Publications by authors named "Sandra Hembrecht"

Subhepatic appendicitis is an unusual presentation of acute appendicitis (AA). Similarly, another uncommon condition that resembles AA is appendiceal diverticulitis (AD), which is a rare form of vermiform appendix pathology. It is exceedingly uncommon for the two to occur simultaneously.

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In 2016 the Choosing Wisely guidelines advised against routine performance of a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in women ≥ 70 years of age with clinically node negative (cN0), early-stage, oestrogen receptor positive/ human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (ER+/HER2-), invasive breast cancer. The argument in favour of its continued performance is that it may serve as a useful guide for subsequent management. This systematic review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines.

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Introduction: Appendicectomy remains the standard treatment for appendicitis. There is a lack of clarity on the timeframe in which surgery should be performed to avoid unfavourable outcomes.

Aim: To perform a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate the impact the (1)time-of-day surgery is performed (2), time elapsed from symptom onset to hospital presentation (patient time) (3), time elapsed from hospital presentation to surgery (hospital time), and (4)time elapsed from symptom onset to surgery (total time) have on appendicectomy outcomes.

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Background: Systemic inflammatory response markers have been found to have a prognostic role in several cancers, but their value in predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer is uncertain. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was carried out to investigate this.

Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted to identify studies that explored the predictive value of circulating systemic inflammatory response markers in patients with breast cancer before commencing neoadjuvant therapy.

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Purpose: There are a wide variety of intraoperative techniques available in breast surgery to achieve low rates for positive margins of excision. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the pooled diagnostic accuracy of intraoperative breast margin assessment techniques that have been evaluated in clinical practice.

Methods: This study was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.

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Background: Time-sensitive emergencies in areas of low population density have statistically poorer outcomes. This includes incidents of major trauma. This study assesses the effect that population density at a receiving hospital of a major trauma patient has on survival.

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Introduction: The rationalization of cancer services in Ireland saw all women with symptomatic breast problems referred to one of the eight regional cancer centers. A pilot triaging system was introduced in St Vincent's University Hospital to streamline these services. Women over 35 years who do not meet urgent referral criteria are referred for a mammogram prior to a clinic appointment ("image first").

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