaneous myiasis: a rare entity.

Infestation of any dead or necrotic tissues by the larvae of flies (maggots) is myiasis. This form of habitation is not restricted to any particular tissues in the body and can occur anywhere. However, myiasis at the surgical stoma site is very rare. We present a 55-year-old woman diagnosed with metastatic carcinoma of the oesophagus who underwent feeding gastrostomy (FG). The patient later presented with worms at the FG site. We removed the FG tube, cleared all the maggots, thoroughly cleaned the wound and placed a new FG tube. Although its occurrences have been reported enough in medical history, there are only two documented cases of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy stoma site myiasis. Hence, we present the first case in the literature of cutaneous myiasis around an FG stoma site.

Cystic artery pseudoaneurysm due to carcinoma of the gallbladder.

A 52-year-old man, with known case of hypertension and stroke, presented to us with an upper gastrointestinal bleed and abdominal pain. Ultrasonography of the abdomen showed haematoma within the gallbladder (GB), and Doppler ultrasound was suggestive of an aneurysm arising from the cystic artery (CA). CT of the abdomen showed a well-enhancing thick-walled GB suggestive of malignancy. It also showed the presence of a double CA along with an aneurysm of one of the cystic arteries, haematoma within the GB and haemoperitoneum. Digital subtraction angiography confirmed the presence of double CA and CA pseudoaneurysm. The CA was selective catheterised and embolised with N-butyl cyanoacrylate glue. The patient underwent extended radical cholecystectomy later and was reported to have adenocarcinoma of the GB.

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome in a young patient with the involvement of gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts: an unusual and rare presentation.

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a rare congenital disorder characterised by capillary and venous malformations and soft-tissue hypertrophy with or without lymphatic malformation. The involvement of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary tract is uncommon in KTS. We present a case of a young adult who presented to us with bleeding per rectum and varicosities of the left lower limb. The patient was evaluated and diagnosed to have KTS. The patient was managed conservatively. To best of our knowledge, this is the first case report in literature where KTS was associated with atypical varicose veins of the left lower limb with mild hypertrophy of the lower limb, localised hypertrophy of the right gluteal region with involvement of pelvis, rectum, bladder and seminal vesicle.

Acute massive gastric dilatation as a result of closed-loop obstruction of stomach: an unusual and rare phenomenon.

Acute massive gastric dilatation (AMGD) is a rare event which is usually underdiagnosed. It can occur due to multiple etiologies, including medical and surgical, or as a postoperative complication. We report a rare case of AMGD as a result of closed-loop obstruction of the stomach following feeding jejunostomy in a patient with carcinoma oesophagus. A high index of suspicion, early diagnosis and prompt management is the key to the successful treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case report of a closed-loop obstruction of the stomach leading to AMGD in published literature.

Small cell carcinoma of the pancreas: a rare neuroendocrine tumour.

Primary small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the pancreas is a rare disease with poor prognosis. Very few cases have been reported in the literature. It is a type of poorly differentiated variety of neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas with specific immunohistochemical markers. Imaging is not diagnostic for disease, and diagnosis is mainly by biopsy. We report a rare case of SCC of the pancreas who presented with features of obstructive jaundice without any paraneoplastic features. The patient is planned for palliative chemotherapy because of metastasis and is under regular follow-up.