Pilot study of congenital anomaly rates at birth in fallujah, iraq, 2010.

Objectives: To examine numbers of congenital anomaly (CA) at birth overall and by class in one clinic in Fallujah General Hospital, Fallujah, Iraq.

Study Design: All congenital anomaly birth referrals to one pediatric clinician at Fallujah General Hospital for an eleven month period beginning November 1, 2009 were recorded. This clinic was one of three clinics to which cases would be referred.

Portal vein thrombosis following splenectomy.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the risk and progress of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) after splenectomy. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in which two groups of patients were compared; each group comprised 50 patients (27 men, 23 women). Patients in the splenectomy group were of mean age 46.

Ruptured hepatoma presenting with peritonitis and acute lactic acidosis.

A case is reported in which a large hepatoma presented with rupture and acute severe lactic acidosis. Spontaneous rupture is a rare but recognised mode of presentation of hepatoma. Malignancy has also occasionally been associated with acute lactic acidosis, though the association with hepatoma has not previously been reported.

Early patient discharge following appendicectomy: safety and feasibility.

One hundred and twenty patients with non-perforated acute appendicitis were discharged within 72 h of operation; 50 left hospital within 48 h of surgery. Criteria adopted for early discharge were: stable vital signs, active bowel sounds, ambulation and ability to tolerate fluid and food without discomfort. The patient's contact address was taken and every patient was requested to report to the out-patient department on the 7th post-operative day to remove stitches and assess the wound.

Making loops in laparoscopic surgery: state of the art.

Premade chromic gut ligating Endoloops used in laparoscopic surgery are not always available. Handmade knots or loops, however, are equally effective, simpler, cheaper, and readily available. Techniques of making more than 10 handmade knots and loops are described and illustrated, and their uses are discussed.

History of surgery of the abdominal cavity. Arabic contributions.

In-depth historical research is made on Arabic contributions to surgery of the abdominal cavity highlighting their specific achievements in laparotomy and caesarian section. Albucasis (936-1013) in his book "Al Tasrif" produced the first authentic description ever contained in the literature on surgery of the abdomen. He described methods of bowel reduction and abdominal wall closure.

The assessment of cutaneous blood flow with transoxode probe.

An experimental study on 12 healthy individuals was conducted over a period of six months, using the transoxode probe to assess cutaneous blood flow via measurements of transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcpO2) and relative heat power input (R.H.P.

Surgical relief of obstructive jaundice in a district general hospital.

Fifty consecutive patients with obstructive jaundice treated by operation in Canterbury & Thanet Health District hospitals under the care of one surgeon (RECC) over a 6-year period have been studied. The pathology was found to be common bile duct (CBD) stone in 22 patients (44%); pancreatic carcinoma in 15 (30%), 3 of whom also had CBD stones; chronic pancreatitis in 4 (8%); extrahepatic CBD carcinoma in 4 (8%); ampulla of Vater carcinoma in 3 (6%); primary duodenal carcinoma in 1 (2%); and portahepatis obstruction in 4 (8%). The 8 postoperative deaths (16%) were found to be associated with high preoperative levels of serum bilirubin, but all occurred in patients with malignant disease.

Traumatic partial parotidectomy.

A 16-year-old boy was assaulted with a broken bottle, which inflicted a deep right-sided cervicofacial injury. Exploration, however, revealed a split parotid gland along its plane of cleavage preserving the facial nerve and major cervical blood vessels with a unique traumatic dissection simulating surgical suprafacial parotidectomy.

First branchial cleft anomaly.

A 15-year-old girl presented with a cystic swelling since birth behind the ramus of the right mandible and diagnosed clinically as a dermoid cyst. Surgical exploration, however, showed that it was closely related to the external auditory canal, with an extension running medially behind the parotid gland and ending in the bony middle ear. The facial nerve was closely related to the deep part of the cyst.