The diagnosis of incidental thyroid carcinoma in patients submitted to thyroidectomy for a benign disease is quite frequent. A retrospective analysis was performed on 240 patients submitted to surgical intervention in order to establish the incidence of the carcinoma. One hundred sixty five patients (68.75%) were affected by benign disease (132 multinodular goiter, 30 uninodular goiter, 2 Plummer and 1 Basedow) and 75 (31.25%) by carcinoma. In 30 of 165 patients (18.2 %), affected by benign disease, occurred a histological diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma, (18 papillary carcinoma, 6 follicular carcinoma, 5 papillary carcinoma follicular variant and 1 oncocytic carcinoma). In this study it's considered incidental thyroid carcinoma the one occurred in patients who never underwent FNA and there were no suspicious features in all exams that may suggest the presence of carcinoma. Fifteen of the 30 incidental carcinoma (50%) were microcarcinomas; in the other 13, dimensions were more than 1 cm, but less than 2 cm in 9 cases. Two patients had a synchronous carcinoma. Actually these patients are still in a follow up program and no recurrency of disease is occasionally observed. This study shows that the only way to put doubts on the real benignity of the disease is the fine needle aspiration; there are no other instruments that could let think about the occurrence of the carcinoma. Moreover in the majority of cases the incidental carcinoma is a microcarcinoma, it doesn't reach significant volume, may be not centered by a FNAB, but in must cases it's not really biologically aggressive.

Hemostasis during thyroidectomy is essential; however, the safest, most efficient, and most cost-effective way to achieve this is unclear. This randomized, multicenter, single-blind, prospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of using different hemostatic approaches in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy.

Vocal cord palsy (VCP) is one of the most frequent complications following thyroidectomy. We evaluated the outcomes of intraoperative reconstruction of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). Of 917 patients who underwent thyroid surgery in a single high-volume general surgery ward between 2000 and 2015, 12 (1.3%) were diagnosed with RLN injury and were retrospectively categorized into 2 groups: group A (n = 5), with intraoperative evidence of iatrogenic transection or cancer invasion of the RLN, and group B (n = 7), with postoperative confirmation of VCP. In group A, immediate microsurgical primary repair of the RLN was performed. Postoperative assessment included subjective ratings (aspiration and voice quality improvement) and objective ratings (perceptual voice quality according to the grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia and strain [GRBAS] scale, and direct laryngoscopy). In group A, roughness, breathiness and strain were significantly lower at 9 months than at 3 months (p < 0.05). Although larger, multicentre studies are needed, the results suggest potentially excellent postoperative phonatory function after immediate RLN reconstruction.

The advantages and applications of the videolaparoscopic technique (VL) versus open surgery in the treatment of acute and complicated appendicitis are not well defined. Our study examined 150 patients, 67 males and 83 females. They underwent surgery for acute appendicitis in emergency. The choice between open or laparoscopic tecnique was due to patient's clinical conditions and surgeon's experience. Two of these patients had no infiammatory process. Eleven patients were affected by gynaecological diseases. The last 137 patients underwent surgery for acute appendicitis and the diagnosis was confirmed. Among them, 35 (25%) were affected by a complicated appendicitis with diffuse or clearly defined peritonitis. In 134 patients the surgery was completed laparoscopically. The conversion rate was 2%. Morbility rate was 3%, due to intra abdominal abscesses secondary to acute complicated appendicitis. The mean operative time was 76 min and the mean hospital stay was 4.8 days. The death rate was 0%. In our experience, laparoscopic appendectomy has significant advantages over traditional open surgery in both acute and complicated appendicitis, especially in young women. In this way, we can diagnose pelvic disease that could be characterized by the same symptoms of acute appendicitis, then we suggest laparoscopic appendectomy even just to complete the diagnostic iter. Laparoscopy is useful in terms of convalescence, postoperative pain, hospital stay, aesthetic outcome and an easier exploration of the peritoneal cavity.

Benign multinodular goiter (BMNG) is the most common endocrine disease requiring surgery. During the last few years a more aggressive approach has become the trend for bilateral BMNG treatment.

Background: Clusterin (CLU) is a ubiquitous multifunctional factor involved in neoplastic transformation. The CLU transcript variants and protein forms play a crucial role in balancing cells proliferation and death. Methods: We investigated the regulation of CLU transcript variants expression in an in vivo model system consisting of both neoplastic tissues and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) samples isolated from patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Results: The immunohistochemical analyses showed an overall CLU up-regulation in papillary carcinoma. A specific CLU2 transcript variant increase was registered using qPCR in papillary carcinomas while CLU1 decreased. In addition, the analysis of CLU transcripts expression level showed an increase of the CLU2 transcript in the TIR 3 patients with histologically confirmed thyroid cancer. Conclusions: Our results suggest the existence of a specific alteration of CLU2:CLU1 ratio towards CLU2, thus providing the first circumstantial evidence for the potential use of CLU transcript variants as effective biomarkers for a more accurate assessment of the so called “indeterminate” thyroid nodules.

Colonic lipomas larger than 2 cm in diameter are likely to be symptomatic. In some cases a complication is the first clinical sign. Massive lower intestinal bleeding or obstruction, acute bleeding, prolapse or perforation or, rarely, acute intussusception with intestinal obstruction require urgent surgery. Diagnosis is often made following colonoscopy, which can also have a therapeutic role. Imaging procedures such as CT has a secondary role. Patients with small asymptomatic colonic lipomas need regular follow up. For larger (diameter > 2 cm) and/or symptomatic lipomas, resection should be considered, although the choice between endoscopic or surgical resection remains controversial. We believe that even lipomas > 2 cm can safely be removed by endoscopic resection. If surgery is indicated, we consider laparoscopy to be the ideal approach in all patients for whom minimally invasive surgery is not contraindicated.

BACKGROUND: Even if endometriosis is usually an exclusively gynecological issue, atypical locations fall within the interest of general surgery. The aim of our retrospective study focuses on the need for surgeons to face this rare condition, in order to avoid unnecessary or inadequate treatment. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed clinical presentations, previous endometriosis diagnosis and surgical acts on a group of 60 patients, whose mean age was 38.2 years old, with extra-genital endometriosis. RESULTS: Among the 60 cases of extra-genital endometriosis collected, bowel foci, 37 cases - 61,7% - were the most frequent; then we collected 13 (21.7%) skin, 7 (11.7%) urinary tract and 3 (5%) whole pelvis localizations. It's important to underline the finding of 2 aggressive malignant transformations. CONCLUSIONS: Extra-genital endometriosis should be considered as a cause of otherwise inexplicable abdominal pain in young women. Since imaging techniques lack in specificity, we propose explorative laparoscopy as a powerful diagnostic means. Moreover laparoscopy can be turned into a therapeutic act, also limiting the adherences issue, which is associated with this illness and would worsen with open surgery. Extra-genital endometriosis should be treated also to avoid rare, but possible, risk of cancerization.

Improvements in living conditions and progress in medical management have resulted in better quality of life and longer life expectancy. Therefore, the number of older people undergoing surgery is increasing. Frailty is often described as a syndrome in aged patients where there is augmented vulnerability due to progressive loss of functional reserves. Studies suggest that frailty predisposes elderly to worsening outcome after surgery. Since emergency surgery is associated with higher mortality rates, it is paramount to have an accurate stratification of surgical risk in such patients. The aim of our study is to characterize the clinicopathological findings, management, and short-term outcome of elderly patients undergoing emergency surgery. The secondary objectives are to evaluate the presence and influence of frailty and analyze the prognostic role of existing risk-scores. The final FRAILESEL protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy. The FRAILESEL study is a nationwide, Italian, multicenter, observational study conducted through a resident-led model. Patients over 65 years of age who require emergency surgical procedures will be included in this study. The primary outcome measures are 30-day postoperative mortality and morbidity rates. The Clavien-Dindo classification system is used to categorize complications. The secondary outcome measures include length of hospital stay, length of stay in intensive care unit, and predictive value for morbidity and mortality of several frailty and surgical risk-scores. The results of the FRAILESEL study will be disseminated through national and international conference presentations and peer-reviewed journals. The study is also registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02825082).

The aim of our study was to evaluate the presence of incidental differentiated thyroid carcinomas, at final histological examination, in patients undergoing thyroidectomy or lobectomy for presumed benign pathology or in those with cytological diagnosis of indeterminate nodules (TIR3).

Inguino-scrotal herniation of the ureter is a rare and difficult situation for a surgeon, especially if only recognized during inguinal hernia repair.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of elective rectal resection for rectal cancer in adults by robotic surgery compared with conventional laparoscopic surgery. Summary of Background Data: Technological advantages of robotic surgery favor precise dissection in narrow spaces. However, the evidence base driving recommendations for the use of robotic surgery in rectal cancer primarily hinges on observational data. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL for randomized controlled trials (until August 2016) comparing robotic surgery versus conventional laparoscopic surgery. Data on the following endpoints were evaluated: circumferential margin status, mesorectal grade, number of lymph nodes harvested, rate of conversion to open surgery, postoperative complications, and operative time. Data were summarized as relative risks (RR) or weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Risk of bias of studies was assessed with standard methods. Results: Five trials were eligible, including 334 robotic and 337 laparoscopic surgery cases. Meta-analysis showed that RS was associated with lower conversion rate (7.3%; 4 studies, 544 participants, RR 0.58; 95% CI 0.35-0.97, P = 0.04, I 2 = 0%) and longer operating time (MD 38.43minutes, 95% CI 31.84-45.01: P < 0.00001) compared with laparoscopic surgery. Perioperative mortality, rate of circumferential margin involvement (2 studies, 489 participants, RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.39-1.73), and lymph nodes collected (mean 17.4 Lymph Nodes; 5 trials, 674 patients, MD -0.35, 95% CI -1.83 to 1.12) were similar. The quality of the evidence was moderate for most outcomes. Conclusion: Evidence of moderate quality supports that robotic surgery for rectal cancer produces similar perioperative outcomes of oncologic procedure adequacy to conventional laparoscopic surgery. Robotic surgery portraits lower rate of conversion to open surgery, while operating time is significantly longer than by laparoscopic approach.