Objective: This prospective study was designed to evaluate the feasibility and outcome of thyroidectomy using Ultrasonically Activated Scalpel (UAS) in comparison to the conventional thyroidectomy. Patients and Methods: This study comprised 40 patients with mean age 41.4 ± 9 years, divided into two groups: Group A comprised 25 patients underwent thyroidectomy using UAS and 15 patients underwent conventional thyroidectomy (Group B). Both groups were compared as regards operating time, operative blood loss, postoperative seroma formation and surgeons' satisfaction regarding the ease of dissection, need of blood vessel ligation and dryness of the surgical field. Results: Mean operative time was significantly shorter in group A (77 ± 5.8 minutes) compared to group B, (105.7 ± 6.5 minutes). Intraoperative blood loss showed a significant reduction in group A, (85 ± 5.4 gm) compared to group B (125.3 ± 7.8 gm). There was a positive significant correlation between the reduction of intraoperative blood loss and operating time in both groups despite being more significant in group B. Mean total surgeons' satisfaction scores showed a significant difference in favor of satisfaction by using UAS. Conclusion: The use of UAS for thyroidectomy is feasible and could minimize intraoperative bleeding with shorter duration of surgery and had achieved significant surgeons' satisfaction.

Incisional hernias remain one of the most common surgical complications with a longterm incidence of 10-20%. 1 With the move to the tension-free repair following the introduction of the meshes, results improved, with a slight decrease in the rate of recurrence to approximately 10%. 2 Within recent decades, the sublay prosthetic hernioplasty, which was introduced in the 1970 by the French surgeons Stoppa and Rives, became one of the widely accepted procedures for incisional hernia repair. 3 This technique is basically characterized by mesh implantation in the "sublay"position below the rectus muscle and fixation of the mesh by transfascial sutures at the edges of the mesh. 4

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Background: Traditionally cholecystectomy in cirrhotic patients is restricted to severe biliary disease, because of high morbidity and mortality following the procedure. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) was originally contraindicated in cirrhotic patients because of associated portal hypertension and coagulopathy. Patients and methods: Fifty cirrhotic patients underwent LC in Ain Shams University Hospital from January 2007 till December 2008. Results: There were no mortalities in our group. Mean age was 45.6 years and mean operative time was 74.5 min. Conversion to open cholecystectomy occured in 12 patients (24%). Postoperative complications occurred in 9 patients (18%). Mean hospital stay was 3.4 days in Child A and 6.8 days in Child B. Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed safely in cirrhotic patients with well compensated liver functions.

Background:The prognostic significance of identifying lymph node metastasis in cancer colon and rectum is of great importance. There is an association between the number of lymph nodes in the resection specimen and survival particularly in node negative cancer. Aim: This study aims at comparing the number of lymph nodes harvested in open and laparoscopic colorectal surgery for colorectal cancer. Patients and methods: This is a prospective study involving 40 patients with left sided colonic cancer and rectal cancer. The patients were divided into equal 4 groups: Group (1A): patients who underwent open left hemicolectomy or sigmoidectomy Group (1B): Patients who underwent laparoscopic left hemicolectomy or sigmoidectomy Group (2A): Patients who underwent open anterior or low anterior resection Group (2B): Patients who underwent laparoscopic anterior or low anterior resection Histopathological examination of the retrieved specimens and assessment of the number of lymph nodes was done. Data was compared among different groups. Results: In laparoscopic procedures, more lymph nodes were retrieved than in open surgery with statistically significant difference (p-value 0.019). The mean SD of number of lymph nodes retrieved was 14 in the laparoscopic group versus 10.5 in the open group. Conclusion: Laparoscopic resection of left sided colorectal cancer yields adequate samples of lymph nodes number that are comparable to those obtained by open surgery.