An infected urachal cyst presenting as an acute abdomen - A case report.

INTRODUCTION: An infected urachal cyst is one of a spectrum of presentations of urachal pathology, all of which are rare in adulthood. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report the case of a 45-year-old obese Russian lady who presented with a 2-week history of suprapubic pain radiating to the right iliac fossa. Although previously fit and well, she had a history of 17 miscarriages. Both USS and CT suggested a complicated inflammatory mass in the lower abdomen. Ultimately the diagnosis was made by laparotomy, which revealed an abscess of an urachal cyst. The infected cyst and bladder dome were excised. The patient made a good recovery with an uneventful follow up. DISCUSSION: Urachal cysts are the commonest type of urachal anomaly. Infection is the usual mode of presentation amongst adult cases otherwise the condition usually remains asymptomatic. An infected urachal cyst is an important diagnosis to make as complications include sepsis, fistula formation, and rupture leading to peritonitis. Treatment is by complete excision, however, techniques have been debated. CONCLUSION: This is a rare but important diagnosis however we recommend that in patients with atypical histories, it should be included in the differential diagnosis.

Postoperative arrhythmias in general surgical patients.

INTRODUCTION: New-onset arrhythmias are a common problem in cardiothoracic surgery. They are also common following major non-cardiac surgery. This review examines the available literature to establish the incidence and significance of new-onset arrhythmias following major non-cardiothoracic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was performed using the Medline and Pubmed databases using the terms 'post-operative arrhythmia', 'peri-operative arrhythmia', 'atrial fibrillation/flutter', 'supraventricular arrhythmia/tachycardia', 'cardiac complications' and 'non-cardiothoracic surgery'. Articles were cross-referenced for additional relevant publications and reviewed for data regarding new-onset arrhythmias following major non-cardiothoracic surgery. RESULTS: There was considerable heterogeneity in the literature regarding cardiac monitoring, types of arrhythmias considered and potential associations investigated, thus hindering interpretation. The available data suggest that new-onset arrhythmias affect about 7% of patients following major non-cardiothoracic surgery. These arrhythmias are often associated with other underlying complications.