Objective. To determine the accuracy of Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TIRADS) in detecting thyroid malignancy, determine risk of malignancy in each TIRADS category and determine the ultrasound characteristics associated with malignancy.Methodology. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study involving patients who underwent ultrasound, thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and thyroidectomy at The Medical City from January 2014 to December 2015. Ultrasound reports were retrieved and reviewed by two radiologists on separate occasions who were blinded to the cytopathology and histopathology results. The histopathology reports were correlated with ultrasound features to determine features associated with malignancy. Stata SE 12 was used for data analysis. TIRADS sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values and accuracy were calculated.Results. 149 patients with thyroid nodules were included. Solid composition is the ultrasound feature predictive of malignancy with adjusted OR 4.912 (95% Cl 1.3257 to 18.2011, p=0.017). The risk of malignancy for TIRADS categories 3, 4a, 4b, 4c and 5 were 12.50%, 12.82%, 26.19%, 53.70% and 66.67%, respectively. The Crude OR (95% CI) for TIRADS 4a, 4b, 4c and 5 were 1.03 (0.10 to 10.23), 2.48 (0.27 to 22.54), 8.12 (0.93 to 70.59) and 14.0 (0.94 to 207.60), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of TIRADS in relation to surgical histopathology report were 98.00%, 7.07%, 34.75%, 87.50%, and 53% respectively in TIRADS categories 4 and 5.Conclusion. This study showed that a solid nodule is the most frequent ultrasound feature predictive of thyroid malignancy. Higher TIRADS classification is associated with higher risk of thyroid malignancy. TIRADS is a sensitive classification in recognizing patients with thyroid cancer.

Objective. To determine whether a prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with longer postoperative length of stay (LOS) and higher complication rates among patients who underwent colorectal surgery under an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol in a single hospital setting.Methodology. In a cross-sectional study, we grouped 157 consecutive patients who underwent elective colorectal surgery under ERAS protocol according to preoperative DM status. Patient data was abstracted from the ERAS Interactive Audit Database from January 2016 to December 2017. We compared LOS between groups. Secondary outcomes were postoperative complications, reoperations, pneumonia and wound infection. Categorical and continuous variables were analyzed with Fisher's exact test and student's t-test, respectively, using Stata/SE version 13 with a significance level of p=0.05.Results. One hundred thirteen subjects did not have diabetes (no T2DM) while 44 patients had type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Mean postoperative length of hospital stay was 6.4±5.1 days for the no T2DM group versus 5.8±3.8 in the T2DM group (p=0.476). Complications, reoperation rate, pneumonia and wound infection did not differ between groups. Among subjects in the T2DM group, LOS did not differ between patients with preoperative HbA1c ≤7.0% and those with HbA1c >7.0% (5.7±3.7 versus 6.1±4.2 days, p=0.748). Conclusion.Among patients who underwent colorectal surgery under ERAS protocol, a prior diagnosis of diabetes was not associated with longer LOS or more complications. A preoperative HbA1c of <7% did not affect length of stay in ERAS among patients with T2DM.

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Aim:The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Society guidelines aim to standardize perioperative care in colorectal surgery via 25 principles. We aimed to assess the variation in uptake of these principles across an international network of colorectal units.Method: An online survey was circulated amongst European Society of Coloproctology members in 2019-2020. For each ERAS principle, respondents were asked to score how frequently the principle was implemented in their hospital, from 1 ('rarely') to 4 ('always'). Respondents were also asked to recall whether practice had changed since 2017.Subgroup analyses based on hospital characteristics were conducted.Results: Of hospitals approached, 58% responded to the survey (195/335), with 296 individual responses (multiple responses were received from some hospitals). The majority were European (163/195, 83.6%). Overall, respondents indicated they 'most often' or 'always' adhered to most individual ERAS principles (18/25, 72%). Variability in the uptake of principles was reported, with universal uptake of some principles (e.g., prophylactic antibiotics; early mobilization) and inconsistency from 'rarely' to 'always' in others (e.g., no nasogastric intubation; no preoperative fasting and carbohydrate drinks). In alignment with 2018 ERAS guideline updates, adherence to principles for prehabilitation, managing anaemia and postoperative nutrition appears to have increased since 2017.Conclusions: Uptake of ERAS principles varied across hospitals, and not all 25 principles were equally adhered to. Whilst some principles exhibited a high level of acceptance, others had a wide variability in uptake indicative of controversy or barriers to uptake. Further research into specific principles is required to improve ERAS implementation.

Objectives. This study aims to determine if there is a significant difference in the recovery time and duration of hospital stay of patients with anti-thyroid drug-(ATD) induced agranulocytosis with and without granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) therapy. It also aims to describe the clinical characteristics of patients who had anti-thyroid drug-induced agranulocytosis.Methodology. This is a retrospective study of hyperthyroid patients on anti-thyroid drugs (ATD) who had an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of less than 500/µL. Their charts were reviewed for collection of data on age, gender, body mass index (BMI), type and duration of ATD and use of antibiotic and steroid. Recovery time and length of hospital stay were compared between those who received and did not receive GCSF.Results. With similar clinical features between the GCSF and non-GCSF groups, the recovery time from agranulocytosis and duration of hospitalization were significantly shorter in the GCSF group, despite lower ANC.Conclusion. GCSF significantly decreased recovery time (4 versus 7 days, p=0.005) and duration of hospital stay (5 versus 7 days, p=0.009) of hyperthyroid patients with anti-thyroid drug-induced agranulocytosis compared to patients not given GCSF.