Odontogenic-Related Head and Neck Infections: From Abscess to Mediastinitis: Our Experience, Limits, and Perspectives-A 5-Year Survey.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck infections are commonly caused by affections with an odontogenic origin. Untreated or non-responsive to treatment odontogenic infections can cause severe consequences such as localized abscesses, deep neck infections (DNI), and mediastinitis, conditions where emergency procedures such as tracheostomy or cervicotomy could be needed. METHODS: An epidemiological retrospective observational study was performed, and the objective of the investigation was to present a single-center 5-years retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to the emergency department of the hospital Policlinico Umberto I "Sapienza" with a diagnosis of odontogenic related head and neck infection, observing the epidemiological patterns, the management and the type of surgical procedure adopted to treat the affections. RESULTS: Over a 5-year period, 376,940 patients entered the emergency room of Policlinico Umberto I, "Sapienza" University of Rome, for a total of 63,632 hospitalizations. A total of 6607 patients were registered with a diagnosis of odontogenic abscess (10.38%), 151 of the patients were hospitalized, 116 of them were surgically treated (76.8%), and 6 of them (3.9%) manifested critical conditions such as sepsis and mediastinitis. CONCLUSIONS: Even today, despite the improvement of dental health education, dental affections can certainly lead to acute conditions, necessitating immediate surgical intervention.

Acute emphysematous cholecystitis as a cause of pneumoperitoneum.

The authors report a rare case of acute emphysematous cholecystitis with pneumoperitoneum. Emphysematous cholecystitis is an uncommon variant of acute cholecystitis. Association with pneumoperitoneum is very rare and the finding of a macroscopic perforation of the gallbladder is possible only in a few cases. A review of the literature revealed 15 other cases of this combination. Diagnostic options and treatment modalities in these patients are discussed here.

[Conservative approach to IV grade renal trauma]. / Approccio conservativo al trauma renale di IV grado.

A case of grade IV renal trauma is reported and the literature reviewed. A 29-year-old man was admitted in an emergency setting for a grade IV renal and splenic trauma as a result of a motorcycle accident. Since the patient was haemodynamically stable and the retroperitoneal haematoma was neither expanding nor pulsating, a conservative approach was adopted and the renal trauma was managed with interventional radiology. The case shows that major renal traumas can be usefully managed by non-operative treatment, necessarily consisting in a mutidisciplinary approach.

[Classification and management of gynecologic acute abdomen at a secondary level hospital emergency department]. / Inquadramento e gestione dell'addome acuto di origine ginecologica in un Dipartimento di Emergenza ed Accettazione di II livello. Analisi di 103 casi.

This study retrospectively evaluates the preoperative work-up and the classification and operative treatment of acute abdomen caused by gynaecological disorders in emergency admissions to our department. All female patients admitted in the emergency setting and operated on for gynaecological acute abdomen in our emergency department over the period from 1997 to 2002 were included in the study. A total of 103 patients were identified (54 undergoing emergency operations, 9 operated on within 72 hours, and 40 managed conservatively with medical therapy. The 54 emergency operations performed were 24 ovarian resections, 17 salpingectomies, 5 oophorectomies, 4 exploratory laparotomies, 2 uterine polypectomies and 2 hysterectomies. The non-specific presentation of the disease and an inadequate preoperative work-up in these patients often led to a generic diagnosis at admission. This approach tends to increase the number of operations performed on an emergency basis, whereas a wait-and-see type of management should be adopted. A proper use of surgery is mandatory especially in those patients in whom preservation of reproductive capability has a major impact on outcome.