Implementation and Evaluation of Quality Improvement Training in Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Objective: The aim of this study was to review and appraise how quality improvement (QI) skills are taught to surgeons and surgical residents.

Background: There is a global drive to deliver capacity in undertaking QI within surgical services. However, there are currently no specifications regarding optimal QI content or delivery.

The management of testicular torsion in the UK: How can we do better? A national quantitative and qualitative analysis of the factors affecting successful testicular salvage.

Background: Testicular torsion is a surgical emergency, requiring time-critical surgery to avoid potential organ loss. This study collates national data on paediatric testicular torsion, offering a comprehensive insight into the current standard of care in England for paediatric patients with suspected testicular torsion.

Methods: National data collection using Freedom of Information requests.

Testicular Pain Pathway in Children: Investigating Where Missed Torsion Occurs Most Often.

Objectives: Acute scrotal pain in children is a common presenting complaint in hospital, and it is imperative that cases of testicular torsion are identified and managed promptly. We aim to identify the most influential points in the pathway in determining whether patients are managed in the appropriate time frame, so these areas can be targeted to improve salvage rates.

Methods: Using quality improvement principles, the pediatric scrotal pain pathway was mapped out, commencing with initial symptom onset and ending with definitive surgical management.

Cystitis cystica and glandularis producing large bladder masses in a 16-year-old boy.

The macroscopic appearances of florid cystitis cystica et glandularis can be mistaken for malignancy, and it is therefore important to perform a prompt resection to confirm the histological diagnosis and exclude sinister pathology.

Accidental, Non-masturbatory, Non-intercourse Related, Self-Inflicted Penile Fracture: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Penile fracture is a relatively rare condition arising from a rupture of the corpus cavernosum. In the western world, it is most commonly associated with sexual intercourse. We hereby, report a rare case of accidental, non-masturbatory, self-inflicted penile fracture.

Harnessing the immunomodulatory effect of thermal and non-thermal ablative therapies for cancer treatment.

Minimally invasive interventional therapies are evolving rapidly and their use for the treatment of solid tumours is becoming more extensive. The in situ destruction of solid tumours by such therapies is thought to release antigens that can prime an antitumour immune response. In this review, we offer an overview of the current evidence for immune response activation associated with the utilisation of the main thermal and non-thermal ablation therapies currently in use today.

Spontaneous discharge of 'spilled gallstone' with complete resolution of retroperitoneal abscess in a patient treated for putative tuberculosis.

A 76-year-old man presented 5 months following an open cholecystectomy with a complicated retroperitoneal abscess secondary to a retained gallstone, which was misdiagnosed as a tuberculous abscess. Subsequently, the stone was eventually spontaneously discharged with complete resolution of the associated collection.

Notch3 and HEY-1 as prognostic biomarkers in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

In order to achieve a better outcome for pancreatic cancer patients, reliable biomarkers are required which allow for improved diagnosis. These may emanate from a more detailed molecular understanding of the aggressive nature of this disease. Having previously reported that Notch3 activation appeared to be associated with more aggressive disease, we have now examined components of this pathway (Notch1, Notch3, Notch4, HES-1, HEY-1) in more detail in resectable (n = 42) and non-resectable (n = 50) tumours compared to uninvolved pancreas.