ABSTRACT
De Garengeot hernia represents a rare variant of femoral hernia in which the appendix is a part of the hernial contents. It was first described in 1731 by a French surgeon, René de Garengeot. In 1785, Hevin was the first to perform an appendectomy to address acute appendicitis within the context of a femoral hernia. The development of acute appendicitis in the femoral hernia sac becomes a surgical emergency of the acute abdomen.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patient reported outcomes measures (PROMs) can provide valuable metrics in clinical trials and cancer registries. To ensure relevance, patient participation must be optimized and PROMs be highly acceptable to patients. There are few data reporting methods to maximize recruitment and a lack of consensus regarding appropriate PROMs for thyroid cancer survivors. METHODS: All patients with a new diagnosis of thyroid (excluding micropapillary and anaplastic) cancer within a single Australian health district between January 2020 and December 2021 were invited to complete PROMs electronically, and self-report ease of use and comprehensiveness of each tool. Participants completed Short Form-12 (SF-12), European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC-QLQ-C30), City of Hope Quality of Life-Thyroid Version (COH-TV) and Thyroid Cancer Quality of Life Survey (ThyCaQoL). Semi-structured qualitative telephone interviews explored patient priorities. An enhanced, multimodal recruitment strategy was instituted after 12 months due to low response rates. RESULTS: Survey completion improved under enhanced recruitment (37/62, 60% versus 19/64, 30%, P = 0.0007) with no differences in demographic or clinical characteristics. Few (4%-7%) respondents rated surveys as difficult to complete. No single PROM comprehensively captured health-related quality of life, with disease-specific tools performing marginally better (54% ThyCaQoL and 52% CoH-TV) compared to generic tools (38% SF-12 and 42% EOROTC-QLQ-C30). Qualitative data suggested that concurrent diagnoses, and survey invitation prior to surgery, made surveys more difficult to complete. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive and representative assessment of PROMs in thyroid cancer survivors requires the use of multiple survey tools and specialized staff to maximize recruitment.
Subject(s)
Quality of Life , Thyroid Neoplasms , Humans , Australia/epidemiology , Thyroid Neoplasms/diagnosis , Thyroid Neoplasms/surgery , Surveys and Questionnaires , Patient Reported Outcome MeasuresABSTRACT
Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in vegetarians, as meat is a common source of vitamin B12. In this case presentation, a patient presented to his primary care doctor with signs of severe vitamin B12 deficiency anemia. He had elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels, indirect bilirubin, and schistocytes on the blood smear, all pointing toward a hemolytic process. A severe vitamin B12 deficiency was deemed the cause of this hemolytic anemia after ruling out other causes. We highlight the importance of knowing more about this pathogenesis to avoid unnecessary workup and management for an elementary disorder that can result from severe B12 deficiency.
ABSTRACT
This case report describes a patient who developed pneumoconiosis in the form of silicosis and group 1 pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to his unprotected work as a bluestone cutter. Bluestone is a type of sandstone used in outdoor construction commonly in the North-east region of the US. In the literature and to our knowledge, blue stone mining has not been viewed as a risk factor for pneumoconiosis. This case report aims to increase awareness about this occupational hazard. Additionally, it is known that chronic silicosis with massive pulmonary fibrosis can lead to hypoxemia and group 3 pulmonary hypertension. This case, however, demonstrates a possibility of silica dust exposure leading to group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension.
ABSTRACT
Renal cell cancer (RCC) is at times associated with intravascular tumour thrombus (TT), which in rare cases can extend to the right atrium. The management of RCC with intravascular tumour thrombus is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach involving urologists, vascular surgeons, and cardiologists. The pre-operative workup is extensive and includes imaging studies to determine the extent of the tumour thrombus and assess the patient's overall health status. Here, we present a case report detailing the operative and perioperative management of a patient presenting with renal cell cancer and intravascular TT.
ABSTRACT
Visceral artery pseudoaneurysm as a cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a rare occurrence. These pseudoaneurysms occur most commonly in the splenic artery but have been reported in the gastroduodenal artery as well, albeit with a high mortality rate in cases of rupture. We present a case of a gastroduodenal pseudoaneurysm presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and causing a mass effect on the pancreatic duct as well.
ABSTRACT
Appendiceal diverticulitis (AD) is an overlooked pathology that carries a high risk of perforation and associated neoplasia, especially carcinoid tumours and mucinous adenoma. AD may be congenital, but more commonly acquired. It may cause diverticulitis, which causes clinical and radiological signs like those of acute appendicitis, and that may delay the diagnosis till it is confirmed on histopathological examination. Here we report a case of acute AD in a case initially diagnosed as acute appendicitis.
