Project description:A gentleman presented with abdominal distension and pain. CT confirmed a 20 cm sigmoid diverticulum. A giant diverticulum, typified by diverticula greater than 4 cm, often requires colonic resection. Fewer than 200 cases have been reported, most measuring 7-15 cm. I present a rare complication of a common surgical condition with images.
Project description:BackgroundCongenital left ventricular diverticulum (LVD) is a rare cardiac malformation. Its prevalence rate is less than 0.1% of the congenital heart diseases requiring surgery. Some scholars suggest that all LVD should be actively removed to prevent possible risks, including diverticulum rupture, arterial embolism, and malignant arrhythmia. However, others believe that asymptomatic LVD can be followed up without immediate surgery. We reviewed and reported the diagnosis, clinical features, and surgical treatment of four cases of congenital LVD to provide clinical experience and a reference for the treatment of such patients.MethodsFour patients (aged 3-32 years old) were diagnosed with congenital LVD and received surgical treatment at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China from September 2009 to July 2019. All four patients had complete long-term postoperative follow-up data, including echocardiogram, enhanced cardiac computed tomography (CT), and electrocardiogram to monitor changes in left ventricular structure, heart function, and heart rhythm.ResultsIn the first case, the fibrodiverticulum under the aortic valve squeezed the right ventricular outflow tract and the right main coronary artery; the morphology of the right ventricle and coronary artery returned to normal after surgery. The second patient was complicated with a huge lipoma in the apex of the left ventricle and underwent lipoma resection during LVD resection surgery. The third and fourth cases had muscular diverticula in the left ventricular apexes and received LVD removal surgery. All four patients recovered well after surgery and their left ventricular morphology and cardiac function were normal without adverse complications, such as atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmia, and cerebrovascular accident.ConclusionsAlthough the morphology and character of congenital LVD were different in each case, the use of effective diagnostic and follow-up tools, including echocardiogram, enhanced CT, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), allowed for successful surgical treatment of the left ventricular diverticula and symptoms or other malformations. We propose that congenital LVD should be actively treated with surgery, especially considering effectiveness and low risk associated with this therapeutic option.
Project description:Colonic diverticular disease is a common condition, affecting 50% of the population aged above 80. In contrast, rectal diverticular disease is a rare condition with very few cases reported, while symptomatic rectal diverticular disease is even rarer. We present a case of a symptomatic large rectal diverticulum presenting with a retrorectal abscess. A 49-year-old Caucasian female was brought to the emergency department complaining of abdominal pain and weakness in the lower limbs. She was found to have obstructive uropathy and unilateral sciatic neuropathy. She rapidly developed acute abdomen and emergency laparotomy revealed a giant purulent rectal diverticulum. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy and a loop colostomy was made to decompress the colon.
Project description:BackgroundAdvances in machine learning and robotics have allowed the development of increasingly autonomous robotic systems which are able to make decisions and learn from experience. This distribution of decision-making away from human supervision poses a legal challenge for determining liability.MethodsThe iRobotSurgeon survey aimed to explore public opinion towards the issue of liability with robotic surgical systems. The survey included five hypothetical scenarios where a patient comes to harm and the respondent needs to determine who they believe is most responsible: the surgeon, the robot manufacturer, the hospital, or another party.ResultsA total of 2,191 completed surveys were gathered evaluating 10,955 individual scenario responses from 78 countries spanning 6 continents. The survey demonstrated a pattern in which participants were sensitive to shifts from fully surgeon-controlled scenarios to scenarios in which robotic systems played a larger role in decision-making such that surgeons were blamed less. However, there was a limit to this shift with human surgeons still being ascribed blame in scenarios of autonomous robotic systems where humans had no role in decision-making. Importantly, there was no clear consensus among respondents where to allocate blame in the case of harm occurring from a fully autonomous system.ConclusionsThe iRobotSurgeon Survey demonstrated a dilemma among respondents on who to blame when harm is caused by a fully autonomous surgical robotic system. Importantly, it also showed that the surgeon is ascribed blame even when they have had no role in decision-making which adds weight to concerns that human operators could act as "moral crumple zones" and bear the brunt of legal responsibility when a complex autonomous system causes harm.
Project description:Introductionand Importance: Meckel's diverticulum band is an uncommon cause of intestinal obstruction in adults.Case presentationWe report the case of a 57-year-old diabetic and hypertensive male who presented with sudden onset of vomiting and abdominal pain. Initial laboratory and imaging investigations, including an abdominal X-ray and computed tomography scan, were suggestive of an intestinal obstruction; however, these were not helpful in assigning a presumptive cause. A laparoscopic exploration was offered after a repeated abdominal X-ray showed an air-fluid level. Intraoperative findings revealed an ischemic closed loop obstructed by a fibrous band of Meckel's diverticulum. Resection and anastomosis of the bowel was performed, and the patient was discharged on day 3 post-operative with no complications.Clinical discussionSurgical resection performed by open or laparoscopic approach is the recommended treatment for patients with symptomatic Meckel's diverticulum. Generally, a wedge resection of the Meckel's diverticulum is performed, and occasionally part of the ileum is resected by end-to-end anastomosis, as was the case in our patient.ConclusionWe believe early surgical intervention is crucial for a favorable outcome. Thus, surgeons should consider complicated Meckel's diverticulum in patients presenting with signs and symptoms of small bowel obstruction.
Project description:Introduction and hypothesisThis video illustrates a rare surgical case involving a urethral diverticulum, urethrovaginal fistula, and mesh erosion.MethodsWe present a 58-year-old patient attending a tertiary care center with a suspected urethrovaginal fistula. Her concerns included stress urinary incontinence (SUI), recurrent urinary tract infection, and vaginal pain. The surgical history was notable for the placement of two different mesh slings during the same procedure to treat SUI. Preoperative evaluation and findings are illustrated in detail. The video uses a high-definition surgical camera to emphasize the initial intraoperative evaluation with localization of the fistula and diverticulum. We then demonstrate the approach to the dissection with the goal of ensuring complete resection of the diverticulum, fistula, and mesh, while preserving healthy tissue for subsequent closure. The utilization of unique and specialized tools for each portion of the procedure is also illustrated. A layered vaginal closure, including a Martius flap, is created to prevent recurrence.ResultsThe surgery was accomplished without complications.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, concomitant findings of a urethral diverticulum, urethrovaginal fistula, and mesh erosion are unique in the literature. We postulate that this triad could have resulted from the mesh burden in this particular patient.
Project description:BackgroundRetrosternal oesophageal reconstructions with collar anastomoses can become necessary when the stomach is either unavailable for oesophageal replacement, or orthotopic reconstruction is deemed impractical. Our aim was to analyse our results regarding technical approaches and outcomes.Materials and methodsAll patients undergoing primary and secondary oesophageal retrosternal reconstructions with collar anastomoses at our centre (2019-2023) were retrospectively analysed and individual surgical reconstruction options were presented.ResultsOverall, twelve patients received primary (n = 5; 42.7%) or secondary (n = 7; 58.3%) reconstructions; ten with colonic interposition and two with gastric pull-up. Male/female ratio was 4:8; median age 66 years (30-87). Charlson-Comorbidity-Score (CCS) was 5 (1-7); 8/12 patients (67%) had ASA-classification score ≥ 3. We observed no conduit necrosis, but one patient (8.3%) with a leakage of the oesophago-colonostomy which was successfully treated by endoscopic vacuum therapy. Four patients (33.3%) acquired nosocomial pneumonia. Additional drainages for pleural fluid collections were necessary in three patients (25%). Overall comprehensive-complication-index (CCI) was 26.2 (0-44.9). Length-of-stay (LOS) was 22 days median (15-40). There was no 90-days mortality. Overall, CCI during the follow-up (FU) period at median 26 months (16-50) was 33.7 (0-100). 10 out of 12 patients were on sufficient oral nutrition at 12 months FU.ConclusionPrimary and secondary oesophageal retrosternal reconstructions encompass diverse entities and typically requires tailored decision-making. These procedures, though rare, are feasible with acceptable complication rates and positive functional outcomes when performed in experienced hands.
Project description:Allergic rhinitis is a common disorder that affects several patients annually and the hallmark symptoms are nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea and sneezing which significantly impacts the quality of life. Many surgical options exist for the treatment of allergic rhinitis which is directed primarily addressing the nasal obstructive component. The purpose of this review article is to highlight newer surgical options in the management of patients with nasal allergy. Surgical modalities such as endoscopic resection of the posterior nasal nerve and senior author's own mini inferior turbinoplasty tunnelling technique for patients with nasal allergy is described here. Most of the literature has focused on medical management for patients with allergic rhinitis. Endoscopic Posterior Nasal neurectomy combined with mini inferior turbinoplasty has good overall significant improvement in nasal allergy symptom scores by 60-80%. Although no single modality has evolved as the gold standard for the surgical management of allergic rhinitis. The main stay of surgical intervention targets the inferior turbinate and posterior nasal nerve which is the parasympathetic supply to the nose causing rhinorrhea. This combined technique provides consistent, robust results with long-term relief of nasal symptoms due to allergic and vasomotor rhinitis without additional risk of complication.
Project description:A retrospective analysis of 127 surgically treated cases of T-1, T-2 carcinoma of oral tongue during the period 1987-1990 was undertaken. 68.5 per cent (87) underwent hemiglossectomy and 31.5 per cent (40) underwent wide excision. There were loco-regional recurrences in 22 per cent (27). In the hemiglossectomy group 9 per cent (8 of 87) had local recurrences compared to 25 per cent (10 of 40) of wide excision group, (P = 0.01). Mean disease free survival was 40 months and 33 months for hemiglossectomy group and wide excision group respectively, (P = 0.006). It is seen that local recurrences are significantly less for the hemiglossectomy group compared to the wide excision group.
Project description:More than 98% of the human genome does not encode proteins, and the vast majority of the noncoding regions have not been well studied. Some of these regions contain enhancers and functional non-coding RNAs. Previous research suggested that enhancer transcripts could be potent independent indicators of enhancer activity, and some enhancer lncRNAs (elncRNAs) have been proven to play critical roles in gene regulation. Here, we identified enhancer-promoter interactions from high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) data. We found that elncRNAs were highly enriched surrounding chromatin loop anchors. Additionally, the interaction frequency of elncRNA-associated enhancer-promoter pairs was significantly higher than the interaction frequency of other enhancer-promoter pairs, suggesting that elncRNAs may reinforce the interactions between enhancers and promoters. We also found that elncRNA expression levels were positively correlated with the interaction frequency of enhancer-promoter pairs. The promoters interacting with elncRNA-associated enhancers were rich in RNA polymerase II and YY1 transcription factor binding sites. We clustered enhancer-promoter pairs into different groups to reflect the different ways in which elncRNAs could influence enhancer-promoter pairs. Interestingly, G-quadruplexes were found to potentially mediate some enhancer-promoter interaction pairs, and the interaction frequency of these pairs was significantly higher than that of other enhancer-promoter pairs. We also found that the G-quadruplexes on enhancers were highly related to the expression of elncRNAs. G-quadruplexes located in the promoters of elncRNAs led to high expression of elncRNAs, whereas G-quadruplexes located in the gene bodies of elncRNAs generally resulted in low expression of elncRNAs.