Rectal prolapse as the initial presentation of rectal cancer-A case report.

Herein we report the case of a 63-year-old female tourist who presented to our Emergency Department with complete rectal prolapse. She had complained of diarrhea with traces of blood and mucus and had experienced fatigue after hiking. After the initial evaluation, it became clear that prolapse bares a large rectal tumor as a leading point. The prolapse was reduced under general anesthesia, along with a tumor biopsy. Further workup confirmed locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the rectum, which was treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by curative surgery in another hospital after repatriation. Rectal prolapse affects people of all ages, but it is more common in older adults, particularly women. Treatment options vary depending on the severity of the prolapse and can range from conservative measures to surgical interventions. This case report highlights the importance of early recognition and appropriate management of rectal prolapse in the emergency setting and the possibility of an underlying malignancy.

Is there an increased incidence of orchiectomy in pediatric patients with acute testicular torsion during COVID-19 pandemic?-A retrospective multicenter study.

INTRODUCTION: Testicular torsion is a real emergency condition which requires prompt diagnosis and surgical management to prevent testicular loss. During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, an increased avoidance of the emergency departments for non-COVID-19 illnesses has been reported in the medical literature. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the COVID-19 pandemic caused increased number of orchiectomies in pediatric patients presenting with acute testicular torsion compared to pre-COVID-19 period. STUDY DESIGN: A total number of 119 pediatric patients who underwent surgery for acute testicular torsion from January 2019 to December 2020 were enrolled in retrospective multi-center study from six institutions in Croatia. The patients were divided in two groups. The first group (pre-COVID-19) consisted of the patients who underwent surgery before COVID-19 pandemic (n = 68), while the second group (COVID-19) consisted of the patients who underwent surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 51). Main outcomes of the study were orchiectomy rates and time from onset of the symptoms to emergency department presentation. RESULTS: During the COVID-19 pandemic period 43.1% (22/51) of the patients underwent orchiectomy while orchiectomy was performed in 16.2% (11/68) of the patients from the pre-COVID group (p = 0.001). Median time from onset of the symptoms to emergency department presentation during COVID-19 pandemic and pre-COVID-19 periods was 14h (IQR 5, 48) and 6h (IQR 3, 22) (p = 0.007), respectively. A higher proportion of patients waited over 24 h to present to emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (47% vs 8.8%, p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: During COVID-19 pandemic a significantly higher rates of orchiectomies and increase in delayed presentations for testicular torsion was found. More patient education during pandemic in regards to management of emergency conditions such as testicular torsion is required.

Flexible intramedullary nailing for radial neck fractures in children.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the outcomes of treatment and the rate of complications in children treated with flexible intramedullary nailing (FIN) for radial neck fractures. METHODS: The study included 26 children (11 males and 15 females) with a median age of 9.5 years, treated with FIN for the radial neck fractures between May 2011 and May 2018. Immobilization after the surgery was not used. The median follow-up was 41 months. According to the Judet classification, 15 fractures were classified as type III and 11 as Type IV. For each patient, clinical, radiological, and disability of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) scores were calculated. RESULTS: All patients achieved complete radiographic healing at a median of 5 weeks. The nails were removed at a median of 4 months. The rate of complications was 11.5%, including 1 radial head necrosis, 1 angulation of 15°, and 1 displacement of the radial head. Twenty patients (76.9%) achieved a perfect clinical healing, while 23 patients (88.5%) achieved a perfect radiological healing. The median DASH score was 1.25. No cases of delayed healing were recorded. After removing of the nails, all patients returned to full function of the extremity and all complications were resolved. CONCLUSION: The use of FIN for treating fractures of the radial neck in children shows very good functional and cosmetic results. It allows mobilization with rapid pain reduction. It is a minimally invasive, simple, and reproducible technique with a low rate of complication. Owing to excellent results, surgical stabilization of radial head and neck fractures using FIN is recommended in children and adolescents. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, Therapeutic study.