Journal of Surgical Case Reports

Actinomycosis remains a rare and often underdiagnosed cause of appendicitis with only 10% of cases diagnosed prior to surgery. It is an important cause to consider particularly in the setting of an indolent infection with nonspecific symptoms. We present a 22 years old male who presented with 3 weeks history of lower abdominal pain who underwent laboratory investigations and imaging studies suggestive of acute appendicitis. He underwent an emergency laparoscopic caecectomy with histopathology of the specimen suggestive of actinomycosis...

Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) on the aortic valve involves fibrin and platelet aggregate formation, potentially leading to embolic events. We present a case of NBTE on the aortic valve following coronary angiography (CAG) in a 54-year-old man with multiple comorbidities. Surgical thrombectomy was performed owing to acute cerebral infarcts. This case highlights the significance of considering that mechanical trauma from catheterization during CAG can trigger thrombus formation.

Obesity is defined by the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is derived by the weight and height of a person (BMI > 30). Furthermore, obesity is classified as super-obesity (BMI >50 kg/m2 ) and super-super obesity (BMI >60 kg/m2 ) by the International Bariatric Surgery Registry (Renquist K. Obesity classification. Obes Surg 1997; 7 :523). Patients with super-super obesity have a greater incidence of comorbid diseases and are at greater risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality and longer length of hospital stay (LOS)...

Vaginal vault dehiscence with evisceration is a rare but a potentially life-threatening complication of total hysterectomy that requires prompt recognition, diagnosis, and management. The overall incidence of vaginal vault dehiscence is 0.53%. The mortality rate increases to 5.6% when bowel evisceration is present. We report a case of vaginal vault dehiscence with small bowel evisceration complicated by bowel necrosis and intra-abdominal haemorrhage in a 48-year-old woman following her first sexual intercourse 4 months after her total abdominal hysterectomy...

Ossifying fibroma (OF) is a slow-growing benign fibro-osseous neoplasm. It is mostly odontogenic in origin, and it arises in the jaws, particularly the mandible. OF is characterized by the production of bone and cementum-like calcifications in a fibrous stroma. OF reports of the bone of the maxilla are uncommon. Diagnosing OF can be challenging due to the considerable overlap of clinico-pathological characteristics with those of other neoplasms. Herein, the authors describe a case report OF in a 26-year-old male who presented with a huge fibro-osseous tumor of the maxilla...

This report presents a rare case of an atypical spindle cell/pleomorphic lipomatous tumor in a 13-year-old male patient. The tumor, located within the vastus lateralis muscle, was successfully resected, and the patient is currently under follow-up.

The most frequent benign tumor is lipoma. About 1-4% of people have intraoral lipomas. This uncommon case report shows a large cheek lipoma misinterpreted as dental infection. A 14-year-old girl with a right cheek tumor was diagnosed and treated for a dental infection. Multiple imaging examinations complete the diagnosis. A benign lipoma, common in subcutaneous tissues but unusual in the mouth, created the lesion. A histological investigation confirmed lipoma after extraoral excision under general anesthesia utilizing an external flap...

The treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer has been based on systemic therapy. The role of secondary cytoreductive surgery has been addressed recently in several trials. Imaging plays a key role in helping the surgical team to decide which patients will have resectable disease and benefit from surgery. The role of staging laparoscopy and several imaging and clinical scores has been extensively debated in the field. In other surgical fields there have been reports of using 3D imaging software and 3D printed models to help surgeons better plan the surgical approach...

Well-leg compartment syndrome (WLCS) develops in healthy lower limbs because of surgical factors such as operative position, lower limb compression, and long operative time during abdominopelvic surgery. WLCS can lead to irreversible muscle and nerve damage if a prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are not provided. We report the case of a 57-year-old male who developed rectal cancer immediately after laparoscopic low anterior resection and was successfully treated with fasciotomy without sequelae. Patients who undergo surgery in the lithotomy position for a prolonged period are at risk of WLCS...

Scrotal hernias are common in the general population. Patients often present acutely reporting pain or sometimes with more severe symptoms if the hernia is strangulated or incarcerated. An 81-year-old man presented with left-sided iliac fossa pain with no other associated symptoms. On clinical exam, a left-sided non-reducible inguinoscrotal hernia was detected with no evidence to suggest strangulation. Imaging revealed a probable colorectal cancer with likely liver metastases. The patient went on to have open surgery to excise the tumour with clear oncological margins...

Traumatic diaphragmatic hernia is a sign of severe thoracoabdominal trauma that is often difficult to detect because of nonspecific presenting symptoms, delayed presentation, and distracting injuries. Diagnosis depends on imaging and a high degree of suspicion in patients who present with respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms after trauma, and prompt surgical repair is required. This case reviews a patient who presented to the emergency department with burning epigastric pain radiating to the left chest and hematemesis ~1 month after sustaining a blunt abdominal injury...

Brachial artery pseudoaneurysms are a rare entity, which can occur secondary to infectious, traumatic, or iatrogenic causes. We present a 78-year-old female with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis via a right brachio-basilic arteriovenous fistula. She had previously undergone numerous fistulograms and endovascular interventions for right upper extremity swelling due to prolonged bleeding following dialysis. After a recent fistulogram she developed recurrent arm swelling. Duplex showed a large hematoma without any evidence of vascular flow...

Plasmacytoma is a rare plasma cell neoplasm. Whether solitary or associated with multiple myeloma (MM), it rarely involves the skull base, particularly the sphenoid bone. We present a unique case of sphenoid bone plasmacytoma secondary to MM, highlighting diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. A 56-year-old female presented with headaches, vomiting, epistaxis, and cranial nerve deficits. Cerebral imaging revealed a 65-mm tumor infiltrating the sphenoid bone and adjacent structures. Subtotal resection was performed using an endoscopic nasal approach...

Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening complication of pregnancy and represents the leading cause of maternal mortality in the first trimester. In developing countries early diagnosis, necessary for favorable outcomes, is often unavailable and women are often not aware of possible conditions and associated complications. Moreover, access to sexual and reproductive health services and antenatal care are limited in such settings. Finally, management options are restricted and often performed in emergency with higher risk of complications and mortality...

A 40-year-old woman was referred to the vascular surgery clinic complaining of right shoulder pain and swelling secondary to blunt trauma 4 months ago. Computed tomography angiography showed a partially thrombosed supraclavicular pseudoaneurysm adjacent to the subclavian artery measuring 4.5 × 4 × 3.1 cm. Open repair surgery with resection of the pseudoaneurysm was successfully performed without injury to the capsule. Patient was stable and discharged 2 days later with no complications...

Mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver (MHL) is rare. Less than 50 adult cases have been described. Due to their potential degeneration or recurrence, a complete surgical resection must be performed. We describe a case of a 26-year-old with a palpable solid lesion, which displaced abdominal organs. Percutaneous needle biopsies suggested the diagnosis of MHL. A right hemi-hepatectomy without segment 1 was performed; the post-operative course was uneventful. The mesenchymal component of the tumour was reactive to desmin and smooth muscle actin...

Pneumoperitoneum in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus is commonly recognized as a surgical emergency that requires exploration. However, it may not be associated with bowel perforation and may be a benign disease manifestation. We present a case of a young patient who developed spontaneous pneumoperitoneum after pulse steroid therapy for lupus enteritis and was successfully managed conservatively. Patients with connective tissue disease may present with pneumoperitoneum, with or without pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis...

Gastric schwannomas are rare mesenchymal tumors that arise from the intestinal nerve plexuses. They present with nonspecific symptoms and are often discovered incidentally. We present the case of a 68-year-old patient who had been suffering from abdominal discomfort for 6 months. After a complete examination, including abdominal computed tomography and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, we discovered a submucosal gastric lesion with benign gross features without evidence of lymph node or metastatic involvement...

Systemic amyloidosis is an incurable multisystem disease, caused by fibrillar protein deposits with resulting dysfunction of affected organ systems. It mostly affects patients > 60 years. Diagnosis is often delayed because the symptoms are nonspecific and highly variable. We report on an elderly patient with multi-organ involvement with proven wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis. The initial manifestation involved bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and lumbar spinal canal stenosis. The occurrence of ligament and tendon disorders, unexplained muscle pain and polyneuropathy in elderly patients should be considered as a possible first manifestation of systemic amyloidosis...

Early gastric and oesophageal perforations are rare following laparoscopic fundoplications, with an incidence of 0.9%. If managed operatively, omentopexy or redo-fundoplication may be employed. Here, we present the case of a septic 21 year old patient who presented with an early gastro-oesophageal perforation 7 days following laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication, which was successfully repaired endoscopically using haemostatic clips. To date, this technique of perforation repair in the setting of fundoplication has yet to be reported...