The effect of silicone gel in prevention of hypertrophic scar development in sternotomy wounds is promising. There are no side effects and patients' compliance is satisfactory. This study may popularize the use of silicone gel in all types of surgery to minimize the formation of hypertrophic scars in the early postoperative period.

Chylous ascites specifically after anterior resection for rectal cancer has not been documented in the literature thus far. All previously reported postoperative chylous ascites developed in other types of malignancies and were diagnosed within a few days of surgery. However, the patient we report had symptoms 2 years after surgery. Intraoperatively, chylous ascites was found with multiple lymph node metastasis in the small bowel mesentery and retroperitoneal region. The rarity of chylous ascites after anterior resection in rectal carcinoma is documented and discussed.

Mesh repair of inguinal hernia is effective. Trainees easily acquire this skill and it becomes their preferred method of repair.

Bypassing the pre-ablative diagnostic scan is feasible. The present ablation dose of 80 mCi of radioiodine is effective. The relatively high postoperative morbidity after difficult total thyroidectomy suggests less aggressive excision and postoperative radioiodine ablation of the remnant tissue.

The surgical treatment of breast cancer has evolved rapidly in recent decades. Conservative treatment was adopted in the late 1970s, with rates above 70%, and this was followed by a period during which the indications for surgical intervention were expanded to those patients at high risk for BRCA1, BRCA2 mutations, and also due to new staging standards and use of nuclear magnetic resonance. This increase in the indications for mastectomy coincided with the availability of immediate breast reconstruction as an oncologically safe and important surgical procedure for prevention of sequelae. Immediate reconstruction was first aimed at correcting the consequences of treatment, and almost immediately, the challenge of the technique became the achievement of a satisfactory breast appearance and shape, as well as normal consistency. The skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) in conservation first and nipple-areola complex (NAC) later was a result of this shift that occurred from the early 1990s to the present. The objective of this review is to present all these developments specifically in relation to SSM and analyze our personal experience as well as the experience of surgeons worldwide with an emphasis on the fundamental aspects, indications, surgical technique, complications, oncological safety, and cosmetic results of this procedure.