Background: Gallbladder cancer is a rare neoplasm associated with high mortality and poor prognosis. It is usually correlated with cholelithiasis and presents more commonly in elderly and female patients. Diagnosis is seldom made preoperatively because of the indolent progression of the tumor. Methods: The hospitalization and surgical records of our surgical department were examined from January 1992 to December 2001, searching for patients who had undergone cholecystectomy. Additionally, the histopathological diagnoses of the same period were studied searching for patients with the diagnosis of gallbladder cancer established postoperatively and not intraoperatively by frozen section. Results: In the period of 1992-2001, a total of 1,536 cholecystectomies took place and 14 cases of gallbladder cancer were diagnosed postoperatively. The ratio of men to women is 3/ 11 with a mean age of 69.4 years. The clinical symptoms were non-specific and mortality was 57%. Conclusion: In most cases gallbladder cancer is diagnosed after cholecystectomy and even in these cases it can be in an advanced stage and the prognosis of this rare neoplasm is poor.

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Key Clinical MessageFood protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a non‐IgE‐mediated gastrointestinal food hypersensitivity disorder, typically provoked by cow's milk or soy in formula‐fed infants. This case shows that diagnosis of FPIES should be suspected in exclusively breast‐fed infants and pediatricians should be suspicious of this in infants with shock and sepsis.

Aims. There is increased prevalence of inguinal hernia (ΙΗ) in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). As there is limited data on AAA in patients with ΙΗ our objective was to examine the prevalence of AAA in such patients. Methods. We prospectively examined 185 consecutive patients for AAA who presented to our department for surgical repair of an ΙΗ. All patients were referred for ultrasound of the abdominal aorta. An AAA was considered to be present when the distal diameter of the abdominal aorta was over 3 cm. Patients with no AAA were followed annually with an abdominal ultrasound for 5 years. Results. Out of the 185 patients (179 males, 6 females) aged from 35-81 (mean 58.6 years), AAA initially appeared in 28 patients with a mean age 61.2 years old. The range of the aortic distal diameter was between 3.4 and 8.1 cm with a mean diameter of 4.8 cm in patients with AAA. The prevalence of the ΑΑΑ was increased in smokers, with hypertension and with bilateral and direct hernia. At the end of the 5 years follow-up, 16 more patients had developed an AAA of mean diameter 3.2 cm (3-4.1 cm), increasing the prevalence of AAA to 27.7%. Conclusion. There is an increased prevalence of AAA in patients with ΙΗ, especially in smokers, with hypertension and with bilateral and/or direct hernia. Hence, periodic ultrasonound may play an important role in screening and early diagnosis of AAA in these patients.