Retraction Note: Obturator nerve block transurethral surgery for bladder cancer: comparison of inguinal and intravesical approaches: prospective randomized trial.

The Editor-in-Chief has retracted this article [1] because it shows significant overlap with a previously published article by Pladzyk et al. [2].

Obturator nerve block transurethral surgery for bladder cancer: comparison of inguinal and intravesical approaches: prospective randomized trial.

AIM: Transurethral resection of bladder tumors close to these areas may stimulate the obturator nerve, causing violent adductor contraction and possible inadvertent bladder perforation. To avoid this reaction, local anesthetic blockade of the obturator nerve as it passes through the obturator canal is effective in stopping adductor spasm during spinal anesthesia. METHODS: Forty-one patients undergoing (transurethral resection of bladder tumor) TUR-BT with spinal anesthesia who required (obturator nerve block) ONB were included in the study. After spinal anesthesia, ONB was performed with an inguinal approach (group 1) (n = 21) or an intravesical approach (group 2) (n = 20). In this study, we used 10 ml of 2 % lidocaine to perform the ONB. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 60.8 ± 7.5 years. The groups were not different with regards to age, tumor localization and tumor size. There were two bladder perforations in group 1 and six perforations in group 2 (p = 0.130). However, the efficacy of ONB was significantly higher in inguinal approach group compared to intravesical approach group (p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: Obturator nerve block plays an additive role on the quality of analgesia for bladder surgery. Our data suggests that identification of the obturator nerve with ultrasound is easy and the block can be assessed by observing avoidance of bladder spasm.

Does quality of female sexual function improve after a transobturator tape procedure?

The aim of this study was to use a questionnaire to evaluate any changes in sexual satisfaction of women who underwent a transobturator tape (TOT) procedure for stress urinary incontinence. A total of 30 women agreed to participate in the study and were invited to fill out the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire prior to surgery and 3 months after surgery. As a result, after the TOT operation, there was a statistically significant improvement in libido (desire), arousal, lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction. The TOT procedure seems to have a positive effect on female sexual function by reducing the urinary leakage during sexual activity and by decreasing the pain during or after sexual activity.

Primary mucinous borderline tumor of the vermiform appendix mimicking ovarian carcinoma; case report.

INTRODUCTION: Primary adenocarcinoma of the vermiform appendix is a very rare entity. Borderline mucinous tumor of the appendix is a much more rare disease. CASE: We present a 71-year-old woman with primary mucinous borderline tumor of the vermiform appendix. She was misdiagnosed as an ovarian carcinoma patient and operated on by a gynecologic oncology team. Her frozen section analysis of an appendicial mass resulted as borderline tumor of appendix vermiformis, and right hemicolectomy, as is advised in invasive colon tumors, was not carried out. CONCLUSION: Borderline mucinous tumor of the appendix vermiformis should be kept in mind in patients who have pseudomyxoma peritonei during surgery. Tumoral resection may be the definitive therapy in these patients.

Memory and prefrontal functions in earthquake survivors: differences between current and past post-traumatic stress disorder patients.

OBJECTIVE: Many studies reported deficits in cognitive functions in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most were, however, conducted on man-made trauma survivors. The high comorbidity of alcohol use and depression with PTSD in these studies further complicated the interpretation of their results. We compared prefrontal lobe functions and memory in three earthquake survivor groups: current PTSD, past PTSD and no PTSD. We hypothesized that prefrontal performances of the current and past PTSD groups would be worse than that of control group. METHOD: Survivors of the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey were evaluated for current and lifetime PTSD. Memory and prefrontal functions were assessed by a neuropsychological test battery. RESULTS: Current PTSD patients performed worse on attention, verbal memory, verbal fluency, and psychomotor speed. Past PTSD group was similar to the controls on most cognitive measures, except for their vulnerability to proactive interference and low performance in verbal fluency for animal names. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the prefrontal organization and monitorization of verbally processed information are defective in earthquake-related PTSD patients, more so in the current PTSD group.