Post-operative surgical-site infection from skin bleaching: a case report.

Background: Prolonged application of steroid containing cream can pose a serious challenge to users. Apart from making the skin lighter it creates a spectrum of diseases in those that use them as the adrenal glands are suppressed and are unable to secrete more steroids when required.

Objective: The objective is to report on a patient who presented with severe sepsis after a long period of application of steroids to the skin.

Profile of breast diseases at a self-referral clinic in Ghana.

Background: Breast cancer is a common malignancy in Ghana, and many patients are referred with advanced disease and long duration of symptoms.

Objective: To determine the spectrum of breast disease diagnosed through patient self-referral in Ghana.

Methods: A breast clinic, where patients could walk in without referral, was started in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in 2001.

Peripheral vascular injuries and their management in accra.

Summary Background: The true incidence of vascular injuries in Ghana is not known on account of low reporting.

Objective: We performed a study aimed at reviewing the pattern of injuries to peripheral vessels, and also the pattern of referral, presentation and management of these injuries at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra.

Method: The study covered the period of January 1989 to March 2005 and involved a review of all peripheral vessel injuries referred for vascular surgical opinion.

Surgically correctable adrenal-dependent hypertension: a report of five cases.

SummaryAlthough endocrine causes of secondary hypertension are relatively uncommon, medical practitioners must maintain a high index of suspicion for them in certain categories of patients. Such patients include young individuals, those with difficult-to-treat hypertension and those presenting with symptoms, clinical signs and/or laboratory parameters well-known to be associated with Cushing's syndrome, Conn's syndrome or phaeochromocytoma.This paper reports on 5 patients identified over a 2-year period with various hormonally-active adrenal adenomas causing hypertension in an environment where, hitherto, the occurrence of these conditions was generally thought to be rare.

Extensive groin and perineal hidradenitis suppurativa complicated by high fistula in ano.

SummaryAnal fistula is a common cause of perianal sepsis in surgical practice. We share our experience in the management of a high fistula in ano caused by hidradenitis suppurativa an uncommon condition in Ghana.