AIMTo investigate the prognostic effect of a delayed interval between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and surgery in locally advanced rectal cancer.METHODSWe evaluated 87 patients with locally advanced mid- or distal rectal cancer undergoing total mesorectal excision following an interval period after neoadjuvant CRT at Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul between January 2009 and January 2014. Patients were divided into two groups according to the interval before surgery: < 8 wk (group I) and ≥ 8 wk (group II). Data related to patients, cancer characteristics and pathological examination were collected and analyzed.RESULTSWhen the distribution of timing between group I (n = 45) and group II (n = 42) was viewed, comparison of interval periods (median ± SD) of groups showed a significant difference of as 5 ± 1.28 wk in group I and 10.1 ± 2.2 wk in group II (P < 0.001). The median follow-up period for all patients was 34.5 (9.9-81) mo. group II had significantly higher rates of pathological complete response (pCR) than group I had (19% vs 8.9%, P = 0.002). Rate of tumor regression grade (TRG) poor response was 44.4% in group I and 9.5% in group II (P < 0.002). A poor pathological response was associated with worse disease-free survival (P = 0.009). The interval time did not show any association with local recurrence (P = 0.79).CONCLUSIONDelaying the neoadjuvant CRT-surgery interval may provide nodal down-staging, improve pCR rate, and decrease the rate of TRG poor response.

Background:Acute cholecystitis is the most common complication of gallbladder stones. Today, Tokyo guidelines criteria are recommended for diagnosis, grading, and management of acute cholecystitis.Objectives:We aimed to evaluate the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) at different cut-off values to predict the severity of the disease and its possible role in grading the disease with regard to the guideline.Patients and Methods:This is a retrospective study, analyzing 682 cases out of consecutive 892 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to two different general surgery clinics in Istanbul, Turkey. Records of patients diagnosed with acute cholecystitis were screened retrospectively from the hospital computer database between January 2011 and July 2014. A total of 210 patients with concomitant diseases causing high CRP levels were excluded from the study. The criteria of Tokyo guidelines were used in grading the severity of acute cholecystitis, and patients were divided into 3 groups. CRP values at the time of admission were analyzed and compared among the groups.Results:Mean CRP levels of groups were found to be significantly different, 18.96 mg/L in Group I, 133.51 mg/L in Group II, and 237.23 mg/L in Group III (P < 0.001). Having examined CRP values among the groups, they were found to be highly and significantly correlated with the disease grade (P < 0.0001). After evaluating CRP levels according to the grade of the disease, group 2 was distinguished from group 1 with a cut-off CRP level of 70.65 mg/L, and from group 3 with a value of 198.95 mg/L. Those results were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001).Conclusions:CRP, a well-known acute phase reactant that increases rapidly in various inflammatory processes, can be accepted as a strong predictor in classifying different grades of the disease, and treatment can be reliably planned according to this classification.

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Objective: Thyroidectomy is the most common cause of hypocalcemia. Preservation of parathyroid glands in situ is essential in preventing this complication. The aims of our study were to review patients who underwent parathyroid gland autotransplantation during thyroidectomy, and to compare hypocalcemia rates in patients with and without autotransplantation. Material and Methods:Parathyroid gland autotransplantation was performed in 43 (7.9%) of 543 patients who underwent thyroidectomy between 2008 and 2012.Results: Forty-four parathyroid glands were autotransplanted in 43 patients, including 36 women and 7 men. The median age was 55 (range: 30 to 68). The most common cause of autotransplantation was vascular comprise of the parathyroid gland. Early postoperative hypocalcemia developed in 37% of patients with autotransplantation, and none developed permanent hypocalcemia. Transient and permanent hypocalcemia rates were 9.6% and 0.4% in patients without autotransplantation, respectively. The risk of transient hypocalcemia was significantly high in patients with parathyroid autotransplantation (p<0.001). There was no difference between the two groups in terms of permanent hypocalcemia (p=0.156). Conclusion:Despite meticulous dissection, parathyroid glands can be devascularized or removed inadvertently during thyroidectomy. Parathyroid autotransplantation is the best method to maintain parathyroid gland function. Although the risk of transient hypocalcemia is increased following parathyroid autotransplantation, long-term results are satisfactory. INTRODUCTIONThyroid surgery is the most frequently performed operation in general surgery clinics, and constitute 1% of all medical diseases (1). The second most feared complication of thyroid surgery, following recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury, is the development of hypocalcemia. The most common cause of hypocalcemia is post-surgery hypoparathyroidism (2). Hypocalcemia may develop in the immediate postoperative period and may improve in several weeks (transient hypocalcemia), or it may persist for more than 6 months after surgery, in which case is called permanent hypocalcemia. Hypocalcemia manifests with paresthesia, mental status changes, neuromuscular irritability, and muscle spasm. Chronic hypocalcemia can lead to cataract formation, calcification in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, peripheral neuropathy, and cardiac problems. These patients require lifelong calcium and vitamin D supplements.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the effects of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) on the prevalence of vocal cord palsy (VCP) in thyroid surgery. Methods: Data from 493 patients (839 nerves at risk [NAR]) who underwent thyroid surgery between July 2014 and May 2016 were retrospectively evaluated. The patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (G1) consisted of patients who underwent surgery without IONM, whereas group 2 (G2) consisted of patients who underwent surgery with IONM. The surgical techniques were identical, and experienced surgeons performed the procedures in both groups. Intraoperative neuromonitoring was performed in compliance with the International Neural Monitoring Guidelines. Results: In total, 211 patients (170 female, 41 male) with 360 NAR were included in G1, and 282 patients (220 female, 62 male) with 479 NAR were included in G2. The number of VCP per NAR in G1 and G2 was 33 (9.2%) and 27 (5.6%), respectively ( P = .005). The number of transient VCP per NAR in G1 and G2 was 27 (7.5%) and 23 (4.8%; P = .230), respectively. The number of permanent VCP per NAR in G1 and G2 was 6 (1.7%) and 4 (0.8%; P = .341), respectively. Bilateral VCP was detected in 4 (2.7%) patients in G1, whereas there was no patient with bilateral VCP in G2 ( P = .033). Conclusions: Intraoperative neuromonitoring may decrease the incidence of total VCP and prevent the development of bilateral VCP, which has unfavorable results for both patients and health-care professionals.