Clinicopathological pattern of malignant parotid gland tumors in Saudi Arabia.

Objective: To report our experience of varied presentations and diverse histopathological spectrum of parotid gland malignancies.

Methods: This retrospective analysis incorporated patients with histological evidence of malignant parotid tumors at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over a 20-year period from 1984 through 2004. The medical records of these patients were analyzed for their demographic characteristics, clinical features, operations performed, and pathological diversity.

Malignant melanoma of the small bowel with unknown primary: a case report.

Primary small bowel tumours are rare. However, alongwith stomach it is the most frequent site for metastatic tumours, malignant melanoma being the commonest tumour. The prevalence of malignant melanoma in the gastrointestinal tract without any evidence of a primary lesion in the skin or any other site is extremely rare.

Validity of leukocyte count to predict the severity of acute appendicitis.

Objective: To ascertain whether white blood cell (WBC) count with differential analysis may predict severity of disease in acute appendicitis.

Methods: We conducted this retrospective study on appendectomy patients from 1996 to 2001, at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We reviewed patient's age, gender, duration of symptoms, temperature on admission, WBC count including differential and the histological diagnosis of the appendicular specimen.