Conservative Versus Surgical Management of Acute Appendicitis: A Systematic Review.

Recent studies have discussed the role of antibiotic treatment in the conservative management of acute appendicitis and whether antibiotics are a safe option to replace appendicectomy, which has been the gold standard treatment of acute appendicitis for many years. The bibliographic databases Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane, Embase, Medline, and PubMed comparing conservative versus surgical treatment of acute appendicitis were systematically searched according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Twenty-one studies consisting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses involving 44,699 participants were identified. At least 17,865 participants were treated with antibiotics. Our studies compare antibiotic versus appendicectomy among acute appendicitis patients ranging from 7 to 94 years of age. In most studies, patients received parenteral antibiotics for a total of one to three days, and oral antibiotics such as oral cephalosporin plus metronidazole, oral amoxicillin/clavulanate, oral fluoroquinolones plus Tinidazole upon hospital discharge for a total of 7 to 10 days. The total course of antibiotics for both parenteral and oral regimes ranged from 2 to 16 days, with 10 days being the commonest duration. The recurrence rate following initial antibiotic treatment at one-year follow-up ranged from 13% to 38%, while the mean duration of recurrence ranged from three to eight months. The majority of the patients with recurrence underwent appendicectomy, while some patients were either given a repeat or different course of antibiotics due to the possible presence of antibiotic resistance; however, only 2.4% of the patients were successfully treated upon completion of the second course of antibiotics. Most of the studies concluded that appendicectomy remains the gold standard treatment for uncomplicated acute appendicitis, given its higher efficacy and lower complication rates. Although antibiotic treatment cannot be routinely recommended, it can be considered an appropriate alternative in selected patients with uncomplicated appendicitis who wish to avoid surgery and also acknowledge the risk of recurrence and the potential need for subsequent surgery at the same time.

Preoperative and Intraoperative Risk Factors for Conversion of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy to Open Cholecystectomy: A Systematic Review of 30 Studies.

This systematic review aims to review articles that evaluate the risk of conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy and to analyze the identified preoperative and intraoperative risk factors. The bibliographic databases CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, Medline, and PubMed were searched according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Only English-language retrospective studies and systematic reviews with more than 200 patients were included. The time of publication was limited from 2012 to 2022. Our systematic review identified 30 studies with a total of 108,472 patients. Of those, 92,765 cholecystectomies were commenced laparoscopically and 5,477 were converted to open cholecystectomy (5.90%). The rate of conversion ranges from 2.50% to 50%. Older males with acute cholecystitis, previous abdominal surgery, symptom duration of more than 72 hours, previous history of acute cholecystitis, C-reactive protein (CRP) value of more than 76 mg/L, diabetes, and obesity are significant preoperative risk factors for conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy. Significant intraoperative risk factors for conversion include gallbladder inflammation, adhesions, anatomic difficulty, Nassar scale of Grades 3 to 4, Conversion from Laparoscopic to Open Cholecystectomy (CLOC) score of more than 6 and 10-point gallbladder operative scoring system (G10) score more than 3.

Surgical management of primary gastric Ewing-like sarcoma at the lesser curvature.

We report the case of a 65-year-old female who presented with a 6-month history of epigastric pain and dyspepsia. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis showed an enhancing nodular lesion and an indeterminate 4 mm lymph node on the lesser curvature of the stomach raising concerns for gastric malignancy. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a 10 cm malignant appearing lesion along the gastric lesser curvature. Histopathology demonstrated spindled and small round blue cell tumor with immunohistochemistry staining consistent with Ewing-like sarcoma. After multidisciplinary team discussion the patient was arranged for neoadjuvant chemotherapy with early re-imaging, followed by consideration of gastrectomy. This case highlights the unusual diagnosis of primary gastric Ewing-like sarcoma and the management of this rare condition.

A rare case of an incarcerated incisional hernia with gravid uterus.

Herniation of a gravid uterus through an abdominal wall incisional hernia with overlying skin necrosis is exceptionally rare. A 29-year-old multiparous K30 + 4/40 pregnant female presented with a 1-month history of worsening abdominal wall skin changes. Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen and pelvis confirmed herniation of the gravid uterus into the hernia sac. A lower uterine segment caesarean section and hernia repair were performed by the general surgical and obstetrics team in view of the potential maternofoetal complications. This case highlights the importance of early recognition and the difficulties in managing gravid uterus herniation.

Acute Presentation of Rapunzel Syndrome and a Review of Bezoars.

Bezoars have different compositions and can be subdivided into trichobezoar, phytobezoar, pharmacobezoar, lactobezoar and food bolus. The reported incidence of bezoar is 0.4% with phytobezoar being the commonest. Rapunzel syndrome is an extremely rare complication when trichobezoar crosses the pylorus to enter the duodenum, ileum and colon. We present the case of a 29-year-old female with a one-week history of abdominal pain, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, constipation, lethargy and a one-year history of increasing abdominal mass. Physical examination revealed a 20 cm palpable mass extending from the left upper quadrant to the umbilicus. Laboratory investigations demonstrated iron deficiency anemia and CT showed two well-defined foci within the gastric lumen consistent with trichobezoars. She was managed conservatively during her hospital stay and discharged home with a plan for elective laparotomy. We present this case to discuss the management of trichobezoars and to highlight the importance of early recognition of recurrence to avoid severe complications.

Gallbladder Volvulus: An Uncommon Twist in Biliary Pathology.

Gallbladder volvulus (GBV) is an extremely rare disease, which presents similarly to acute cholecystitis. It has an incidence of less than 0.1% among urgent cholecystectomies and one in 356,000 hospital admissions. We report the case of a 92-year-old female with a three-day history of abdominal pain that had acutely worsened and localized to the right upper quadrant over the past 24 hours. Physical examination revealed a tender palpable mass in the right upper quadrant. Laboratory investigations demonstrated elevation of the white cell count and liver enzymes while CT abdomen showed a thick-walled gallbladder with an abrupt cut-off of the cystic duct suggestive of gallbladder volvulus. A laparoscopic cholecystectomy revealed a massively distended gangrenous gallbladder which has volved on the hepatocystic ligament. We present this case to demonstrate the radiological and intraoperative findings of GBV and to highlight the importance of early intervention to avoid life-threatening complications.

Density of breast: An independent risk factor for developing breast cancer, a prospective study at two premium breast centers.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women worldwide. Studies have identified breast density as a controversial risk factor of breast cancer. Moreover, studies found that breast density reduction through Tamoxifen could reduce risk of breast cancer significantly. To date, no study on the association between breast density and breast cancer has been carried out in Malaysia. If breast density is proven to be a risk factor of breast cancer, intervention could be carried out to reduce breast cancer risk through breast density reduction. PURPOSE: To determine if density of breast is an independent risk factor which will contribute to development of breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study is carried out in two hospitals targeting adult female patients who presented to the Breast Clinic with symptoms suspicious of breast cancer. Participants recruited were investigated for breast cancer based on their symptoms. Breast density assessed from mammogram was correlated with tissue biopsy results and final diagnosis of benign or malignant breast disease. RESULTS: Participants with dense breasts showed 29% increased risk of breast cancer when compared to those with almost entirely fatty breasts (odds ratio [OR] 1.29, 95% CI 0.38-4.44, P = .683). Among the postmenopausal women, those with dense breasts were 3.1 times more likely to develop breast cancer compared with those with fatty breasts (OR 3.125, 95% CI 0.72-13.64, P = .13). Moreover, the chance of developing breast cancer increases with age (OR 1.046, 95% CI 1.003-1.090, P < .05). In contrast, the density of breast decreases with increasing age (P < .05) and body mass index (P = .051). The proportion of high breast density whether in the whole sample size, premenopausal, or postmenopausal group was consistently high. CONCLUSION: Although results were not statistically significant, important association between breast density and risk of breast cancer cannot be ruled out. The study is limited by a small sample size and subjective assessment of breast density. More studies are required to reconcile the differences between studies of contrasting evidence.