ABSTRACT
Littre hernia is a rare type of hernia in which a Meckel diverticulum is found in the hernia sac. Given the rare nature of this disease, little data on demographics and surgical management exists. In this article, we provide a case report of a strangulated inguinal Littre hernia and perform a systematic review of the literature. The PubMed database was searched on 5 March 2022, and all cases of Littre hernia in adults that had English abstracts or full-text were analyzed. Our primary objective was to evaluate the surgical management and outcomes of this particular type of hernia, and our secondary objectives were to assess demographic characteristics, presentation particularities, and recurrence rates. We identified 89 articles with 98 cases, including our own. Results show a high prevalence of complications described intraoperatively, with strangulation being present in up to 38.46% of patients. The laparoscopic approach was utilized in patients with femoral, inguinal, and umbilical hernias. The most commonly performed type of resection was MD resection, followed by bowel resection, while a minority of cases (5.48%) remained unresected. Mesh repair was more frequently performed in patients with MD resection. A mortality rate of 8.7% in patients who underwent bowel resection was found. A relatively high number of reports of ectopic tissue (21.21%), ulceration (12.12%), and tumors (9.09%) were found. The average follow-up was 19.5 ± 10.29 months, with no hernia recurrence. In conclusion, most cases are admitted in an emergency setting, and intestinal obstruction is frequently associated. A minimally invasive approach can be an option even for complicated hernias. MD resection or bowel resection is usually employed, depending on the extent of ischemic lesions. Patients undergoing bowel resection may be prone to worse outcomes.
ABSTRACT
Inguinal hernia surgery is a constantly evolving field, with ongoing research efforts aimed at enhancing surgical techniques and outcomes for patients. This retrospective study conducted between 2015 and 2020 in the First Surgical Clinic of Craiova Emergency Clinical Hospital focused on the occurrence and characteristics of postoperative pain following inguinal hernia repair using the tension-free Lichtenstein procedure. A total of 178 patients were included in the study, with 16.85% reporting postoperative pain. The average pain intensity was 6.4 on a scale of 1 to 10. Patients described the pain as numbness, burning sensation, stinging, pressure, and tingling sensations. Notably, 50% of patients reported pain related to weather changes. While the study explored potential relationships between patient demographics, hernia type, and postoperative pain, no statistically significant associations were found. Approximately 20% of patients with postoperative pain reported adverse effects on their work, and 10% used analgesics for pain management. This study highlights the multifaceted nature of postoperative pain following inguinal hernia repair, emphasizing the need for further research to identify individual risk factors and adherence to international guidelines for hernia management. The findings also underscore the importance of effective pain management strategies to improve patient comfort and quality of life post-surgery.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Inguinal hernia is one of the most common conditions in surgical departments and diabetes is known to have a significant impact on both patients' health and healthcare system. The current study aims to evaluate extensively the differences in costs for different subgroups of diabetic patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair in a tertiary care medical center in South-West Romania. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total number of 195 patients underwent hernia repair for primary or recurrent inguinal hernia between 2015 and 2020 and were included in the analysis. The group was divided into diabetic/non-diabetic patients and each of these subgroups was studied separately according to the presence or absence of comorbidities, sex and place of origin. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in the division of the age group, highlighting the fact that in diabetic patients the average age was around 74.76 years, unlike those without diabetes in which the average age was approximately 61.31 years. Another statistically significant difference was observed in the classification by hospitalization days of the group of patients with incarcerated inguinal hernia, in a sense that diabetic patients required a prolonged hospitalization by 1.5 days as opposed to non-diabetics. CONCLUSIONS: The costs of hospitalization for diabetic patients undergoing hernia repair surgery were marginally higher than in non-diabetic patients, but no statistical difference could be observed between any of the costs subsets in the two patients groups.
ABSTRACT
The assessment of axillary lymph node (ALN) status provides heavily weighing prognostic indicators in deciding on breast carcinoma treatment. In the 6th and 7th editions of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual are evaluated the nodal metastases based on size and taking into account the number of metastatic cells. According to these Manuals, a positive node is equated to metastasis whose size reaches at least 0.2 mm or amounting to more than 200 tumor cells. The clinical significance and the therapeutic optimum of the presence of a minimal nodal involvement after axillary sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) biopsy remain controversial. The need for further axillary treatment (ALN dissection or axillary radiation) in clinical N0 patients with early-stage breast carcinoma and SLNs metastases remains unclear. In all likelihood, the delivery of the regular adjuvant treatment in association with systemic treatment and radiation therapy results in survival rates similar to axillary treatment completion. This review also presents several assessment methods related to the SLNs at the surgical stage, such as cytological, histological, immunohistochemical and molecular diagnostic techniques, evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. More studies including larger groups of breast patients are needed to confirm which of them is the most reliable method for the evaluation of the SLNs.
