96Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2005; 87 B reast cancer is the commonest malignancy in women 1 with 29,000 new cases per year being diagnosed in England and Wales. The aggressive approach with radical surgery has changed over the years to being more conservative.2 Standard treatment for most women, now, is excision of the primary tumour (by wide local excision or mastectomy) with axillary lymphadenectomy. This permits locoregional control, staging and accurate prognostication. Suction drainage of the axilla is standard practice to prevent seroma formation 4 but practice varies about the length of time required for axillary drainage with patients frequently having a hospital stay of 5-8 days. 5A recent randomised trial 6 advocated the suturing of flaps, avoidance of drainage and early discharge with patients having a 3.31 day-stay after undergoing wide local excision and level 2 axillary clearance for breast cancer. This compared to a 4.86 day-stay for patients in the control group who had axillary suction drainage until drain output was less than 50 ml over 24 h (P < 0.05).Day-case axillary lymph node surgery (ALNS) for breast carcinoma has been performed at the University Hospital of North Tees for over 6 years. When patients are seen in the breast clinic, their ability to undergo day-case surgery is assessed by ensuring that there is no significant Results: 165 patients underwent intended day-case axillary surgery (axillary dissection level 1/2; median age, 55 years; range, 39-76 years). Of these, 16 (9.7%) were admitted overnight usually due to over-running of theatre lists (n = 13; 81%). 29 patients (17.6%) underwent axillary dissection alone, the remainder had axillary surgery combined with wide local excision (median number of lymph nodes excised 11; range, 2-18). Complications included symptomatic seroma formation in 37 patients (22%) and wound infection in 16 patients (10%). Conclusions: Day-case axillary surgery can be performed safely with surgical morbidity comparing favourably to published work of 'traditional' axillary drainage following lymphadenectomy.

BACKGROUNDNipple creation using the C-V flap technique is often the final step in breast reconstruction. The aim of this study was to subjectively and objectively assess the cosmetic outcomes and satisfaction of patients undergoing C-V flap nipple reconstruction.METHODSSubjective assessments of patient satisfaction with the neo-nipple were recorded by visual analogue scoring (VAS; 0-10). Objective measurements were performed using a calliper to measure nipple projection relative to the native breast. Descriptive data analysis was performed with differences in projection assessed with the Mann-Whitney test and mean and median VAS scores (with inter-quartile ranges; IQR) calculated to describe satisfaction.RESULTSThirty-three C-V flap nipple reconstructions were performed. 87.9% received latissimus dorsi (LD) reconstructions with implants and 12.1% had transverse rectus abdominis muscle (TRAM) reconstructions. The median projection of reconstructed nipples was 4.7 mm (range 4-10.2 mm) at 4.6 years mean follow-up, which was not significantly different from the contralateral nipple (p = 0.34). Patient satisfaction was 9 (IQR: 8-10) with shape, 9 (IQR: 7.5-10) with projection, 5 (IQR: 2-9.6) with sensation, and 8.5 (IQR: 6-9.5) with symmetry. Median overall satisfaction was 9 (IQR: 8-10). Three patients had complete nipple loss, of whom two had undergone nipple piercing post procedure and none had received radiotherapy.CONCLUSIONC-V flap nipple reconstructions provide a simple and reliable method to reconstruct the nipple that enhances confidence and perception of body image. Satisfaction was high with long-term outcomes in terms of projection equivalent to the contralateral breast.

BackgroundAcute appendicitis is one of the most common causes of acute abdominal pain with an incidence of 1.17 per 1000 and lifetime risk of approximately 7%. It remains the most common indication for emergency abdominal surgery in childhood. Diagnosis of acute appendicitis is particularly difficult in young women and the pediatric population. In the USA, CT imaging is used to avert diagnostic dilemma, however the procedure is associated with radiation risk in this vulnerable population. Additionally, the procedure has high cost and variable availability.MethodsA retrospective study involving all suspected pediatric cases of appendicitis between the ages of 5 and 17 who were operated on between 2012 and 2015 was carried out. Data were collated from clinical notes on age, sex, ultrasound findings; postoperative complications, white cell count, neutrophils, C-reactive protein, histology result, and number of days to theater. All patients in the time period were retrospectively scored on the Alvarado and Appendicitis Inflammatory Response (AIR) scores.ResultsA total of 239 patients between 11 and 17 (mean 13.6±SE) years of age were included in the study. Of these, 79 had preoperative ultrasound, of which 52 were negative, and only one patient had CT scan. 213 of the patients had an appendicectomy and 26 had diagnostic laparoscopy with no appendicectomy. Of the 213 appendixes removed, 71 were histopathologically normal, giving a negative appendectomy rate of 33.3%. 28 appendixes were perforated. The average number of days from admission to theater was 1.0 SE in males and 1.424 in females (p=0.0498). The average number of days from admission to theater in those who had ultrasound was 2.03 days compared with 0.75 in those who did not have ultrasound (p<0.0001). AIR scoring that was high and medium risk showed slightly lower negative appendicectomy rates but not significantly different.ConclusionsOur study has found no significant difference between the AIR scores and Alvarado. There is a role for scoring systems to be used to aid in the decision to undergo imaging and as an adjunct to clinical diagnosis.

Background: Axillary lymph node status is the most important breast cancer prognostic factor. Preoperative axillary ultrasound examination (PAUS) is used to triage patients for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) or axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). We assessed the detection rate of lymph node metastases by PAUS in a screening unit and evaluated associations between clinicopathological factors and PAUS positivity. Patients and Methods: This was a single-centre retrospective analysis of data extracted from a hospital breast cancer database and clinical records. Clinical, radiological, and pathological and prognostic indices were compared between PAUS-positive and PAUS-negative patients subsequently found to have lymph node metastases on histopathological analysis. Results: Two hundred and two patients were eligible for analysis. 50.5% of lymph node-positive patients were correctly identified as PAUS positive. Patients with PAUS-positive lymph nodes had less favourable disease characteristics, namely clinically palpable lymph nodes, higher Nottingham prognostic index (NPI), high lymph node burden according to the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) group classification, and larger, grade 3 tumours with lymphovascular invasion and extranodal spread. Moreover, PAUS-positive patients had more macrometastases and lymph node involvement than PAUS-negative patients. Conclusion: PAUS-positive patients and PAUS-negative (SLNB-positive) patients have different clinicopathological characteristics. The presence of LVI, extranodal spread, grade 3 histology, or large tumours with poor prognostic indexes in PAUS-negative patients should be regarded with caution and perhaps prompt second-look ultrasound examination.

SUMMARYWe present a case of a 21-year-old man with hip pain to the orthopaedic team. During the initial assessment he was found to be hypercalcaemic (adjusted calcium 3.55) due to the primary hyperparathoidism (PTH 1285), with all other screening for multiple endocrine neoplasia negative. During his time on the ward while being treated for the hypercalcaemia he had a fall resulting in bilateral femoral fractures, requiring surgical management. He underwent an emergency exploration of neck and excision of a large parathyroid adenoma, measuring 5.5 cm. He also developed renal failure as a result of nephrocalcinosis. This case highlights the importance of early detection and management of hyperparathyroidism with the aim of preventing longterm complications. This patient ultimately required a renal transplant and multiple orthopaedic procedures as a result of undiagnosed PTH and recently underwent excision of the remaining parathyroid glands. BACKGROUND