Introduction The world has been engulfed with the pandemic of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which have created significant impact in the emergency surgical health delivery including acute appendicitis. The main aim of this study was to compare the demographic and clinical parameters between two cohorts before the onset of lockdown and within the pandemic. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed between two groups A and B, who presented with acute appendicitis three months prior to and after initiation of lockdown on March 24 2020 respectively in one of the tertiary centers of Nepal. These two cohorts were compared in demographics, clinicopathological characteristics and surgical aspects of acute appendicitis. Results There were 42 patients in group A and 50 patients in group B. Mean age of the patients was 31.32±17.18 years with male preponderance in group B (N = 29). Mean duration of pain increased significantly in group B [57.8±25.9(B) vs 42.3±25.0(A) hours, P = 0.004] along with mean duration of surgery [51.06±9.4(B) vs 45.27±11.8(A) minutes, P = 0.015]. There was significant decrease in post-operative hospital stay among group B patients [3.04±1.1(B) vs 3.86±0.67(A) days, P = 0.0001]. Complicated cases increased in group B including appendicular perforation in 10 cases. Similarly, mean duration of presentation to hospital significantly increased in group B patients with perforation [69.6±21.01 vs 51.57±17.63 hours, P = 0.008]. Conclusion During the adversity of the current pandemic, increased number of cases of acute appendicitis can be dealt with surgery as the chances of late presentation and complexity of the lesion exists.

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Introduction. Difficult geographic diversity and late presentation to medical attention often make the laparoscopic cholecystectomy difficult and chances of conversion and complication remains. Various preoperative grading scales have been developed for predicting the difficulty of surgery in cholecystitis patients; however, intraoperative assessment of anatomical status and inflammation of the gall bladder has not been assessed till date except for some guidelines like the Parkland grading scale (PGS). We aimed to utilise this guideline in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in rural community of the developing nation. Methods. PGS was applied for all the patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laboratory and outcome factors like preoperative white blood cells (WBC), open conversion, subtotal cholecystectomy, length of surgery, and bile leaks postoperatively were assessed. Results. Among 178 patients who underwent cholecystectomy, there were 40 grade one GBs, 90 grade two GBs, 26 grade three GBs, 16 grade four GBs, and six grade five GBs. With a conversion rate of 6.74%, eight patients underwent subtotal cholecystectomy. Among them, four patients were graded as 5th grade, two as 4th grade, and two as 3rd grade according to PGS system. Postoperative bile leak was seen in three patients among which two were grade five GBs and one was grade four. Preoperative WBC, conversion to open, subtotal cholecystectomy, length of surgery, and postoperative bile leak all significantly increased with increasing grades ( p < 0.05 ). Conclusion. PGS can be applied in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the rural setting of a developing nation. With its application, postoperative course could be predicted and adequate counselling can be done about the possibilities of the outcome.

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Hydrocele of the canal of Nuck is one of the rarest clinical entities in the female population. It occurs due to the failure of obliteration of the processus vaginalis, which is the extension of the parietal peritoneum. Hydrocele may be seen, along with associated inguinal hernia. It usually presents with painless inguinal unilateral or bilateral swellings, and is sometimes associated with features of intestinal obstruction if the hernia becomes incarcerated or obstructed. Ultrasonography of the abdomen and pelvis and magnetic resonance imaging provide the diagnosis, if these imaging modalities are available; however, definite diagnosis may only be made during surgery. Definitive treatment includes open/laparoscopic excision of the cyst with high ligation of the neck up to the peritoneal pouch, along with repair of the inguinal hernia, if present. We present a rare case of a 25-year-old woman who presented with bilateral inguinolabial swelling, clinically diagnosed as bilateral irreducible inguinal hernia. Intraoperatively, polycystic swelling with serous content was observed along with associated indirect inguinal hernia containing omentum on the left side. She was treated with removal of the cystic component of the bilateral canal and tissue repair of the left indirect inguinal hernia.