Round ligament varicosity: a rare but important differential diagnosis of groin lumps during pregnancy.

Round ligament varicosity is rare and mainly reported during pregnancy. A systematic review of the literature identified 48 relevant studies reporting a total of 159 cases of round ligament varicosity, 158 of which were associated with pregnancy. Where reported, the mean age of the patients was 30.65 years, and 60.2% were of Asian ethnicity. The laterality of the condition was almost equally distributed, and nearly 50% presented with a painful groin lump. More than 90% of the patients were diagnosed via Doppler ultrasound scan of the affected groin. Conservative management was successful in more than 90% of the patients. Associated maternal complications are rare, with no mortality reported. No fetal complications or loss were reported. Round ligament varicosity can be misdiagnosed as a groin hernia, which may lead to unnecessary surgery during pregnancy. Therefore, increased awareness of this condition among clinicians is important.

A systematic review and case presentation: Giant abdominal aortic aneurysm.

OBJECTIVE: An abdominal aortic aneurysm is considered giant when its transverse diameter is greater than 10-13 cm in diameter. A giant abdominal aortic aneurysm is rare but with a significant risk of rupture if it is not diagnosed or left untreated. METHOD: The authors have performed a systematic review of the evidence that has looked into the clinical presentations, and management methods employed and have presented a 14 cm giant abdominal aortic aneurysm patient. RESULTS: The systematic review has been based on level-IV evidence due to the rarity of the condition. The final analysis included 61 relevant reported cases. The mean age was 72.4 years, the male to female ratio was 52: 8, and the average size of a giant abdominal aortic aneurysm was 14.7 cm. These were mostly infra renal (72.58%). Rupture of these aneurysms was found in 23 (37.1%) patients, and was treated by laparotomy in 51 (82.25%) cases. There were 11 (17.74%) mortalities. CONCLUSION: The size of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is known to be the biggest factor in the rupture of an aneurysm. The reason abdominal aortic aneurysms can reach such size without rupturing is unclear but needs further exploring. Early diagnosis with effective screening programmes is essential to diagnose in a timely manner to avoid life-threatening consequences.

Splenic Abscess Complicating Bariatric Surgery : A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Bariatric surgery has become one of the most rapidly growing subspecialty performed globally, and it has been well reported to be associated with low morbidity and mortality rates. Splenic abscess is a rare but serious complication of bariatric surgery that has not been previously systematically reviewed in the literature. METHODS: The authors have performed a systematic review of the evidence that has looked into the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and the management options of splenic abscess complicating bariatric surgery. RESULTS: This systematic review has been unsurprisingly based on level-IV evidence due to the rarity of the explored condition. The final analysis included 27 relevant reported cases. The mean age was 38 years and the mean of the time interval between the initial operation and developing splenic abscess was 72 days, with the male to female ratio being 1:1.6. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy was the initial operation in 85.2% of the patients. Nearly half of the patients did not have an objective evidence of local or systemic sepsis that could explain the abscess formation. Nonsurgical management was attempted in 14 patients, with 34% success rate only. Splenectomy was needed in 41.7% of the patients. No mortality was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Splenic abscess is a rare and rather late but serious complication of bariatric surgery that could result in splenectomy in a relatively young group of patients. It is more commonly reported following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Early diagnosis with intervention in a timely manner is crucial to avoid life threatening complications.

Comparing predicted and observed morbidity and mortality between emergency laparotomies conducted during the day and overnight at a district general hospital.

BACKGROUND: It is generally expected that emergency laparotomies performed at night confer a higher risk and thus outcomes are worse. This study hopes to determine whether there is a difference in risk of cases presenting at night, and overall outcome. METHODS: Data were retrospectively obtained using local notes archival software to obtain predicted and observed mortality, ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) grade and length of stay of emergency laparotomies conducted between August 2019 and March 2020. Day cases were defined as knife to skin time (KTS) between 08:00 and 19:59, whilst night cases were defined as KTS between 20:00 and 07:59. RESULTS: In all, 81 emergency laparotomies were performed during day-time hours over the 8­month period; 32 were performed overnight. Median ASA grade was 3 for both. Median length of stay was similar: 11 day, 12 overnight. Median P-POSSUM (Portsmouth Physiological and Operative Severity Score for enUmeration of Mortality and Morbidity) morbidity score of day cases was 52% compared to 53.2% at night. Median mortality score of day cases was 5.6%, whilst at night was 2.7% (p = 0.27). Observed mortality after day cases was 13.5%, and overnight was 9.3%. Observed morbidity was 46.9% after day cases and 50% overnight. CONCLUSION: There was no statistically significant difference between predicted or observed morbidity and mortality between emergency laparotomies conducted during the day and those conducted overnight.