Assessment of fetal cardiac functions in pregnant women with anemia: prospective, case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the fetal cardiac functions between pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and healthy controls. METHODS: This single-center, prospective, case-control study was conducted at a tertiary hospital. A total of 150 patients, including 50 patients with IDA and 100 healthy pregnant women at 30-34 weeks of gestation, were included in the study. Of the patients with anemia, 20 had mild anemia, 18 had moderate anemia, and 12 had severe anemia. Pulsed-wave Doppler, M-mode, and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) were performed to evaluate fetal cardiac functions. The fetal cardiac score was calculated using the systolic, diastolic, and global hemodynamic function parameters. RESULTS: The myocardial performance index and isovolumetric relaxation time were significantly higher in the IDA group than the control group, while isovolumetric contraction time was similar. Among the tricuspid and mitral valve diastolic parameters, the E, A, and E/A values were significantly lower in the IDA group (p<0.001). Mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursions (MAPSE and TAPSE, respectively) were significantly lower in the IDA group (p<0.001). The IDA group also had significantly lower values for the TDI parameters, mitral and tricuspid E', A', S', E'/A' and a significantly higher E/E' ratio (p<0.001). Upon examination of anemia subgroups, a significant decrease was observed in the tricuspid and mitral A, E, and E/A in those with severe anemia (p<0.001). M-mode Doppler analysis revealed significantly lower TAPSE and MAPSE in the patient group with severe anemia. According to the subgroup comparison of TDI findings, the patients with severe anemia had significantly lower tricuspid and mitral E', A', S' and E'/A' (p<0.001) values and a significantly higher E/E' ratio (p<0.001). The fetal cardiac score was significantly higher in the maternal IDA group compared to the control group. A significant negative correlation was found between maternal hemoglobin level and fetal cardiac score (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There may be changes in the systolic and diastolic cardiac functions of the fetuses of pregnant women with IDA. This study showed an increased E/E' ratio in the fetuses of pregnant women with IDA, suggesting a decrease in fetal heart maturation. Within the IDA group, fetal cardiac functions were more affected in those with severe anemia. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The probable role of insulin resistance and SIRT1 proteins in the Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: Recent evidence suggests that insulin resistance may play an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, the probable role of insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of AD was investigated in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Serum amyloid beta (Aß) (1-42), insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), sirtuin1 (SIRT1) and leptin protein levels were measured in serum samples of control (n = 26), probable AD (n = 26), and probable AD+T2DM patients (n = 12) using ELISA method. Mini mental state examination (MMSE) was performed to the patient and control groups. RESULT: Serum IGF-1 significantly increased in the probable AD+T2DM group as compared to the control and probable AD groups (p ˂ 0.05). The levels of serum leptin significantly decreased in the probable AD and AD+T2DM groups as compared to the control (p ˂ 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in serum Aß (1-42) and SIRT1 levels among groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The significant decrease in serum leptin levels in AD patients may indicate that it may be a therapeutic marker in AD. The level of serum Aß peptide and SIRT1 proteins can vary depending on the stage of the disease. Therefore, this study should be supported by more comprehensive studies in terms of the number of patients in advanced stage (Tab. 1, Fig. 4, Ref. 29).

Efficacy of autogenous teeth for the reconstruction of alveolar ridge deficiencies: a systematic review.

AIM: The aim of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the currently existing clinical evidence on the efficacy of autogenous teeth (AT) for the reconstruction of alveolar ridge deficiencies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search protocol was developed to answer the focused question: "In patients exhibiting alveolar ridge deficiencies and being in need of an implant retained restoration, what is the efficacy of reconstructive procedures employing AT on changes in ridge dimensions compared with control measures?" Uncontrolled studies were also included to assess the overall efficacy of AT for specific procedures. RESULTS: A total of six studies (one randomized, one non-randomized controlled, two observational, one controlled case series, one retrospective) were identified. Two studies used AT for staged lateral augmentation, whereas four studies used AT as a demineralized dentin matrix (AutoBT) for the simultaneous grafting of dehiscence-type defects, vertical augmentation of post-extraction sockets, and lateral/transcrestal sinus floor elevation. The reported clinical outcomes following the application of either AT or AutoBT were within the range of those data noted in the respective control groups. Adverse events were commonly not observed. CONCLUSIONS: The available limited studies involved relatively small patient samples and short follow-up periods but pointed to the potential of AT to serve as an alternative material for the reconstruction of alveolar ridge deficiencies. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: AT appear to be effective in reconstructing alveolar ridge deficiencies.

Comparison of conventional cytology and SurePath in split thyroid fine needle aspiration materials.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to compare the cytomorphological features and cytopathological diagnoses in thyroid aspiration materials prepared by SurePath® (SP) and conventional cytology (CC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) materials from 180 thyroid nodules were divided into two groups to prepare three conventional smears and one SP slide. Twenty-nine cytomorphological features of thyroid lesions were compared in the CC and SP slides. The Kappa coefficiency was determined for each. The cytopathological diagnosis of CC and SP were compared. RESULTS: The feature with the lowest Kappa coefficient was the haemorrhagic background, whereas nuclear molding had the highest Kappa coefficient. The rates of the atypical and suspicious cytopathological diagnostic categories were decreased, whereas the rates of benign and malignant categories were increased in SP. When the cytopathological diagnoses of CC and SP were compared with the histopathological diagnoses of the 31 thyroidectomy materials, the results were similar. CONCLUSION: The common problems seen in CC, such as an excessive number of slides, a haemorrhagic background and air drying artefact in the SP method were not encountered. Through these advantages, the rate of the indeterminate cytopathological diagnosis was low in SP. In addition to those advantages, the increased rates of non-diagnostic cases, the difficulty in evaluating the cytomorphologic features owing to tridimensional structures and the smaller size of the cells and the presence of tridimensional structures uninterpreted microscopically were the disadvantages of SP. The present results showed that SP could be used instead of CC in thyroid cytopathology.

Position-Dependent Local Detection Efficiency in a Nanowire Superconducting Single-Photon Detector.

We probe the local detection efficiency in a nanowire superconducting single-photon detector along the cross-section of the wire with a far subwavelength resolution. We experimentally find a strong variation in the local detection efficiency of the device. We demonstrate that this effect explains previously observed variations in NbN detector efficiency as a function of device geometry.

An epidemiological study to evaluate the use of vitamin K antagonists and new oral anticoagulants among non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients in Turkey- AFTER-2 study design.

OBJECTIVES: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common causes of preventable ischemic stroke and is related to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. There is a lack of data in Turkey on the use of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs), and time in therapeutic INR range (TTR) in vitamin K antagonist users and AF management modality. In this multi-center trial, we aimed to analyze, follow and evaluate the epidemiological data in non-valvular AF patients. STUDY DESIGN: Four thousand one hundred consecutive adult patients from 42 centers with at least one AF attack identified on electrocardiography will be included in the study. Patients with rheumatic mitral valve stenosis and prosthetic valve disease will be excluded from the study. At the end of one year, the patients will be evaluated in terms of major cardiac end points (death, transient ischemic attack, stroke, systemic thromboembolism, major bleeding and hospitalization). RESULTS: First results are expected in June 2015. Data about major cardiovascular end-points will be available in January 2016. CONCLUSION: The rates and kind of oral anticoagulant use, TTR in vitamin K antagonist users and main management modality applied in non-valvular AF patients will be determined by AFTER-2 study. In addition, the rate of major adverse events (MACEs) and the independent predictors of these MACEs will be detected (AFTER-2 Study ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02354456.).

Experimental test of theories of the detection mechanism in a nanowire superconducting single photon detector.

We report an experimental test of the photodetection mechanism in a nanowire superconducting single photon detector. Detector tomography allows us to explore the 0.8-8 eV energy range via multiphoton excitations. High accuracy results enable a detailed comparison of the experimental data with theories for the mechanism of photon detection. We show that the temperature dependence of the efficiency of the superconducting single photon detector is determined not by the critical current but by the current associated with vortex unbinding. We find that both quasiparticle diffusion and vortices play a role in the detection event.

Conduction characteristics in atrial fibrillation. Predictive value of tissue Doppler echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common arrhythmias observed in clinical practice. The frequency of AF is increased in patients with impaired interatrial conduction. We aimed to investigate whether tissue Doppler echocardiography could be used for the evaluation of atrial conduction characteristics instead of an electrophysiological study, and to examine the predictive accuracy of tissue Doppler echocardiography for the inducibility of sustained AF. METHODS: We enrolled 86 consecutive patients who underwent an electrophysiological study. We performed electrocardiographic P wave dispersion, M-mode, two-dimensional, Doppler, and tissue Doppler echocardiography as well as an electrophysiological study (EPS) to evaluate the intra- and interatrial conduction times. We tried to induce AF, and the patients were categorized according to the inducibility of sustained (> 120 s) AF. RESULTS: We found a good correlation between intra-left atrial conduction time detected by tissue Doppler echocardiography (ILCT-echo) and by EPS (ILCT-eps; r = 0.744, p < 0.001), and a weak correlation between interatrial conduction times (IACT-echo and IACT-eps, r = 0.396, p < 0.001). In patients with inducible sustained AF, P wave dispersion (46 ± 19 ms vs. 27 ± 18, p < 0.001), ILCT-echo (29 ± 10 ms vs. 17 ± 7 ms, p < 0.001), and IACT-eps (47 ± 11 ms vs. 36 ± 13 ms, p < 0.001) were found to be higher than those of the noninducible/nonsustained AF group. These three parameters were independent predictors of the inducibility of sustained AF. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that ILCT-echo could be used instead of ILCT-eps for the evaluation of left atrial conduction characteristics. We also showed that ILCT-eps could be a valuable parameter for predicting the development of long-lasting AF.

Gamma glutamyl transferase activity: relationship with thoracic aortic intima media thickness and inflammation.

OBJECTIVE: Increased serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity is known to be associated with atherosclerotic diseases. Thoracic aortic intima-media thickness (IMT) was reported as a marker of preclinical atherosclerosis. However, there is a lack of research directly examining the relationship between serum GGT activity and thoracic aortic IMT. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between serum GGT activity and thoracic aortic IMT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 329 patients without coronary artery disease, who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) examination for various indications from January 2011 to April 2013. GGT, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and other biochemical markers were measured in all patients. The patients were classified into tertiles according to their GGT activities (GGTlow < 19 U/l, GGTmid ≥ 19 U/l < 29 U/l, and GGThigh ≥ 29). RESULTS: The highest aortic IMT values were observed in the GGThigh group compared with the GGTmid and GGTlow groups (p < 0.05, for all). Also, aortic IMT values in the GGTmid group were higher than in the GGTlow group (p < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that GGT activity was independently associated with aortic IMT (ß = 0.487, p < 0.001) hs-CRP (ß = 0.282, p < 0.001), and triglyceride level (ß = 0.161, p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The higher serum GGT concentrations within the "normal" range were associated with a greater IMT of the thoracic aorta. GGT activity may be a predictor of the extent of subclinical aortic atherosclerosis assessed with thoracic aortic IMT.

A safety-based comparison of pure LigaSure use and LigaSure-tie technique in total thyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sutureless total thyroidectomy by using vessel sealing devices has been shown to be safe in some recent clinical studies. However, some surgeons are still concerned about the use of these energy devices in the vicinity of there current laryngeal nerve and parathyroid glands. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the use of pure LigaSure on postoperative complications and to discuss the pertinent literature. METHODS: A total of 456 patients having undergone a total thyroidectomy operation between June 2009 and March 2011 were included in the study. Data were prospectively collected and retrospectively evaluated. Patients were separated into 2 groups. Group L comprised of 182 patients where onlyLigaSure was used, and group LT consisted of 274 patients where ligation was used in the vicinity of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and parathyroid glands, and LigaSure was used in all other parts of the surgery. Patient's blood calcium values were checked preoperatively and at postoperative 24, 48, and 72 hours. Groups were assessed in terms of demographic properties, thyroid pathology, duration of operation, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Groups were similar in respect of demographic properties, operation duration, thyroid gland pathology. No mortality rate was recorded. Laboratory hypocalcemia rate was higher in group L (P 0.003), but no significant difference was identified between groups in terms of symptomatic hypocalcemia.No permanent hypocalcemia or recurrent laryngeal nerve injury developed in any of the patients in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Pure LigaSure for total thyroidectomy may increase laboratory hypocalcemia rate, but not symptomatic hypocalcemia. Hemorrhage related complications were similar and low in the two groups. Ligations in the places close to delicate anatomic structures did not cause longer operative times and may be a safer option in total thyroidectomy.

Resilience to periodic disturbances and the long-term genetic stability in Acropora coral.

Climate change is restructuring natural ecosystems. The direct impacts of these events on biodiversity and community structure are widely documented, but the impacts on the genetic variation of populations remains largely unknown. We monitored populations of Acropora coral on a remote coral reef system in northwest Australia for two decades and through multiple cycles of impact and recovery. We combined these demographic data with a temporal genetic dataset of a common broadcast spawning corymbose Acropora to explore the spatial and temporal patterns of connectivity underlying recovery. Our data show that broad-scale dispersal and post-recruitment survival drive recovery from recurrent disturbances, including mass bleaching and mortality. Consequently, genetic diversity and associated patterns of connectivity are maintained through time in the broader metapopulation. The results highlight an inherent resilience in these globally threatened species of coral and showcase their ability to cope with multiple disturbances, given enough time to recover is permitted.

NT-proBNP is associated with SYNTAX score and aortic distensibility in patients with stable CAD.

OBJECTIVE: A high N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level provides significant prognostic information on patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). It is unclear whether aortic distensibility (AD), which reflects the aortic stiffness, and the extent and complexity of CAD, assessed with the SYNTAX score (SS), affect the secretion of NT-proBNP in stable CAD. We aimed to investigate the relationship between NT-proBNP levels and AD as well as with the extent and complexity of CAD in stable CAD patients. METHODS: The study included 411 patients with stable CAD (mean age = 61.7 ± 9.9 years, male/female = 247/164). The patients were divided into two groups according to the median NT-proBNP value (NT-proBNPlow group < 114 pg/ml and NT-proBNPhigh group ≥ 114 pg/ml). AD was calculated from the echocardiographically derived ascending aorta diameters and hemodynamic pressure measurements. Coronary angiography was performed and SS was determined in all patients. NT-proBNP and other biochemical markers were measured in all subjects. RESULTS: The AD and ejection fraction values of the NT-proBNPhigh group were lower and their SS levels were higher compared with those from the NT-proBNPlow group (p < 0.05, for all). The NT-proBNP level was independently associated with AD (ß = -0.378, p < 0.001), SS (ß = 0.262, p < 0.001), and ejection fraction (ß = - 0.295, p < 0.001) on multiple linear regression analysis. CONCLUSION: NT-proBNP was independently associated with an impaired elastic property of the aorta and with the extent and complexity of CAD as well as with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Serum uric acid and slow coronary flow in cardiac syndrome X.

OBJECTIVE: It has been recently shown that cardiac syndrome X (CSX) patients with slow coronary flow (SCF) have a worse long-term prognosis than those with normal coronary flow. Increased uric acid levels were shown to be associated with atherosclerosis, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between coronary flow assessed with TIMI frame count (TFC) and serum uric acid (SUA) levels in patients with CSX. METHODS: The study population consisted of 113 consecutive patients with typical cardiac CSX and 41 controls without cardiac CSX. Frequencies of risk factors as well as biochemical and hematological data were recorded for all participants. Coronary blood flow was evaluated by TFC. All patients with a TFC greater than two standard deviations from the published normal range for any one of the three vessels were accepted as having slow coronary flow (SCF group), while those whose TFC values fell within the standard deviation of the published normal range for all of the three vessels were considered to have normal coronary flow. RESULTS: Of the 113 CSX patients enrolled, 40 (35.4%) had SCF. The mean TFC value was strongly positively correlated with SUA level, but weakly correlated with male sex, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, serum creatinine level, and hemoglobin. Multivariate regression analysis showed that only the SUA level was independently associated with SCF. The cut-off value for uric acid obtained by the ROC curve analysis was 4.55 mg/dl for the prediction of SCF (sensitivity, 77.5%; specificity, 73.6%). CONCLUSION: The SUA level is independently associated with SCF in patients with CSX.

Intraoperative ultrasound-guided ventricular cannulation in patients with normal-sized ventricles.

INTRODUCTION: Many pathologies require normal-sized ventricle cannulation, which may be technically challenging even with neuronavigation guidance. This study presents a series of ventricular cannulation of normal-sized ventricles using intraoperative ultrasound (iUS) guidance and the outcomes of patients treated by this technique, for the first time. METHODS: The study included patients who underwent ultrasound-guided ventricular cannulation of normal-sized ventricles (either ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting or Ommaya reservoir) between January 2020 and June 2022. All patients underwent iUS-guided ventricular cannulation from the right Kocher's point. The inclusion criteria for normal-sized ventricles were as follows: (1) Evans index <30%, and (2) widest third ventricle diameter <6mm. Medical records and pre-, intra- and post-operative imaging were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Nine of the 18 included patients underwent VP shunt placement; 6 had idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), 2 had resistant cerebrospinal fluid fistula following posterior fossa surgery, and 1 had iatrogenic intracranial pressure elevation following foramen magnum decompression. Nine patients underwent Ommaya reservoir implantation, 6 of whom had breast carcinoma and leptomeningeal metastases and 3 hematologic disease and leptomeningeal infiltration. All catheter tip positions were achieved in a single attempt, and none were placed suboptimally. Mean follow-up was 10 months. One IIH patient (5.5%) had early shunt infection which necessitated shunt removal. CONCLUSION: iUS is a simple and safe method for accurate cannulation of normal-sized ventricles. It provides an effective real-time guidance option for challenging punctures.

Is classical Hodgkin lymphoma a different disease in the elderly? A single-center retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Although the clinical features and treatment results of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in young adults are well known, it is thought that the disease may have different characteristics in elderly patients with HL, which constitutes almost 25% of the group. In this study, our aim is to evaluate the clinicopathological features, treatment outcomes, and survival of elderly classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients aged 60 and over who were treated with a diagnosis of CHL were included in our retrospective cohort study. Patients under the age of 60, those with a diagnosis of nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) were excluded from the study. RESULTS: The median age of 51 patients in the study was 66 (60-76). Forty (78.4%) patients had at least one comorbid disease. The most common histological subtype was mixed cellular HL (n = 23, 45%) and 23 (45%) patients had B-symptoms. Thirty-two (62.8%) patients were in the advanced stage. The most preferred regimen in first-line treatment was doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD) combination chemotherapy (n: 45; 88.2%). Forty-three (84.3%) patients were able to complete the initially planned treatment. Complete response was achieved in 34 (66.7%) patients. During the median follow-up period of 45.2 months, 23 (42.6%) patients had died. The 5-year OS was 57.4%. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, it was observed that the distribution of histological subtypes was different in elderly patients with CHL, B-symptoms were more common in elderly patients, and OS decreased with increasing age.

Vagus nerve stimulation suppresses generalized seizure activity and seizure-triggered postictal cardiac rhythm changes in rats.

In the present study, we investigated the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), a proposed treatment for patients with intractable epilepsy, on cardiac rhythm following seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) in Wistar rats. After a baseline recording of electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood pressure (BP), rats in the first group received a single convulsive dose of PTZ (70 mg/kg) (Group 1). In the other two groups, the Wistar rats were implanted with a cuff electrode on the left cervical vagus nerve. One day after surgery, rats in the second group were treated with VNS (Group 2), whereas rats in the third group were connected to the stimulator but did not receive VNS (Group 3). Ten minutes after VNS onset, 70 mg/kg dose of PTZ was injected. EEG, ECG and BP were continuously recorded during post-injection period. Seizure severity was scored behaviorally. Then, baseline, ictal and postictal periods were analyzed for cardiac rhythms, seizure severity and blood pressure variability. PTZ treatment induced tonic-clonic seizure activity in all animals of Group 1 and Group 3. In these groups a marked increase of mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) but a significant decrease in heart rate and PP interval fluctuations was observed at postictal period. However, in the VNS-treated group the seizure scores and cardiac parameter returned to the baseline level. Present results emphasize that VNS effectively reduces seizure severity and suppress the seizure-induced cardiac rhythm changes.

Effect of PET/CT standardized uptake values on complete response to treatment before definitive chemoradiotherapy in stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: The standard treatment for patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), unsuitable for resection and with good performance, is definitive radiotherapy with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Our aim is to evaluate the effect of the maximum value of standardized uptake values (SUVmax) of the primary tumor in positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) before treatment on complete response (CR) and overall survival. METHODS: The data of 73 stage III NSCLC patients treated with concurrent definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) between 2008 and 2017 and had PET/CT staging in the pretreatment period were evaluated. ROC curve analysis was performed to determine the ideal cut-off value of pretreatment SUVmax to predict CR. RESULTS: Median age was 58 years (range 27-83 years) and 66 patients were male (90.4%). Median follow-up time was 18 months (range 3-98 months); median survival was 23 months. 1-year overall survival (OS) rate and 5-year OS rate were 72 and 19%, respectively. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 9 months; 1-year PFS rate and 5-year PFS rate were 38 and 19%, respectively. The ideal cut-off value of pretreatment SUVmax that predicted the complete response of CRT was 12 in the ROC analysis [AUC 0.699 (0.550-0.833)/P < 0.01] with a sensitivity of 83%, and specificity of 55%. In patients with SUVmax < 12, CR rate was 60%, while, in patients with SUV ≥ 12, it was only 19% (P = 0.002). Median OS was 26 months in patients with pretreatment SUVmax < 12, and 21 months in patients with SUVmax ≥ 12 (HR = 2.93; 95% CI 17.24-28.75; P = 0.087). CR rate of the whole patient population was 26%, and it was the only factor that showed a significant benefit on survival in both univariate and multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment SUVmax of the primary tumor in PET/CT may predict CR in stage III NSCLC patients who were treated with definitive CRT. Having clinical CR is the only positive predictive factor for prolonged survival.

The use of a vessel sealing system in thyroid surgery.

Thyroidectomy is one of the most common operations performed for thyroid diseases throughout the world and has an extremely low morbidity rate. Although the technique of thyroidectomy has changed little for several years, different techniques have been developed for haemostasis in addition to the conventional methods. The vessel sealing system (Ligasure) is a new technology that can be applied in several surgical situations. However, there is no data in the literature regarding its use in thyroid surgery. Fifteen consecutive euthyroid patients (ten women, five men) with a range of 37-71 years of age who met the inclusion criteria were studied. The surgical procedures were performed by a single surgeon using standard techniques, but all vascular structures encountered were sealed by Ligasure and no suture material was used. The pre-operative, intraoperative and postoperative parameters were recorded and analyzed. Fluid collection was evaluated by ultrasonography and clinical examination on the 3rd postoperative day, The results were compared with the conventional knot tying method in a group of 25 patients. A Ligasure device was successfully used in 15 consecutive procedures, including ten total thyroidectomies, three hemithyroidectomies, one subtotal thyroidectomy and one near-total thyroidectomy. There was no operative mortality or technique-related morbidity in patients. The operating time was 75 +/- 11 minutes. The mean volume of the resected thyroid specimens was 68.3 +/- 18.9 cm3. The mean fluid collection at postoperative day three was 7.5 +/- 1.6 cm3. In conclusion, we have found that a Ligasure device can be safely used for haemostasis in thyroid surgery. It has the potential to decrease the operating time, fluid collection and blood loss.