<p><strong>Background and Objective:</strong> Trucut biopsy (TCB) is a commonly used technique for histopathological diagnosis of a clinically and radiologically equivocal or suspicious breast mass. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of TCB in the diagnosis of equivocal or suspicious breast masses at local tertiary care hospital in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the surgical unit of Mufti Mehmood Memorial Teaching Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. The study included 80 patients who presented with equivocal or suspicious breast masses from September, 2015 to December, 2020. The patients underwent TCB and after the histopathology report, they were followed by a definitive surgical procedure. The histopathology diagnosis following TCB was compared with the histopathology report of postsurgical specimen to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of TCB taking post-surgery histopathology as a gold standard for diagnosis.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> Out of the 80 patients, 68 (85%) were found to have a primary breast malignancy, while 12 (15%) patients were diagnosed with non-malignant lesions. There were only two false negative cases. The specificity and PPV of TCB were found to be 100%, while a sensitivity of 97% and a NPV of 85.7% was calculated.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> TCB is a valid, reliable, and simple first line minimally invasive method to determine the diagnosis of breast masses that are clinically and radiologically (breast imaging-reporting and data system 3 to 5) equivocal or suspicious.</p>

<p><strong>Background and Objective: </strong>Gastrostomy feeding is a well-established procedure for enteral feeding of patients having obstructive malignancy of head and neck (includes oral cavity, pharynx and larynx) and esophagus. This study aimed to assess the mortality and other complications associated with open surgical gastrostomy (OSG) performed under local anesthesia.</p> <p><strong>Methods:&nbsp; </strong>Patients having cancer of head and neck and esophagus who underwent open surgical gastrostomy for feeding purposes at surgical unit, Mufti Mehmood Memorial Teaching Hospital (MMMTH), Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa from January 2013 till December 2019 were included in this study. The patients with lower esophageal cancer involving stomach were excluded from the study. The gastrostomy procedure was performed under local anesthesia. Patients were discharged on 4th to 6th postoperative day after feeding per gastrostomy was fully established. The patients were checked for any complications in ward and during follow up visits on 10th and 30th day postoperatively.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>This study was<strong> </strong>conducted on 30 consecutive patients fulfilling selection criteria. One patient died in the ward while one patient died after getting discharged in first 30 days postoperatively. Thus, the mortality rate was 6.66 % (n = 2). Regarding minor complications, two patients (6.66 %) had tube blockage, three (10 %) developed peri-catheter infection while the tube got dislodged in one patient (3.33 %).</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Open surgical gastrostomy under local anesthesia is a safe and easy procedure with low rate of complications.</p> <p><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong></p>

Background: Cervical lymphadenopathy is a common medical problem. The objective of the study was to determine the frequency and distribution of different types of cervical lymphadenopathy in patients in D.I.Khan, KP, Pakistan. Material & Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at Department of ENT, Gomal Medical College, Dera Ismail Khan from April 2013 to March 2016. Sample size was 80, selected through consecutive sampling technique. Patients having enlarged lymph nodes of either sex and of any age of at least 2 months duration were included. Patients having generalized lymphadenopathy were excluded from the study. Gender and age groups were the demographic variables. The research variables were types of cervical lymphadenopathy (tuberculous lymphadenopathy/ reactive hyperplasia/ metastatic carcinoma/ lymphpoma) and side of the neck involved (right/ left). All variables being categorical, the frequencies and percentages were calculated. descriptive statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 10. Results: Out of 80 patients, 42 were males and 38 females. Majority of the patients were in the first decade. Chronic granulomatous diseases especially the tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy was the most frequent histological findings in 31 patients. Lymphoma was noted in 21, reactive hyperplasia in 18 and metastatic malignancy in 10 cases. Lymph nodes involvement on the right side was more common 36 than on the left side 32. Conclusion: Unilateral tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy was most common found especially in young males.