Anxiety and depression in surgeons: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The unique pressures of a surgical career put surgeons at particular risk of mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression. Surgeons have previously been shown to have a high prevalence of psychological distress. This study aimed to systematically review the prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst surgeons, and to identify factors that can modify the risk of anxiety and depression in surgeons. METHODS: A 10-year systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) guidelines to identify citations related to the keywords "anxiety" OR "depression" AND "surgeon" in PubMed/Medline and ScienceDirect databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to produce a final list of citations. RESULTS: Thirty-one citations were included with a total of 11,399 participants. The median percentage of anxiety in surgeons was 20 with a range of 54.6%. While the median percentage of depression was 24 with a range of 59%. Risk factors associated with a higher risk of anxiety and depression include female gender, younger age, concurrent burnout, and occupational concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Protective factors include institutional support and a sense of social belonging. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst surgeons over the past decade. It is imperative to develop strategies to mitigate the effect of anxiety and depression in surgeons.

Female Genital Tract Melanoma: 10 Years of Experience at a Single Tertiary Center.

OBJECTIVE: Malignant melanoma of the female genital tract is a rare disease with poor prognosis, with controversies remaining in its staging and management. In this study, we investigate clinical, pathological, and outcome data for patients referred to a tertiary cancer center with female genital tract melanoma over a decade. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively identified using a search of pathology reports to identify all cases of female genital tract melanoma from 2007 to 2019. Electronic patient records were used to record clinical information. Histopathology specimens were reviewed by a gynecological and dermatological pathology specialist. RESULTS: We identified 30 cases of genital tract melanoma, of which 19 were vulvar, 10 were vaginal, and 1 cervical. Overall survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was found to be 80%, 60%, and 57%. Patients who died were not significantly older at presentation than patients who survived (62 y vs 69 y, p = .215). No association was found between mortality and microscopic ulceration, lymphovascular invasion, pigmentation, resection margins, or radical versus local surgery.Nonvulvar lesions were significantly associated with mortality compared with vulvar lesions (p = .0018), despite similar age and Breslow thickness. Five patients were diagnosed at in situ stage, all of these were vulvar. Even after excluding these melanomas in situ, nonvulvar melanomas still had a significantly worse mortality rate (p = .048). A higher proportion of nonvulvar lesions than vulvar lesions displayed loss of pigmentation (p = .026). CONCLUSIONS: Nonvulvar genital tract melanomas carry a significantly worse prognosis. Survival was not related to resection margins, supporting the use of more conservative surgical margins.

Robotic sacrocolpopexy with medial umbilical ligament autologous graft to treat neovaginal prolapse in a transgender woman.

Vaginoplasty is commonly performed to treat gender dysphoria in transgender women. Neovaginal prolapse is a late complication of vaginoplasty, and there is minimal literature regarding its surgical management. We report a case of robotic sacrocolpopexy using medial umbilical ligament autologous graft to treat neovaginal prolapse in a transgender woman, which is a novel technique that has not been previously described. The procedure resulted in a good postoperative outcome for the patient. The innovative use of medial umbilical ligament autologous graft enabled the patient to benefit from a fully minimally invasive procedure whilst avoiding the risks associated with synthetic mesh.