Validity and Reliability of an Arabic Version of MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI).

Dysphagia is a common adverse event among head and neck (H&N) cancer patients. We aimed, for the first time, to validate the Arabic version of the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) among 82 Saudi Arabian patients with H&N cancer. We followed established validation guidelines and translated the 20-item MDADI using the forward-backward method. Our results revealed 100% feasibility. Test-retest reliability demonstrated acceptable interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for the subscale domains (emotional = 0.973, physical = 0.971, and functional = 0.956) and composite score (ICC = 0.984). The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the emotional, functional, and physical subscales were 0.937, 0.825, and 0.945, respectively (composite score = 0.975). We confirmed concurrent validity by demonstrating significant correlations between the domains of the Arabic MDADI and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Head and Neck Module (QLQ-H&N35). Our study validated the Arabic version of the MDADI among H&N cancer patients from Saudi Arabia.

Risk factors for postoperative hypocalcemia following total thyroidectomy: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: and Objectives: Hypocalcemia is a commonly reported complication after thyroid surgery. Many possible risk factors have been identified. The purpose of this study is to analyze various risk factors possibly associated with development of postoperative hypocalcemia after thyroid surgery by dividing the sample population into postoperative hypocalcemia and normal calcium groups. DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Multiple centers in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Risk factors for postoperative hypocalcemia that were obtained for analysis include patient factors, perioperative blood parameters factors, disease-related factors, and surgical factors. Postoperative hypocalcemia was defined as a reduction of the total calcium level to <8.0 mg/dL. Hypocalcemic and normocalcemic patients were compared by multivariate logistic regression. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Distinguish independent risk factors for postoperative hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy. SAMPLE SIZE: 215 patients. RESULTS: The incidence of hypocalcemia was 52.1% (112 of 215 patients). According to multivariate analysis, statistically significant risk factors for predicting postoperative hypocalcemia included postoperative parathyroid hormone level <10 pg/dL, inadvertent parathyroid gland resection, and neck dissection surgeries. CONCLUSION: The causes of postoperative hypocalcemia are multi-factorial. Because many of these factors are modifiable, they should be identified postoperatively to distinguish high-risk groups and implement early preventive measures. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective with a relatively small size. We encourage additional prospective studies with a larger sample size in multiple regions of the country, which might reveal further significant results.

Role of fine-needle aspiration cytology in evaluating thyroid nodules. A retrospective study from a tertiary care center of Western region, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the accuracy and e cacy of ne-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosing thyroid nodules, correlating it with the histopathological findings. METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of 314 patients was undertaken at a tertiary referral center of King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC), Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between 2010-2019. Patients who presented with thyroid swellings underwent ultrasonography and FNAC. If indicated, surgery was performed. The FNAC findings were compared to the final histopathological reports. RESULTS: The findings for FNAC from our data set of 314 patients showed a sensitivity value of 79.8%, specificity of 82.1%, accuracy of 74.8%, positive predictive value of 74.8%, and negative predictive value of 85.9%. Conclusion: Our study showed that FNAC has high sensitivity and speci city in the initial evaluation of patients with thyroid nodules. When guided by ultrasonography, the accuracy can be markedly improved. Molecular markers once widely available can improve the diagnostic power of FNAC to be no less than the histopathologic evaluation of thyroid tissue.

Thyroid neoplasm in Makkah region, Saudi Arabia. A retrospective epidemiological study.

OBJECTIVES: To improve our local data and demographics of thyroid neoplasm in Makkah region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and provide some basic statistics for future studies in our local community.  Methods: A record based retrospective epidemiological study was conducted and included 314 thyroid disease patients who were presented to our centers at Makkah region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between December 2009 and December 2019. Results: A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out. The average age was 42.77 years, with a female-to-male ratio of 3:1, and most of the patients were Saudi (77%). Fifty-seven percent of cases were benign, while in malignant cases, 33.4% were papillary thyroid carcinoma. The mean follow-up time was 15.44 months, with excellent compliance in 39.4% of the patients.   Conclusion: Thyroid tumors have a leading incidence in head and neck tumors in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, mandating further studies to determine the causes and distribution in other regions of the country.