Ahmet Serdar Karaca

Comparison of Limberg flap and excision and primary closure of pilonidal sinus disease, in terms of quality of life and complications

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare two different treatment methods for pilonidal sinus with respect to complications, recurrence, and patient quality of life. Methods Five hundred forty-nine patients who underwent surgery for pilonidal sinus between January 2007 and August 2012 were included in this study. The patients were classified into group I (excision and primary closure) and group II (Limberg flap). Results There was no significant difference in the mean age and gender of the patients between groups I and II (P = 0.512 and P = 0.472). The duration of surgical operation was lower in group I (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in hospitalization time after surgery, minor complications, and recurrence between the groups (P = 0.674, P = 1.000, and P = 1.000, respectively). The time required for pain-free walking, urinating, and returning to work was significantly lower in group II (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). The patients in group I stated that they were more satisfied in terms of aesthetics (P < 0.001). Conclusion According to the results of this study, Limberg flap method has better outcomes compared with excision and primary closure. Therefore, we recommend Limberg flap for treatment of pilonidal sinus disease.

Effects of postoperative parenteral nutrition with different lipid emulsions in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Purpose This study was designed to investigate the effects of total parenteral nutrition (PN) using different lipid emulsions in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Methods Fifty-two patients were randomized to receive soybean oil + medium chain triglycerides (MCT) (group I), soybean oil + olive oil (group II), soybean oil + olive oil + fish oil (group III) as a lipid source. PN was started on postoperative day 1 and patients were maintained on PN for a minimum period of 4 days. Laboratory variables (CRP, prealbumin, transferrin) were measured before surgery and on postoperative days. Results Three treatment groups were included in the study. Patients in group I received long chain triglycerides (LCT) + LCT/MCT emulsion (%75 LCT + %25 LCT/MCT); Patients in group II received olive oil based emulsion (80% olive oil + 20% soybean oil, ClinOleic); Patients in group III received fish oil in addition to olive oil based emulsion (%85 ClinOleic + %15 Omegaven; Fresenius Kabi). The following 14 parameters were assessed: body weight, CRP, prealbumin, transferrin, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, total antioxidant status, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, oxidized low density lipoprotein-2, complete blood cell, international normalized ratio, D-dimer, activated partially thromboplastin time, prothrombin time. All other parameters showed no differences among the groups. Conclusion The results of our trial demonstrate a potential beneficial effect of soybean oil/olive oil based lipid emulsions for use in PN regarding inflammatory response and oxidant capacity in the treatment of patients.

Multiple renal arteries challenge in laparoscopic donor nephrectomy: how far can we go?

Purpose Living donor kidneys with multiple arteries are routinely procured laparoscopically. We aim to present our experience with laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) and to compare the graft function and outcome between cases with single versus multiple arteries. Methods We compared the demographic data, operation time, warm ischemia time, rejection rate, and graft function between LDN kidneys with single artery and those with multiple arteries. Results Seventy-three cases with 1 renal artery (group LDN-1), 8 cases with 2 renal arteries (group LDN-2) and 5 cases with 3 or more renal arteries (group LDN-3) were included in the study. The mean operative time was significantly higher in groups LDN-2 (100.3 ± 9.5 minutes) and LDN-3 (120.6 ± 10.3 minutes) compared to group LDN-1 (75.7 ± 10 minutes, P < 0.001). Similar results were detected with respect to the warm ischemia time. There were no statistically significant differences related to graft function and outcome among these groups. Conclusion Multiple renal arteries present a special challenge in both donor nephrectomy and renal transplantation. However, laparoscopic procurement of a kidney with multiple renal arteries, regardless of the number, is reliable and has no significant impact on the graft outcome.

Splenic infarction as a complication of celiac artery thromboembolism: an unusual cause of abdominal pain

Splenic infarction is a relatively uncommon diagnosis and this clinical presentation can mimic other causes of acute abdominal pain. Cardiologic and hematologic disorders are common reasons for this entity. There have been a few series and single case reports of splenic infarction published in peer-reviewed medical journals. We report a 53-year-old patient who had splenic infarction caused by celiac artery thromboembolism. The importance of this case, without any etiological predisposing factors, is that this kind of clinical situation should be considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain.

The First Trocar Entry in the Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, Which Technique?

Aim: We planned a comparison of veress needle (VN) and direct trocar (DT) insertion techniques, which have been commonly used in laparoscopic surgical procedures, via a prospective randomized clinical study. Material and Method: 400 patients who had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included to the present prospective randomized clinical study. SPSS 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) was used for the statistical analysis. Insuffla tion-related technical complications were investigated in two groups. The cases requiring open surgery (mesenteric laceration, bleeding, organ perforation, solid organ injury and blood vessel injuries) were determined as major complications. Minor complications (subcutaneous emphysema, phison and extraperitoneal insufflation) were established as factors not changing the length of hospital stay. Results: Mortality was not observed in both groups. There was no difference between the groups with respect to mean age, male to female ratio, BMI and duration of surgery. 33 minor complications were detected. 27 of these complications were observed in the VN group, whereas the number of minor complications seen in the DT group was 6. Major complications seen in the VN and DT groups were respectively 3 and 1. Discussion: If pneumoperitoneum is established by close method, there is no safetyrelated significant difference between the insertion of DT and VN.

Predictive factors of neoplastic gallbladder polyps: Outcomes of 278 patients

BACKGROUND/AIMS Distinguishing between neoplastic and nonneoplastic gallbladder polyps (GBPs) in the preoperative workup is of great importance for appropriate treatment. The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics of GBPs and to determine potential predictive factors of neoplastic polyps. MATERIALS AND METHODS The data of 278 patients who were confirmed to have GBPs through laparoscopic cholecystectomy were retrospectively analyzed. Polyps were classified as nonneoplastic and neoplastic GBPs, according to histopathological diagnoses. All clinicopathological characteristics were compared between these two groups. RESULTS There were 264 (95%) nonneoplastic GBPs and 14 (5%) neoplastic GBPs. In univariate analysis, there were significant differences in age with a cutoff value of 60 years (p=0.002), polyp size (p<0.001), number of polyps (p=0.014), and polyp morphology (p<0.001) between the groups. Multivariate analysis showed that solitary polyp (p<0.001) and sessile morphology (p<0.001) were the independent predictors of neoplastic GBPs. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis of three cut-off values of polyp sizes (6, 10, and 15 mm) indicated that a polyp size of 10 mm had the highest area under curve (0.942). CONCLUSION Age above 60 years, solitary polyps larger than 1 cm, and sessile morphology are associated with an increased risk of neoplasia in GBP. Therefore, these characteristics should be considered in the management of GBPs to reduce the incidence of unnecessary surgeries and to prevent delays in the treatment of a possible cancer.