Evaluating the Success of ChatGPT in Addressing Patient Questions Concerning Thyroid Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the utility and efficacy of ChatGPT in addressing questions related to thyroid surgery, taking into account accuracy, readability, and relevance. METHODS: A simulated physician-patient consultation on thyroidectomy surgery was conducted by posing 21 hypothetical questions to ChatGPT. Responses were evaluated using the DISCERN score by 3 independent ear, nose and throat specialists. Readability measures including Flesch Reading Ease), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Index, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, Coleman-Liau Index, and Automated Readability Index were also applied. RESULTS: The majority of ChatGPT responses were rated fair or above using the DISCERN system, with an average score of 45.44 ± 11.24. However, the readability scores were consistently higher than the recommended grade 6 level, indicating the information may not be easily comprehensible to the general public. CONCLUSION: While ChatGPT exhibits potential in answering patient queries related to thyroid surgery, its current formulation is not yet optimally tailored for patient comprehension. Further refinements are necessary for its efficient application in the medical domain.

A child with intravascular fasciitis mimicking deep vein thrombosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Intravascular fasciitis (IF) is a benign, reactive, myofibroblastic proliferation that originates from the superficial or deep fascia of small / medium-sized arteries and veins. CASE REPORT: An 8-year-old male patient was admitted to a health center with the complaint of swelling in the inguinal region. Lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasonography showed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the femoral vein and anticoagulation with low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) was initiated. The patient was referred to our center for follow-up. The D-dimer level was detected within normal limits. Doppler ultrasonography was repeated and showed an intraluminal expanding mass lesion with increasing vascularity, without distinct borders and LMWH was discontinued. This lesion at the sapheno-femoral junction was excised surgically and the histopathological examination revealed intravascular fasciitis. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be aware that the clinical findings of IF may mimic sarcoma and thrombosis.

Comprehensiveness of online sources for patient education on otosclerosis.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the readability indices of websites including educational materials on otosclerosis. Methods: We performed a Google search on 19 April 2023 using the term "otosclerosis." The first 50 hits were collected and analyzed. The websites were categorized into two groups: websites for health professionals and general websites for patients. Readability indices were calculated using the website https://www.webfx.com/tools/read-able/. Results: A total of 33 websites were eligible and analyzed (20 health professional-oriented and 13 patient-oriented websites). When patient-oriented websites and health professional-oriented websites were individually analyzed, mean Flesch Reading Ease scores were found to be 52.16 ± 14.34 and 46.62 ± 10.07, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups upon statistical analysis. Conclusion: Current patient educational material available online related to otosclerosis is written beyond the recommended sixth-grade reading level. The quality of good websites is worthless to the patients if they cannot comprehend the text.

Upper socioeconomic status is associated with lower Helicobacter pylori infection rate among patients undergoing gastroscopy.

INTRODUCTION: Socioeconomic factors play an important role in the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. The aim of this study is to investigate HP prevalence among symptomatic patients in the upper socioeconomic segment of the population undergoing gastroscopy in an endemic urban region. METHODOLOGY: Over a 12-month period, data were collected from the first consecutive 1000 patients (500 from university hospital, 500 from community hospital) who had gastroscopy and HP evaluation. RESULTS: Overall, 211/1000 patients (21.1 %) were found to have HP in gastric biopsies. The specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of rapid urease test were 87.5%, 99.7%, 99%, 96.5%, and 96.9% respectively. Atrophic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers were significantly more common in HP positive patients. Age based distribution of HP prevalence: > 6 decades (15.5%), 3rd-5th decades (26.1%), < 3rd decades (10.4%). CONCLUSION: In an HP endemic country, the prevalence of HP infection among symptomatic patients belonging to the upper socioeconomic segment of the population appears to be markedly lower. The lowest prevalence in young patients is expected to result in future decrease in HP prevalence.

Far From Luck's Way: A Concurrence of Kaposi Sarcoma and Cutaneous Angiosarcoma in the Setting of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Kaposi sarcoma and cutaneous angiosarcoma are rare forms of skin malignancies that are vascular in nature and are frequently encountered in the immunosuppressed population. Although synchronous angiosarcoma and Kaposi sarcoma have been documented, to our knowledge, the coexistence of these vascular malignancies with underlying chronic lymphocytic leukemia has not been previously reported. A 51-year-old male patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia presented with Kaposi sarcoma located on his left ankle. Shortly after, the patient presented with de novo lesions located on the plantar region of the right foot, reported as angiosarcoma. Following a multidisciplinary decision, treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel and carboplatin with consolidation radiotherapy was planned. The patient's Kaposi sarcoma has remained unchanged throughout this period. In such cases, the treatment is advised to be planned around the more aggressive malignancy. These patients should also be followed-up by dermatology due to the higher risk of secondary cutaneous malignancies.