Innovative Non-Invasive and Non-Intrusive Precision Thermometry in Stainless-Steel Tanks Using Ultrasound Transducers.

Measuring temperature inside chemical reactors is crucial to ensuring process control and safety. However, conventional methods face a number of limitations, such as the invasiveness and the restricted dynamic range. This paper presents a novel approach using ultrasound transducers to enable accurate temperature measurements. Our experiments, conducted within a temperature range of 28.8 to 83.8 °C, reveal a minimal temperature accuracy of 98.6% within the critical zone spanning between 70.5 and 75 °C, and an accuracy of over 99% outside this critical zone. The experiments focused on a homogeneous environment of distilled water within a stainless-steel tank. This approach will be extended in a future research in order to diversify the experimental media and non-uniform environments, while promising broader applications in chemical process monitoring and control.

A laparoscopic odyssey: Managing giant colonic lipoma-induced colo-colonic intussusception - A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Colonic lipomas (CL) are rare non-epithelial benign tumors. Giant Colonic lipomas (>4 cm) can cause serious complications such as bowel obstruction, massive bleeding, perforation, and intussusception. Early diagnosis is difficult and preoperative discrimination between malignant lesions and large cl is challenging. Surgical resection is the cornerstone of the treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old woman presented to our surgical department complaining about intermittent crampy abdominal pain with an alternation of diarrhea and constipation for the last 7 months. After radiological and endoscopic investigations, the diagnosis of colo-colonic intussusception caused by colonic lipoma was confirmed. The patient underwent laparoscopic enucleation and a histopathological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of colonic lipoma. DISCUSSION: Colonic lipomas (CL), though rare (0.2 to 4 %), are the third most common benign colon tumors. Typically affecting adult women (57 %), these non-epithelial growths can vary in size from 2 mm to 30 cm, often remaining asymptomatic until complications arise. Colonic lipomas may lead to intussusception or bowel obstruction, with clinical presentation depending on size and location. Diagnosis relies on abdominal CT scans or MRI, while treatment options include surveillance, endoscopic, or surgical resection. Laparoscopic approaches offer favorable postoperative outcomes, although precise localization remains a challenge. Endoscopic techniques are limited, particularly for larger or difficult-to-access lipomas, necessitating expert care. CONCLUSION: Giant colonic lipoma can cause colonic intussusception leading to emergency operation. We think that laparoscopic enucleation seems to be the ideal treatment choice, especially when the malignancy cannot be excluded.

Post-colonoscopy splenic injury: A case report on diagnostic challenges and treatment strategies.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Colonoscopy, while generally safe, can rarely lead to severe complications such as splenic injury. This article reports a case of splenic injury post-colonoscopy, highlighting clinical challenges, diagnostic approaches, and treatment strategies. The goal is to raise awareness among healthcare professionals and enhance knowledge on managing such complications. CASE PRESENTATION: A 60-year-old woman with chronic constipation underwent a challenging colonoscopy. Twelve hours later, she had acute abdominal pain, bloating, and anemia. Examination revealed tachycardia and a distended abdomen. Urgent CT showed splenic hematoma and hemoperitoneum. Initially managed conservatively with fluids and transfusions, she developed worsening tachycardia and persistent anemia, necessitating emergency laparotomy. Surgery confirmed significant hemoperitoneum and bleeding splenic lesion, leading to splenectomy. She stabilized and was discharged on the fifth postoperative day with antibiotics and vaccinations. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Splenic injury, though rare, is a serious complication of colonoscopy, occurring in 0.002 % to 0.033 % of cases. Symptoms include abdominal pain, left shoulder pain, dizziness, and syncope. Prompt diagnosis with contrast-enhanced CT, which identifies 98.5 % of injuries, is crucial. Treatment ranges from conservative management to emergency splenectomy, based on injury severity and patient stability. Non-operative management is often successful in stable patients, while splenectomy may be necessary for those with significant hemodynamic instability. Early recognition and appropriate treatment are essential for favorable outcomes. CONCLUSION: Splenic injury is a rare but severe complication of colonoscopy. Early recognition and appropriate management are crucial for positive outcomes. Conservative treatment is often effective, but surgery may be needed for severe cases.

Unusual case report of bifocal gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the first jejunal loop uncovered by severe hemorrhage.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare mesenchymal tumors, constituting 1 % of gastrointestinal tumors. Jejunal GISTs are even rarer. This article describes a unique bifocal jejunal GIST case, revealed by an exceptionally rare instance of massive hemorrhage. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a 60-year-old female admitted for two days of melena. Despite being hemodynamically stable, severe anemia was noted. Initial endoscopy was normal, but further imaging and jejunoscopy revealed two jejunal GISTs. Surgical resection confirmed the diagnosis. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, with no bleeding recurrence after one year. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare but the most common mesenchymal neoplasms in the gastrointestinal tract, originating from interstitial cells of Cajal. Jejunal GISTs are particularly rare but can cause severe gastrointestinal bleeding, even if small. Diagnosis is challenging and often confirmed by angio-CT. Upper and lower endoscopies are initial steps in evaluating gastrointestinal bleeding, but jejunal GISTs may not be visible due to limited access. In such cases, jejunoscopy and video capsule endoscopy can be particularly valuable for direct visualization and assessment of the jejunum, as demonstrated in our patient, where jejunoscopy enabled precise diagnosis. Complete surgical resection is the recommended treatment, with CD-117 positivity confirming the diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the rare presentation of bifocal jejunal GISTs with severe hemorrhage and emphasizes the need for prompt surgical intervention and awareness of atypical cases.

A rare case report: Primary isolated hydatid cyst of the spleen- diagnosis and management.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Hydatid disease is widespread in agricultural regions and globally. Tunisia is notably affected in the Mediterranean. Although liver involvement is common, splenic hydatidosis is rare, with incidence worldwide ranging from 0.5 % to 4 %. Surgery, particularly total or partial splenectomy, remains the primary treatment. We present a unique case of isolated splenic hydatid cyst successfully managed by total splenectomy. CASE REPORT: A 40-year-old Tunisian farmer presented with persistent pain in the left hypochondrium for 4 months, accompanied by a sensation of heaviness. Physical examination revealed splenomegaly, and laboratory tests showed a positive Indirect Hemagglutination test for Echinococcus sp. (titer >160). Thoracoabdominal CT scan revealed a 10 cm splenic hydatid cyst. Surgery involved total splenectomy via an extended left subcostal approach. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, with successful albendazole therapy and vaccination following splenectomy. During biannual follow-up, the patient remained asymptomatic and did not present with any other hydatid localization. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Splenic hydatid cyst is rare. Diagnostic and therapeutic advancements are crucial for its management. Therapeutic options include total splenectomy, spleen preservation, and percutaneous interventions. However, these approaches carry unique risks and benefits. Close monitoring and individualized management are essential to ensure optimal outcomes. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of splenic hydatid cysts is challenging due to their often asymptomatic nature and lack of specific signs. With no standardized management protocols available, personalized treatment strategies are essential. Further research is crucial to improve treatment approaches and outcomes for this rare yet clinically important condition.

Emphysematous cystitis revealed by necrotizing fasciitis: An unusual presentation.

Emphysematous cystitis (EC) is a severe infection of the bladder that usually affects older women with diabetes mellitus. In rare situations, EC can lead to serious complications such as necrotizing fasciitis. We report the case of a 77-year-old woman who developed emphysematous cystitis complicated with rapidly progressive, gas-producing, necrotizing inflammation located on the right lower abdominal wall. The patient had aggressive drainage and debridement in order to control the extensive necrosis. To our knowledge, this is the third case report that describes a possible association between EC and NF requiring aggressive surgical intervention for both diseases.

Spontaneous perforation of the common bile duct in adults presenting as biliary peritonitis: a case report and literature review.

Spontaneous perforation of the common bile duct (SPCBD) is an exceptional disease, especially in adults. The cause is often idiopathic once trauma and choledochal cyst are excluded. Early diagnosis is often difficult because of its often-misleading appearance. Case presentation: The authors report the case of a 54-year-old man, a known case of type 2 diabetes mellitus, who presented to our emergency department for acute abdominal pain that had evolved for 2 days. Clinical findings and investigations: On physical examination, the patient had a fever of up to 38.5°C, and the abdomen was distended and generally tight. The abdominal computerized tomography scan confirms the presence of free fluid. In addition, the thickness of the gallbladder wall had increased in contrast with a resolved gallbladder distention. Because exploration failed to demonstrate the cause of ascites, the authors performed a diagnostic paracentesis, which revealing ascites with a dark yellow-green color, which implied bile leakage.After initial resuscitation, an emergent exploratory laparotomy was performed. The authors found biliary peritonitis secondary to SPCBD. After peritoneal lavage, the perforation was repaired over a T-tube. The postoperative course was uneventful. Histological findings were consistent with ulcerous acalculous cholecystitis. The patient was disease-free after a 3-month follow-up. Discussion: SPCBD is an uncommon condition in adults, and it is rarely reported in the literature. The pathogenesis of this disease is not clear and may be related to single or multiple factors. Usually, this disease is diagnosed in the postmortem. Early diagnosis and optimal surgical treatment are challenging. Conclusion: This present case highlighted the preoperative diagnostic difficulties of the SPCBD. Emergent surgical management should be instituted in the shortest time possible to reduce the high mortality.

Primary aortoduodenal fistula presenting as a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Primary aortoduodenal fistula (ADF) is a serious life-threatening condition. Unlike secondary ADF which occurs in patients who had previous aortic prosthetic reconstruction, primary ADF is uncommon. Its diagnosis is often unsuspected until surgery or postmortem. We report a rare case of primary ADF presenting as massive gastrointestinal bleeding.

Laparoscopic repair of the broad ligament hernia: A case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Broad ligament hernia is a rare type of internal hernia caused by the protrusion of viscera through an abnormal defect on the broad ligament. The diagnosis is difficult and challenging. Usually, it requires an urgent laparotomy to avoid intestinal necrosis or even the death of the patient. CASE PRESENTATION: A 34-year-old woman, with no medical or surgical history, presented to our educational hospital with acute abdominal pain and recurrent vomiting for the last two days. After clinical and radiological investigations, the diagnosis of an internal hernia through the broad ligament was confirmed. An emergent laparoscopic repair was performed and the postoperative course was uneventful. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: We report a rare case of an internal hernia through the broad ligament and we describe the challenges associated with the preoperative diagnosis and therapeutic approach. The defect in the broad ligament may be unilateral or bilateral and congenital or acquired. There are no specific clinical and radiologic findings. Surgery remains the cornerstone of the treatment. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and rapid management of broad ligament hernia are necessary to prevent catastrophic sequelae. It is important to keep in mind that internal hernia like broad ligament hernia can occur in patients with no surgical history.

Predicting Waist Circumference From a Single Computed Tomography Image Using a Mobile App (Measure It): Development and Evaluation Study.

Background: Despite the existing evidence that waist circumference (WC) provides independent and additive information to BMI when predicting morbidity and mortality, this measurement is not routinely obtained in clinical practice. Using computed tomography (CT) scan images, mobile health (mHealth) has the potential to make this abdominal obesity parameter easily available even in retrospective studies. Objective: This study aimed to develop a mobile app as a tool for facilitating the measurement of WC based on a cross-sectional CT image. Methods: The development process included three stages: determination of the principles of WC measurement from CT images, app prototype design, and validation. We performed a preliminary validity study in which we compared WC measurements obtained both by the conventional method using a tape measurement in a standing position and by the mobile app using the last abdominal CT slice not showing the iliac bone. Pearson correlation, student t tests, and Q-Q and Bland-Altman plots were used for statistical analysis. Moreover, to perform a diagnostic test evaluation, we also analyzed the accuracy of the app in detecting abdominal obesity. Results: We developed a prototype of the app Measure It, which is capable of estimating WC from a single cross-sectional CT image. We used an estimation based on an ellipse formula adjusted to the gender of the patient. The validity study included 20 patients (10 men and 10 women). There was a good correlation between both measurements (Pearson R=0.906). The student t test showed no significant differences between the two measurements (P=.98). Both the Q-Q dispersion plot and Bland-Altman analysis graphs showed good overlap with some dispersion of extreme values. The diagnostic test evaluation showed an accuracy of 83% when using the mobile app to detect abdominal obesity. Conclusions: This app is a simple and accessible mHealth tool to routinely measure WC as a valuable obesity indicator in clinical and research practice. A usability and validity evaluation among medical teams will be the next step before its use in clinical trials and multicentric studies.

A massive colorectal lithobezoar in a 32-year-old woman.

A 32-year-old female patient with a history of iron deficiency and mental retardation, presented with chronic constipation and painful defecation related to a massive colorectal lithobezoar. She was successfully treated with laxatives and daily rectal enema.

Laparoscopic diverticulectomy of perforated right-sided colonic diverticulitis.

The perforation of the right-sided colonic diverticulitis (RSCD) is a rare surgical emergency with highly variable clinical presentations. The preoperative distinction between acute appendicitis and perforated diverticulitis represent a dilemma for surgeon. The laparoscopic repair is a feasible method instead of ileocecectomy in selected cases.

Acute post-traumatic dermoid peritonitis: A rare entity.

Rupture of ovarian dermoid-cyst is rare case. We report the case of a woman admitted for acute post-traumatic abdominal pain due to ruptured ovarian cyst. The patient was operated and we found a very abundant peritoneal effusion with left ovarian cyst which was broken. we performed a left adnexectomy.

[Predictive factors for anastomotic leakage after colon cancer surgery]. / Facteurs prédictifs de fistule anastomotique après colectomie pour cancer.

Introduction: in colon cancer surgery, anastomotic fistula (AF) is considered the most feared complication. The purpose of this study was to identify predictive factors associated with anastomotic fistula after colon cancer surgical resection and to describe the impact of this complication on mortality and postoperative length of stay. Methods: we conducted a retrospective, descriptive and analytical study in the Department of General Surgery at the Habib Bourguiba Hospital in Sfax, Tunisia from 1st January 2013 to 31 December 2020. Results: we collected data from the medical records of 163 patients who had undergone surgery for colon cancer. The average age of patients was 62.7 years with a sex ratio of 1.36. The postoperative course was uneventful in 64.4% of cases and complicated in 35.6% of cases. Surgical morbidity was mainly due to anastomotic fistulas (22 patients). This study demonstrated that predictors of the development of this complication were: diabetes p = 0.04, smoking p = 0.01, hypoalbuminaemia p = 0.01, preoperative haemoglobin less than 10g/dl, p < 0.01, anastomotic fistula located in the left colonic angle p = 0.02, perioperative transfusion p <0.01, and duration of surgery longer than 180 min p = 0.04. Moreover, the occurrence of anastomotic fistula was associated with specific mortality rate (9%) and significantly prolonged postoperative length of stay. Conclusion: the prevention of anastomotic fistulas should be part of a multimodal approach based on the correction of nutritional deficiencies and possible pre-operative anemia.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava: Is vascular reconstruction always necessary?

Both MRI and CT scan can determine tumor size and its extension. PLV have a poor prognosis if surgical resection cannot be achieved. We recommend no reconstruction for type II PLV if venous contact is less than 180° or where the implantation base does not exceed one third of the vena cava.

Unusual retrorectal ganglioneuroma: a case report of laparoscopic assisted approach.

Ganglioneuromas are benign slow-growing lesions that arise from sympathetic ganglion cells. They are usually found incidentally. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), provides only an unspecified diagnosis and it has to be confirmed by pathologic studies. Complete surgical excision is believed to be the curative treatment for symptomatic lesions. In the literature, the pelvic location reported is exceptional. We report a case of laparoscopic assisted excision of a retrorectal presacral ganglioneuroma for 22-year-old female patient.

Impact of platelet inhibition level on subsequent no-reflow in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: High P2Y12 platelet reactivity (PR) level after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) affects prognosis and may induce the no-reflow phenomenon. AIM: To investigate the role of PR in the genesis of microvascular obstruction. METHODS: Patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI within 12hours of symptoms onset were included prospectively. All patients received a 600mg clopidogrel-loading dose before PPCI and 250mg aspirin. PR was measured thereafter during PPCI while wiring the culprit lesion and before coronary dilatation, using the P2Y12 VerifyNow® assay. No-reflow was defined as ST-segment regression<50% observed 90minutes after PPCI. RESULTS: Between January 2014 and November 2015, 140 STEMI patients were included, and divided into two groups: a low PR group (LPR) defined as PR<209P2Y12 reaction units (PRU); and a high PR group (HPR) defined as PR≥209PRU. There were no differences in baseline characteristics between LPR and HPR groups, including age (57.8±11.9 vs. 59.4±13.2 years, respectively; P=0.44) and weight (76.1±15.1 vs. 74.8±10.9kg, respectively; P=0.55). Delay to revascularization was 270.1±175.5 vs. 295.6±206.2minutes (P=0.49) and time between clopidogrel-loading and PR measurement was 53±37 vs 65±54minutes (P=0.29) in the LPR and HPR groups, respectively. No-reflow was more frequent in the HPR group (44 [47.3%] vs. 9 [19.1%]; P=0.0012). Mean PR was higher in patients with no-reflow: 268.3±53 vs. 223.8±50.1 PRU (P=0.002). In multivariable analysis, HPR was an independent predictor of no-reflow. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.745 (0.654, 0.835); the cut-off value predicting no-reflow was 254PRU. CONCLUSION: High PR level measured at PPCI is independently associated with no-reflow.