Small bowel obstruction in adults, Ladd's band is an exceptional cause: a case report.

Malrotation of the gut is a congenital anomaly of foetal intestinal rotation and it's principally discovered in early childhood as acute intestinal obstruction. This condition is veritably rare and constantly silent in adults. Intestinal malrotation in adults is frequently asymptomatic and is diagnosed as a casual finding during a radiological examination performed for other reasons. Infrequently, it can be diagnosed in adults, associated with an acute abdomen. Adult patients rarely present with acute midgut volvulus or internal hernias caused by Ladd's bands. We present a case of an admitted 18-year-old female with a small bowel obstruction due to an intestinal volvulus complicating intestinal malrotation in the presence of Ladd's band. Laparotomic Ladd's procedure was performed successfully with division of Ladd's band, adhesiolysis, appendicectomy, and reorientation of the small bowel on the right and the cecum and colon on the left of the abdominal cavity; the postoperative evolution was favorable. Although it is a rare pathology, it should be kept in mind in cases of patients presenting small bowel obstruction.

Ruptured Endometrioma with Hemoperitoneum Requiring Emergency Laparotomy: A Case Report.

Endometrioma is the localization of endometriosis in ovary which often develops as cyst. The condition can be complicated with infection, torsion and rupture leading to significant hemoperitoneum and ascites. We present here a 28-year female P2 L1 presented with the features of acute abdomen and severe anemia referred from other hospital where pain management was done. She had raised Ca-125 level, negative Urine Beta HCG and USG findings of left endometrioma with degenerating subserosal fibroid. The improvement of her general condition with analgesics was misleading however a static hematocrit level despite blood transfusion raised suspicion of ongoing pathology leading to blood loss and diagnostic paracentesis confirmed the hemoperitoneum while awaiting of CT report. She underwent Emergency Laparotomy which revealed hemoperitoneum of 2000ml and right ruptured ovarian endometrioma measuring and left ovarian cyst measuring 6x6 cm was noted. The postoperative period was uneventful. Keywords: Acute abdomen; case report; endometriosis; hemoperitoneum; ruptured endometrioma.

Non-obstetric Acute Abdomen in Pregnancy: a Review of Literature.

Background: Acute abdomen in pregnancy (AAP) is defined as intensive abdominal pain lasting less than 24 hours that may require urgent surgery. It is a challenging situation to diagnose and manage, as it is associated with pain due to the normal anatomical and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy. Objective: Therefore, understanding these changes and their effect on almost every system, will help us appreciate the upcoming causes of AAP, mainly the non-obstetric surgical emergencies (e.g., appendicitis, cholecystitis). Methods: This article highlights the importance of the well-rounded care that should be offered to every pregnant patient presenting to any center with a Non-obstetric Acute Abdomen. The causes are discussed separately (for surgical pearls), laparoscopic approach and radiologic modality decision-making in pregnancy, which is an academic and a practice-based helpful summary. Results and Discussion: This article highlights the importance of the well-rounded care that should be offered to every pregnant patient presenting to any center with a Non-obstetric Acute Abdomen. The causes are discussed separately (for surgical pearls), laparoscopic approach and radiologic modality decision-making in pregnancy, which is an academic and a practice-based helpful summary. Results and Discussion: In addition, the sequence of ideas and language used in the article was based to help the reader understand the topic, rather than inform them about it. In addition, the utility of laparoscopy in pregnancy remains a concern due to the possible risk of injury to the fetus and fetal acidosis. Although, trials showed that laparoscopy was associated with less blood loss and a shorter hospital stay. Moreover, in some cases radiographic imaging is necessary, posing a diagnostic dilemma. Conclusion: AAP is a major concern that requires early interventions to pinpoint the cause and manage the patient, properly.

Aprendizaje basado en la simulación: valoración de los objetivos docentes en un programa de abdomen agudo y oclusión intestinal en cirugía general / Simulation-based learning: assessment of the teaching objectives in a program of acute abdomen and intestinal occlusion in general surgery, in medicine degree students

Introducción y objetivo: Analizar el logro de los objetivos docentes desarrollados durante el escenario de los casos de simulación a través de la valoración del profesor, los participantes observadores y quien realiza la propia simulación. Sujetos y métodos: Estudio observacional, prospectivo, descriptivo y unicéntrico, realizado con estudiantes de tercer curso de Medicina de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Se evalúan los objetivos docentes para cada caso clínico simulado por parte de los estudiantes que realizan la simulación, los observadores y el profesor. La evaluación numérica sigue una escala de tipo escala visual analógica y la categórica los clasifica en conseguidos, parcialmente conseguidos y no conseguidos. El estado nervioso y la comodidad de los alumnos también se evalúan numéricamente. Resultados: Se ha registrado la valoración de los objetivos de 929 participantes. La evaluación de los objetivos tiene un valor medio superior a 7 para cada uno de ellos. Existe una diferencia de 1,5-2 puntos en la valoración media entre el primer caso y el último, y no hay ningún alumno que no consiga los objetivos en el último caso. Se describe un estado de nervios alrededor de 4,5 y de comodidad alrededor de 7, sin diferencias entre los distintos evaluadores. Conclusiones: El logro de los objetivos se consigue de forma notable. Entre el primer caso y el último existe una significativa diferencia en el grado de obtención de los objetivos. No hay una relación entre el estado emocional de los participantes y la consecución de los objetivos.(AU)

Introduction and aim: To analyze the achievement of the educational objectives developed during the scenario of the simulation cases through the assessment of the teacher, the observer participants and the person who performs the simulation itself. Subjects and methods: Observational, prospective, descriptive and single-center study, carried out with 3rd year Medicine students at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. The teaching objectives for each simulated clinical case are evaluated by the students who carry out the simulation, the observers and the teacher. The numerical evaluation follows a VAS-type scale and the categorical one classifies them as achieved, partially achieved and not achieved. The nervous state and comfort of the students are also evaluated numerically. Results: The evaluation of the objectives of 929 participants has been registered. The evaluation of the objectives has an average value greater than 7 for each one of them. There is a difference of 1.5-2 points in the average assessment between the first case and the last, with no student not achieving the objectives in the last case. A state of nerves around 4.5 and comfort around 7 is described, with no differences between the different evaluators. Conclusions: The achievement of the objectives is achieved in a remarkable way. Between the first case and the last, there is a significant difference in the degree of achievement of the objectives. There is no relationship between the emotional state of the participants and the achievement of the objectives.(AU)

Thrombotic Features as the Primary Cause of SARS-CoV-2 Related Acute Abdomen in Children.

OBJECTIVES: We performed a retrospective case control study to evaluate the histological characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive pediatric patients undergoing laparoscopic exploration for acute abdomen symptoms. To our knowledge this is the first study that analyzes histopathological characteristics of abdominal tissues in SARS-CoV-2 children. STUDY DESIGN: We enrolled 8 multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) patients and 4 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients who underwent intestinal resection versus 36 control appendectomies from 2 pediatric tertiary referral centers between March 2020 and July 2021. Surgical resection samples were evaluated on several histological sections focusing on general inflammatory pattern and degree of inflammation. Peculiar histological features (endotheliitis and vascular thrombosis) were semi-quantitatively scored respectively in capillary, veins, and arteries. RESULTS: All SARS-CoV-2 related surgical samples showed thrombotic patterns. Those patterns were significantly less frequent in SARS-CoV-2 negative appendectomies ( P = 0.004). The semi-quantitative score of thrombosis was significantly higher ( P = 0.002) in patients with SARS-CoV-2 related procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that SARS-CoV-2 can cause thrombotic damage in abdominal tissues both in the acute phase of the infection (SARS-CoV-2 related appendectomies) and secondary to cytokine storm (MIS-C).

Spontaneous rupture of an unscarred uterus during pregnancy: A rare but life-threatening emergency: Case series.

RATIONALE: In most cases, uterine rupture occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy or during labor. Even fewer reports have been published about the occurrence of this condition without a gynecologic history of any surgical procedure. Due to their scarcity and variable clinical presentation, early diagnosis of uterine rupture may be difficult, and if the diagnosis is not timely, the condition may be life-threatening. PATIENT CONCERNS: Herein, 3 cases of uterine rupture from a single institution are described. Three patients are at different gestational weeks and all have no history of uterine surgery. They came to the hospital due to acute abdominal pain, which is characterized by severe and persistent pain in the abdomen, with no apparent vaginal bleeding. DIAGNOSES: All 3 patients were diagnosed with uterine rupture during the operation. INTERVENTIONS: One patient underwent uterine repair surgery; while the other 2 underwent subtotal hysterectomy due to persistent bleeding and pathological examination after surgery confirmed placenta implantation. OUTCOMES: The patients recovered well after the operation, and no discomfort occurred in the follow-up. LESSONS: Acute abdominal pain during pregnancy can pose both diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. It is important to consider the possibility of uterine rupture, even in cases where there is no history of prior uterine surgery. The key to the treatment of uterine rupture is to shorten the diagnosis time as much as possible, this potential complication should be carefully monitored for and promptly addressed to ensure the best possible outcomes for both the mother and the developing fetus.

[The acute abdomen in children]. / Akutes Abdomen im Kindesalter.

BACKGROUND: Because 8-10% of children in the emergency room present with acute abdominal pain, a systematic work-up is essential to rule out acute abdomen. OBJECTIVES: This article highlights the etiology, symptoms, diagnostic workup, and treatment of acute abdomen in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Review of the current literature. RESULTS: Abdominal inflammation, ischemia, bowel and ureteral obstruction, or abdominal bleeding are causes of acute abdomen. Extra-abdominal diseases such as otitis media in toddlers or testicular torsion in adolescent boys can also lead to symptoms of acute abdomen. Abdominal pain, (bilious) vomiting, abdominal guarding, constipation, blood-tinged stools, abdominal bruise marks, and poor condition of the patient with symptoms such as tachycardia, tachypnea, and hypotonia up to shock are leading symptoms of acute abdomen. In some cases, emergent abdominal surgery is needed to treat the cause of the acute abdomen. However, in patients with pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporarily associated with SARS-CoV­2 infection (PIMS-TS), a new disease causing an acute abdomen, surgical treatment is rarely needed. CONCLUSIONS: Acute abdomen can lead to nonreversible loss of an abdominal organ, such as bowel or ovary, or develop into acute deterioration of the patient's condition up to the state of shock. Therefore, a complete history and thorough physical examination are needed to timely diagnose acute abdomen and initiate specific therapy.

A rare case of small intestine torsion in pregnancy.

Article's main point: This article retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of a patient with small bowel torsion during pregnancy to provide ideas for diagnosing and treating small bowel torsion during pregnancy. This case of pregnancy with small intestinal volvulus gives us the following tips in the diagnosis and treatment: 1) During pregnancy, the abdominal signs of pregnant women are usually atypical, especially in the middle and late stages of pregnancy. Diagnosing intestinal torsion is often tricky and can easily be confused with obstetric emergencies such as threatened abortion, preterm labor pain, placental abruption, and uterine rupture. It is also difficult to distinguish from surgical emergencies such as acute pancreatitis, acute appendicitis, and gastrointestinal perforation. When pregnant women experience nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, intestinal torsion should be considered in the differential diagnosis. 2) Abdominal CT, X-ray, and other radiological examinations may cause fetal tissue damage and dysfunction. In addition, ultrasound diagnosis is also limited by the enlarged uterus, patient conditions, and scanning scope, which has a certain risk of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. MRI has become an important diagnostic tool for acute abdomen in pregnancy because of its non-radiation and high resolution. 3) Intestinal torsion during pregnancy is often difficult to self-reposition and can lead to intestinal necrosis in a short time. In such cases, surgical treatment is usually the first choice. For pregnant women with acute abdomen, we should adhere to the principles of diagnosis and treatment of the acute surgical abdomen, master the indications of surgical exploration such as peritonitis, and perform surgical treatment in time to avoid further deterioration of the condition and reduce the risk of fetal loss.

Acute Abdomen in an Extremely Low-Birth-Weight Preterm Neonate: A Case of Appendicitis.

INTRODUCTION: Neonatal appendicitis is a very rare surgical entity. Non-specific symptoms such as feeding intolerance, abdominal distension, vomiting, increased gastric residue, lethargy, and fever may be present. The majority of reported cases could not be identified early. In this report, we present an extremely low-birth-weight preterm neonate who has been diagnosed with appendicitis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 980-gram preterm baby girl was born at 31 1/7 weeks of gestation. The physical examination was normal at birth. Her initial clinical course was uneventful. On the 7th day of life, she developed abdominal distention and tenderness. She had an episode of bloody stools and bilious vomiting. An abdominal X-ray suggested localized perforation in the cecum with an air-fluid level in the right lower quadrant. The clinical findings suggested necrotizing enterocolitis and perforation, and a diagnostic laparotomy was performed. The bowel was found to be normal with a necrotic appendix. The appendectomy was performed. She was discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit with no complications. CONCLUSION: Appendicitis is extremely rare in the neonatal period. It is quite challenging to evaluate the presentation accurately, which causes a delay in diagnosis. However, if an atypical NEC or peritonitis is present, appendicitis should be considered. Early diagnosis and timely surgical intervention improve the prognosis of neonatal appendicitis.

Abdominal emergencies in surgical oncology.

INTRODUCTION: In general, abdominal emergencies are urgent situations that require a prompt and correct diagnosis and treatment. They involve a broad spectrum of diagnoses and can occur in all age groups. The situation is often modified in oncologic patients according to the extent and level of progression of the primary oncological disease. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the group of adult patients with abdominal emergencies treated in Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute between 2011-2017. RESULTS: In total, 601 patients underwent emergency surgery during the 7-year period. The causes included gastrointestinal obstruction (43%), intra-abdominal inflammatory complications (33%) and bleeding (17%). Acute appendicitis or cholecystitis was the cause in only less than 4% of all patients. CONCLUSION: The problems of acute abdominal emergencies in oncologic patients are substantially different from those in the general population, particularly in terms of the causes where gastrointestinal obstruction is the leading cause.

Rare case of an acute liver torsion.

Torsion of an abdominal organ often leads to an acute abdomen requiring emergency surgery. This report describes the rare case of an acute liver torsion in a 76-year-old man. Surgery revealed dislocation of the left liver lobe, which was flipped over to the right upper abdomen. There was a hypermobile and long falciform ligament and absence of the triangular ligaments. The liver was manually flipped back with subsequent fixation of the umbilical ligament to the diaphragm to prevent reoccurrence. The patient had an uneventful recovery and is doing well 3 months after surgery with good liver function.

Laparoscopic Graham Patch for Anterior Duodenal Perforation in a 6-Year-Old.

Peptic ulcer disease causing perforation is extremely rare in children and primarily affects teenagers. We present a case of a perforated peptic ulcer in a 6-year-old with abdominal pain and emesis with CT findings of moderate pneumoperitoneum and pelvic free fluid without a distinct cause. He was emergently transferred, found to be peritonitic, and taken to the operating room for diagnostic laparoscopy revealing an anterior duodenal ulcer, and underwent laparoscopic Graham patch repair. Postoperatively, the child had positive fecal antigen for H. pylori. He was treated with triple therapy and underwent subsequent testing to confirm eradication. Perforated peptic ulcer is an uncommon pediatric surgical problem, and imaging may not be diagnostic as in the case presented here. Thus, clinicians need to maintain a high index of suspicion when evaluating children with free air and a surgical abdomen in the setting of long-standing abdominal pain.

Factors associated with delayed reporting for surgical care among patients with surgical acute abdomen attended at Muhimbili National Hospital: Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Surgical acute abdomen is a sudden onset of severe abdominal symptoms (pain, vomiting, constipation etc.) indicative of a possible life-threatening intra-abdominal pathology, with most cases requiring immediate surgical intervention. Most studies from developing countries have focused on complications related to delayed diagnosis of specific abdominal problems like intestinal obstruction or acute appendicitis and only a few studies have assessed factors related to the delay in patients with acute abdomen. This study focused on the time from the onset of a surgical acute abdomen to presentation to determine factors that led to delayed reporting among these patients at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) and aimed to close the knowledge gap on the incidence, presentation, etiology, and death rates for acute abdomen in Tanzania. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study at MNH, Tanzania. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of the surgical acute abdomen were consecutively enrolled in the study over a period of 6 months and data on the onset of symptoms, time of presentation to the hospital, and events during the illness were collected. RESULTS: Age was significantly associated with delayed hospital presentation, with older groups presenting later than younger ones. Informal education and being uneducated were factors contributing to delayed presentation, while educated groups presented early, albeit the difference was statistically insignificant (p = 0.121). Patients working in the government sector had the lowest percentage of delayed presentation compared to those in the private sector and self-employed individuals, however, the difference was statistically insignificant. Family and cohabiting individuals showed late presentation (p = 0.03). Deficiencies in health care staff on duty, unfamiliarity with the medical facilities, and low experience in dealing with emergency cases were associated with the factors for delayed surgical care among patients. Delays in the presentation to the hospital increased mortality and morbidity, especially among patients who needed emergency surgical care. CONCLUSION: Delayed reporting for surgical care among patients with surgical acute abdomen in underdeveloped countries like Tanzania is often not due to a single reason. The causes are distributed across several levels including the patient's age and family, deficiency in medical staff on duty and lack of experience in dealing with emergency cases, educational level, working sectors, socioeconomic and sociocultural status of the country.

Metastatic melanoma causing small intestinal perforation at the jejunojejunostomy after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic melanoma of the small intestine is relatively common, and among affected patients, the proportion with involvement of the small intestine ranges from 35% to 70%. Small intestinal perforation as a primary manifestation of metastatic melanoma is rare. We present the exceptional case of a perforation at the jejunojejunostomy after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass caused by metastatic melanoma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old woman with a history of a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and toe amputation due to malignant melanoma (stadium IIIC) presented with an acute abdomen. The abdominal computed tomography scan showed a covered perforation at the jejunojejunostomy of the gastric bypass. The patient underwent an urgent surgical exploration revealing massive tumoral invasion of the anastomosis. The tumoral mass and anastomosis were resected and a new jejunojejunostomy was created. Histopathological examination identified the tumor as a malignant melanoma, so the current abdominal lesions were presumed to be metastases. The postoperative course was uneventful and adjuvant immunotherapy was started a week later. One year after surgery she was doing well with maintenance immunotherapy and there was no evidence of recurrent metastatic disease. CONCLUSION: We report the first case of a perforation at the jejunojejunostomy after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass caused by metastatic melanoma. This exceptional case illustrates that a history of malignant melanoma in case of an acute abdomen should raise suspicion of possible metastatic disease.