Sigmoid volvulus during pregnancy is a rare complication, and as of 2012, fewer than 100 cases had been reported. In this report, we present a 30 year-old pregnant woman with sigmoid volvulus, and we discuss this rare entity.

The RDW on admission is of marginal help to diagnose AMI among patients with abdominal pain.

Hydatid cyst disease, which is endemically observed and an important health problem in our country, involves the spleen at a frequency ranking third following the liver and the lungs. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and results of management in splenic hydatid cysts. The demographic data, localization, diagnosis, treatment methods, and the length of postoperative hospital stay of patients with splenic hydatid cysts in a 12-year period were evaluated retrospectively. Seventeen cases were evaluated. Among these, 13 were females and four were males. Seven had solitary splenic involvement, eight had involvement of both the spleen and the liver, and two had multiple organ involvement. Ten had undergone splenectomy, one had undergone distal splenectomy, and the remaining cases had undergone different surgical procedures. The patients had received albendazole treatment in the pre-and postoperative period. One patient had died secondary to hypernatremia on the first postoperative day. The clinical picture in splenic hydatid cysts, which is seen rarely, is usually asymptomatic. The diagnosis is established by ultrasonography and abdominal CT. Although splenectomy is the standard mode of treatment, spleen-preserving methods may be used.

Objective: Completion thyroidectomy is recommended in patients who have been diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer on histopathological evaluation, if their first operation was a conservative approach. The critical issue is when to do the second operation. Material and Methods:The medical records of 66 patients who underwent completion thyroidectomy for the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer in our clinic between 2006-2013 were retrospectively analyzed. All data were compared after patients were divided into two groups according to the interval between the first surgery and completion thyroidectomy.Results: Fifty-two patients (78.8%) were women and 14 patients (21.2%) were male. Completion thyroidectomy was performed 10-90 days after the initial surgery (group 1) in 26 patients, whereas it was performed later than 90 days in 40 patients (group 2). Temporary hypoparathyroidism occurred in two patients (7.7%) in group 1, and in 3 patients (7.5%) in group 2. Transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was observed in 1 patient (3.9%) in group 1, and in 1 patient (2.5%) in group 2. There were no permanent morbidities in both groups. Residual tumor rate after completion thyroidectomy was 45.5%. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of complications after completion thyroidectomy. Conclusion:Although in some studies it is recommended that completion thyroidectomy should be performed either before scar tissue development or after clinical remission of scar tissue, edema and inflammation, we believe that timing of surgery has no effect on morbidity.Key Words: Thyroid cancer, thyroidectomy, intraoperative complication, repeat surgery INTRODUCTIONAlthough the type of surgery in the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is still being debated, in recent years many authors recommend total thyroidectomy in these patients with good prognosis due to the metastasis potential, even though it is rare (1, 2). Udelsman and Shaha (3) advocate total thyroidectomy stating that with limited surgery the risk of recurrence, reoperation and morbidity increase and that radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation occurs at lower doses. In contrast, some authors suggest conservative approaches based on the findings that risk of anaplastic transformation is below 1%, multicentric tumors do not significantly affect the clinical course, and in limited surgery; RAI therapy is possible with lower morbidity, the prognosis does not change and the complication rate is lower (4, 5). Similarly, although what needs to be done in patients pathologically diagnosed with DTC and in whom a conservative approach had been preferred during the first surgery is still controversial, a completion thyroidectomy is often suggested in high-risk patients in order not to leave any thyroid tissue behind (6, 7). The critical point is the timing of the second operation.In our study, we retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent completion thyroidectomy for DTC with emphasis on the importance of timing of the...

BackgroundThe aim of this prospective study was therefore to evaluate the diagnostic value of preoperative serum High Mobility Group Box Protein-1 (HMGB-1) levels in patients with Acute Appendicitis (AA) who show normal white blood cell count (WBC) counts.MethodOur study was carried out from October 2010 through November 2010 and included 20 healthy control group participants and 60 patients who presented at the emergency department of Erzurum Training and Research Hospital in Turkey with acute abdominal pain complaints, who were pathologically diagnosed with AA after laparotomy, and who agreed to participate in the study.ResultsOf the 60 patients who underwent appendectomies, 36 were male and 24 were female, and of the healthy group, 12 were male and 8 female. The age averages of the patients in Groups 1, 2 and 3 were, respectively, 31.3+15.4, 34.0+16.3 and 31.0+13.1 years. The WBC averages of Groups 1, 2 and 3 were, respectively, 7.41+2.02 (x109/L), 15.71+2.85 (x109/L) and 8.51+1.84 (x109/L). The HMGB-1 levels for Groups 1 (healthy persons), 2 (AA patients with high WBC counts ) and 3 (AA patients with normal WBC counts) were, respectively, 21.71 ± 11.36, 37.28+13.37 and 36.5 ± 17.73 ng/ml. The average HMGB-1 level of the patients with AA was 36.92 ± 15.43 ng/ml while the average HMGB-1 value of the healthy group was 21.71 ± 11.36 ng/ml.ConclusionThe significantly higher levels of HMGB-1 in AA patients compared to healthy persons infer that HMGB-1 might be useful in the diagnosis of AA. Use of HMGB-1, especially in patients with normal WBC counts, will reduce the number of unnecessary explorations.