Acute appendicitis (AA) is not uncommon during pregnancy but can be difficult to diagnose. This study evaluated the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in addition to conventional diagnostic indicators of the disease to diagnose AA during pregnancy. Age, gestational age, white blood cell (WBC) count, Alvarado scores, C-reactive protein (CRP), lymphocyte count, NLR and PLR were compared among 28 pregnant women who underwent surgery for AA, 35 pregnant women wrongly suspected as having AA, 29 healthy pregnant women, and 30 nonpregnant healthy women. Mean WBC counts and CRP levels were higher in women with proven AA than in those of control groups (all p < 0.05). Among all the groups, the median NLR and PLR were significantly different in women with proven AA (all p < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine cut-off values for WBC count, CRP, lymphocyte count, NLR and PLR, and multiple logistic regression analysis showed that NLR and PLR used with routine methods could diagnose AA with 90.5% accuracy. Used in addition to routine diagnostic methods, NLR and PLR increased the accuracy of the diagnosis of AA in pregnant women.

Case 1An 82-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen for 3 d. Standard laboratory tests, serum levels of CA 19-9 and carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) were within normal ranges. Ultrasonography (USG) and computerized tomography (CT) demonstrated a well demarcated, elliptical 7 cm × 5 cm cystic mass with parietal calcifications in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. There was an indentation in the cecum by colonoscopy. Surgical exploration revealed the mass to be an AM. Simple appendectomy was performed. Pathological examination revealed a mucinous cystadenoma with dimensions of 8 cm × 6 cm × 5.5 cm. AM restricted to the appendix and cecum was free of the disease. The patient's postoperative course was unremarkable, and he was discharged home on the 4th postoperative day. Case 2A 65-year-old woman was referred to the emergency de- CASE REPORT AbstractThe mucocele of the appendix is an uncommon disorder which is often asymptomatic but sometimes causes acute appendicitis-like symptoms. Sometimes, patients with mucocele can present with confusing symptoms. Preoperative suspicion and diagnosis of appendiceal mucocele are important. Ultrasonography and computed tomography are useful tools for the diagnosis of appendiceal mucocele. It may be also recognised by colonoscopy as a smooth submucosal lesion of the cecum. Optimal management of the mucocele could be achieved through accurate preoperative diagnosis. Preoperative diagnosis is a major component for minimizing intra-operative and post-operative complications. We herein report five cases and discuss the diagnostic methods and surgical treatment.

The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical benefit of histopathologic analysis of appendectomy specimens from patients with an initial diagnosis of acute appendicitis. We retrospectively analyzed the demographic and histopathologic data of 1255 patients (712 males, 543 females; age range, 17-85 years) who underwent appendectomy to treat an initial diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Patients who underwent incidental appendectomy during other surgeries were excluded from the study. Histopathologic findings of the appendectomy specimens were used to confirm the initial diagnosis. Ninety-four percent of the appendectomy specimens were positive for appendicitis. Of those, 880 were phlegmonous appendicitis, 148 were gangrenous appendicitis with perforation, and the remaining 88 showed unusual histopathologic findings. In the 88 specimens with unusual pathology, fibrous obliteration was observed in 57 specimens, carcinoid tumor in 11, Encheliophis vermicularis parasite infection in 8, granulatomous inflammation in 6, appendiceal endometriosis in 2, and 1 specimen each showed mucocele, eosinophilic infiltration, Taenia saginata parasite infection, and appendicular diverticulitis. All carcinoid tumors were located in the distal appendix. Six of the 11 carcinoid tumors were defined by histopathology as involving tubular cells, and the other 5 as involving enterochromaffin cells. Six patients had muscularis propria invasion, 2 patients had submucosa invasion, 2 patients had mesoappendix invasion, and 1 patient had serosal

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ABS is as effective as Surgicel in achieving hemostasis following partial liver excision in an experimental rat model.

The complication rates of TT performed by residents and attending surgeons were similar. Thus, residents can perform TT safely and effectively under the direct supervision of a senior surgeon. Ultimately, strict adherence to the contemporary principles of thyroid surgery is of paramount importance.

Even lipomas are the most common mesenchymal benign tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, symptomatic colonic presentation is rare. Herein, we evaluated four patients suffering from various size of colonic lipomas and approached by different therapeutic modalities.

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue outside the lining of the uterine cavity. It occurs most commonly in pelvic sites such as ovaries, cul-de-sac, and fallopian tubes but also can be found associated with the lungs, bowel, ureter, brain, and abdominal wall. Abdominal wall endometriosis, also known as scar endometriosis, is extremely rare and mainly occurs at surgical scar sites. Although many cases of scar endometriosis have been reported after a cesarean section, some cases of scar endometriosis have been reported after an episiotomy, hysterectomy, appendectomy, and laparoscopic trocar port tracts. To our knowledge, 14 case reports related to trocar site endometriosis have been published in the English language literature to date. Herein, we present the case of a 20-year-old woman (who had been previously operated on for left ovarian endometrioma 1.5 years ago by laparoscopy) with the complaint of a painful mass at the periumbilical trocar site with cyclic pattern. Consequently, although rare, if a painful mass in the surgical scar, such as the trocar site, is found in women of reproductive age with a history of pelvic or obstetric surgery, the physician should consider endometriosis.