Bulent Guvendi

Investigation of Helicobacter pylori antigen in stool samples of patients with upper gastrointestinal complaints

Helicobacter pylori infection is usually acquired in early childhood and it can persist throughout life without antibiotic treatment. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of the noninvasive H. pylori Stool Antigen Test-applied on the stool samples with the invasive gold standart Rapid Urease Test-applied on the gastric biopy samples of patients with upper gastrointestinal complaints. After endoscopy, biopsy and stool specimens were taken in 122 patients. The infection was detected with rapid urease test which is accepted as gold standart test. Rapid, one-step H. pylori card test was applied to all patients stool specimens. In this study 106 of the 122 patients (86.8%) were positive for H. pylori infection, while 16 of the 122 patients (13.2%) were negative. H. pylori card test was negative in 13 of the 16 patients and was positive in 98 of the 106. The sensitivity, specifity, positive and negative predictive values were 92.45%, 81.25%, 97.02%, and 61.90%, respectively. H. pylori card test is rapid, easy, noninvasive and inexpensive methods for detection H. pylori infection. This test showed high sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, it may be a good alternative to invasive tests for the detection of H. pylori infections especially in children.

Anterior sacral meningocele presenting as right adnexal cyst.

A 47-year-old woman presented with chronic pelvic pain for 6 months. There was no history of trauma or surgical operation. Pelvic ultrasound was performed and revealed an anechoic cyst in the right pelvic areas. The origin of the cyst could not be determined on ultrasound examination. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a thin-walled cystic lesion in the right adnexa. The lesion was not associated with the ovaries. Posteriorly, it was communicating with the spinal subarachnoid space (Figure, Top left, Top right, Bottom). Based on imaging findings, the patient was diagnosed with anterior sacral meningocele.

A comparison of single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy and an alternative technique without a suspension suture

OBJECTIVE Many surgeons face difficulties during single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) surgery and are forced to use an additional port. We compared the results of a technique that we developed with SILC. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty-four patients who were diagnosed with chronic cholelithiasis were prospectively randomized and divided into two groups. An additional 5-mm port (MCAP: with an additional port using a multi-channel device through the umbilicus) was placed in the subxiphoid area instead of a transabdominal suspension suture in one group of patients. The other group was operated on with the SILC technique. The demographic and surgical data of the patients were compared. RESULTS The MCAP technique shortened the surgery duration by more than half (MCAP: 35.0±12.3, SILC: 79.1±27.7 min) (p<0.05). No difference was found between the two methods in terms of estimated blood loss, length of hospitalization, postoperative day 1 and 7 visual analog scale scores, need for analgesia in the postoperative period, and rate of changing to another technique due to inadequacy of the surgical technique. CONCLUSION MCAP is as safe as SILC for cholecystectomy and is easier for the surgeon to perform.

Left Renal Vein Compression and Horseshoe Kidney: An Extraordinary Association

Objective: Our aim was to report the importance of an awareness of renal artery variations if surgical procedures are indicated in this region. Presentation and Intervention: A 41-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital for preoperative staging of the rectum carcinoma. A computed tomography (CT) scan clearly revealed the presence of normally positioned small right and left renal arteries, and a large aberrant renal artery originating from the distal abdominal aorta in a case with a horseshoe kidney (HSK). A multidetector CT angiography was performed using a 256-detector row CT scanner to obtain an image of vascular structures and associated pathologies. Conclusion: In this patient with HSK, the left renal vein compression was unusual and the CT examination provided a good delineation of vascular and urinary tract anomalies.