ABSTRACT
Congenital cleft lip and palate represent the prevailing craniofacial birth anomalies on a global scale. Notably, a substantial proportion of patients within remote regions of Iran defer corrective surgery until later stages of life, often in childhood or adulthood, primarily due to intricate financial and cultural constraints. In response to this pressing healthcare challenge, a dedicated collective of volunteer plastic surgeons was established in 2009 with the explicit aim of providing medical care to these underserved patients. Over the subsequent years, this compassionate team embarked on 31 meticulously planned missions to underprivileged areas scattered across the country. Through these organized endeavors, a remarkable total of 20,579 medical visits were conducted, coupled with the performance of 2,303 essential surgeries, thus offering a lifeline of healthcare to these disadvantaged individuals.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Splenic cysts are known as rare clinical encounter. Classifying into primary (true) and secondary cysts (pseudocysts), true cysts contain cellular epithelial lining and subdivided into parasitic and non-parasitic cysts. This study aimed to determine the outcome of treatment in patients with splenic cyst. METHODS: All patients with splenic cyst who had been treated in Department of General Surgery of Ghaem and Omid teaching hospitals over a 24-year period were identified. The medical records of these 16 patients were reviewed. RESULTS: The study patients included 11 females (68.75%) and 5 males (31.25%) with average age of 39.8 years. Fifteen cases had true cyst including 11 parasitic cysts (hydatid) and only one pseudocyst. 37.5% of the splenic cysts had coexistent cysts in liver, pelvis, omentum and paracolic regions. Nine patients underwent total splenectomy and 5 cases partial splenectomy and 2 remaining cases received conservative medical treatment. The size of the cysts varied from 6 to 25 centimeter with average size of 14.3 centimeter. All patients with hydatid cysts received albendazole postoperative medical treatment with albendazole for 6 months. All patients recovered after treatment. CONCLUSION: Open splenectomy whether total or partial is effective and safe in patients with splenec cysts with or without hydatidosis. The outcome of treatment is good without recurrences.