Isolated small bowel mesentery injury after steering wheel trauma.

BACKGROUND: Isolated small gut mesentery injury after blunt abdominal trauma from the steering wheel in road traffic accidents is rare. These are always challenging to diagnose and pose a diagnostic dilemma. OBJECTIVES: To study the pattern of small gut mesenteric injury by steering wheel blunt abdominal trauma in road traffic accidents in patients who had laparotomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 10-year retrospective study was done to study isolated small gut mesentery injury. RESULTS: All patients who had isolated mesenteric small gut injury were males. Jejunal mesentery was involved in 13 whereas 4 had ileal mesentery injury. Tear were longitudinal or transverse. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated small mesentery injury after blunt abdominal trauma from the steering wheel in road traffic accidents is rare. Tears are either longitudinal or transverse. Suture repair is to be done. Delay in reaching hospital or reaching the diagnosis could lead to morbidity and mortality. Isolated mesenteric injury should be considered in any patient with blunt abdominal trauma from steering wheel injury with no evidence of any solid organ injury in unstable patients.

Sciatic hernia clinically mimicking obturator hernia, missed by ultrasonography: case report.

Sciatic hernia is a rare pelvic floor hernia that occurs through the greater or lesser sciatic foramen. Sciatic hernias often present as pelvic pain, particularly in women, and diagnosis can be difficult. Sciatic hernia is one of the rarest forms of internal hernia, which can present as signs and symptoms of small bowel obstruction, swelling in the respective gluteal region or pelvic pain. Transabdominal and transgluteal operative approaches, including laparoscopic repair, have been reported. We present a case of left-sided sciatic hernia with incarcerated small bowel as its contents. The hernia was missed by ultrasonography and plain abdominal radiography, but the clinical features were suggestive of an obturator hernia.

Encountering Meckel's diverticulum in emergency surgery for ascaridial intestinal obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Meckel's diverticulum is the most common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract. In children with intestinal ascariasis, the diverticulum remains asymptomatic or rarely the Ascaris lumbricoides may lead to its complications in the presence of massive intestinal roundworm load. Given that preoperative diagnosis is seldom carried out, when Meckel's diverticulum is found at laparotomy for obstructive intestinal complications of roundworm, the diverticulum should be removed as complications may occur at any time. The aim of this study was to describe the findings of concomitant presence of Meckel's diverticulum who had surgical intervention in symptomatic intestinal ascariasis in children. METHODS: A retrospective case review study of 14 children who had surgical intervention for symptomatic intestinal ascariasis having the presence of concomitant Meckel's diverticulum was done. The study was done at SMHS Hospital Srinagar, Kashmir. RESULTS: A total of the 14 children who had ascaridial intestinal obstruction with concomitant presence of Meckel's diverticulum were studied. Age of children ranged from 4-12 years, male:female ratio was 1.8:1. Nine patients had asymptomatic Meckel's diverticulum, whereas 5 patients with symptomatic signs were found in the course of emergency surgery for ascaridial intestinal obstruction. CONCLUSION: Meckel's diverticulum in intestinal ascariasis may pursue silent course or may be accompanied with complications of the diverticulitis, perforation or the gangrene. Incidental finding of the Meckel's diverticulum in the intestinal ascariasis should have removal.

Subcutaneous internal lateral sphincterotomy (SILS) versus nitroglycerine ointment in anal fissure: a prospective study.

AIM: To compare the results of subcutaneous internal lateral sphincterotomy under local anesthesia and nitroglycerin ointment treatments in acute and chronic anal fissures. METHODS: This was a comparative, prospective study of 340 patients of acute and chronic anal fissure. The patients voluntarily opted either for the surgical procedure under local anesthesia, or the nitroglycerin treatment. All the patients were followed with regular checkups and complaints were documented. RESULTS: Except for 1.75% patients having bleeding/hematoma formation, and with a dropout of 2.60% patients, no failure, recurrence or long term complications like incontinence, were observed in patients who underwent subcutaneous internal lateral sphincterotomy after a mean follow up of 28 months. With surgical treatment pain, bleeding per rectum and constipation showed significant improvement as compared to nitroglycerin treatment. Fissure healing was 100% in surgical group as compared to 56.90% in medical group (P=0.000, odds ratio=344.6). Nitroglycerin was equally effective in acute and chronic fissures (P=0.096). CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous internal lateral sphincterotomy under local anesthesia is more curative, easy and safe, in the hands of a beginner as well as an experienced surgeon, with highest patient satisfaction, and should be considered as the first line of therapy in both chronic and resistant/recurrent acute anal fissures.

Spectrum of abdominal organ injury in a primary blast type.

INTRODUCTION: Abdominal organ injury in a primary blast type is always challenging for diagnosis. Air containing abdominal viscera is most vulnerable to effects of primary blast injury. In any patient exposed to a primary blast wave who presents with an acute abdomen, an abdominal organ injury is to be kept in a clinical suspicion. AIM: Study various abdominal organ injuries occurring in a primary type of blast injury. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All those who had exploratory laparotomy for abdominal organ injuries after a primary blast injury for a period of 10 years from January 1998 - January 2008 were included in this retrospective study. RESULTS: Total 154 patients had laparotomy for abdominal organ injuries with a primary blast type of injury. Small intestine was damaged in 48 patients (31.1%) followed by spleen in 22.7% cases. 54 patients (35.06%) had more than one organ injured. Liver laceration was present in 30 patients (19.48%). Multiple small gut perforations were present in 37 patients (77.08%). Negative laparotomy was found in 5 patients (3.24%) whereas 3 (1.94%) had re-exploration. Mortality was present in 6 patients (3.89%). CONCLUSIONS: Primary blast injury causes varied abdominal organ injuries. Single or multiple organ damage can be there. Small intestine is commonest viscera injured. Laparotomy gives final diagnosis.

Clinicopathological profile and surgical results of nonhealing sinuses and fistulous tracts of the head and neck region.

PURPOSE: The sinus and fistulous tracts in the head and neck region often pose a challenge to the surgeon, and are usually misdiagnosed, resulting in treatment failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 117 patients who presented to the Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of General Surgery, and Department of Dermatology of the Sheri-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Medical College (Srinagar, India) over a period of 7 years. All 117 patients were analyzed using clinical methods, radiologic studies, and laboratory investigations. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 30 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 3:2. A dental origin was noticed in 55% of these tracts, followed by tracts originating from infected implants or bone grafts (20%) and chronic osteomyelitis (11%). Eighty percent of these tracts had a mandibular origin (and from the anterior part) (53%). Maxillary tracts arose mostly from the posterior part of the bone (70%). The commonest presenting symptom was discharge from a nonhealing wound. Anterior mandibular tracts were straight and short (84%), whereas posterior mandibular tracts were mostly long and curved (75%). Misdiagnosed and mismanaged sinuses and fistulas were mostly of odontogenic origin (70%). Radiologic studies were the most useful diagnostic tools in tracts related to dental pathology, infected implants/bone grafts, and chronic osteomyelitis. Proper treatment of basic pathology was followed by complete healing in 96% of patients. CONCLUSION: All patients with sinus or fistulous tracts in the head and neck region should be properly assessed and evaluated for proper diagnosis and treatment, to prevent the recurrence and chronicity of these lesions.

Perianal giant condyloma acuminata [buschke lowenstein tumour] - first case report from the Kashmir valley.

Buschke Lowenstein tumour or giant condyloma acuminata is a rare entity with only less then 50 cases reported in English literature so far. No such case has been reported from the Kashmir valley. They are considered as intermediate lesions between simple condyloma acuminata and invasive squamous cell carcinoma. A 57-year-old heterosexual male presented with a giant perianal condyloma. The lesion was surgically excised completely. Postoperatively patient was put on topical 5-FU ointment. Patient is recurrence free 6 months after surgery. The giant condyloma acuminate is an aggressive tumour with propensity for recurrance and malignant transformation. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice. One such rare case is discussed with review of literature.