A randomised control trial of intraoperative and early outcome in scalpel versus monopolar diathermy for midline abdominal incisions.

Background: Cutting diathermy is an alternative to scalpel for all layers of abdominal entry despite the perception that it impairs healing, increases infection risk and has worse cosmesis. This prospective, randomised, controlled trial was carried out to compare the intraoperative and early outcome in diathermy to scalpel for midline abdominal incisions in general surgery.

Methods: The study was conducted from 1 October 2014 to 31 May 2016.

Cancer Related Mortality in Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria.

Background: Globally, cancer is a leading cause of death and source of resistance to increasing life expectancy. In 2019, the World Health Organisation estimated cancer as the first or second leading cause of death before the age of 70 in 112 countries and third or fourth in 23 other countries. Despite the fact that cancer has been recognized as a public health problem, there is paucity of data on cancer mortality in Nigeria.

PRESENTATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PERFORATED PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE IN A TERTIARY CENTRE IN SOUTH SOUTH NIGERIA.

Background: Perforations of the stomach and duodenum are common complications of peptic ulcer disease (PUD), abuse of non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and gastric cancer. Being a life threatening complication of PUD, it needs special attention with prompt resuscitation and appropriate surgical management if morbidity and mortality are to be avoided.

Aim: To determine the pattern and management outcome of perforated peptic ulcer disease PUD as seen in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria).

Gastric outlet obstruction from duodenal lipoma in an adult.

The duodenum is a rare site for gastrointestinal lipoma with less than 230 cases reported in the literature. Although, peptic ulcer disease remains the most common benign cause of gastric outlet obstruction (GOO), duodenal lipomas remain a rare, but possible cause of GOO and could pose a diagnostic challenge, especially in countries where access to endoscopy and modern imaging techniques poses a challenge. The authors present a case of GOO in a 40-year-old male, secondary to a duodenal lipoma.

An unusual presentation of an anterior chest wall chondrosarcoma.

Background: Occasionally, anterior chest wall chondrosarcoma presents in an unusual manner.

Aim: We report a case of an anterior chest wall chondrosarcoma which was misdiagnosed as a breast tumour.

Method: The hospital notes of the patient and the literature on the disease were reviewed.