The British journal of surgery
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Review Meta Analysis
Meta-analysis of antibiotics versus appendicectomy for non-perforated acute appendicitis.
For more than a century, appendicectomy has been the treatment of choice for appendicitis. Recent trials have challenged this view. This study assessed the benefits and harms of antibiotic therapy compared with appendicectomy in patients with non-perforated appendicitis. ⋯ The choice of medical versus surgical management in patients with clearly uncomplicated appendicitis is value- and preference-dependent, suggesting a change in practice towards shared decision-making is necessary.
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Review Meta Analysis
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of ductoscopy in patients with pathological nipple discharge.
Invasive surgery remains the standard for diagnosis of pathological nipple discharge (PND). Only a minority of patients with nipple discharge and an unsuspicious finding on conventional breast imaging have cancer. Ductoscopy is a minimally invasive alternative for evaluation of PND. This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ductoscopy in patients with PND. ⋯ Ductoscopy detects about 94 per cent of all underlying malignancies in patients with PND, but does not permit reliable discrimination between malignant and benign findings.
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Surgical education is becoming competency-based with the implementation of in-training milestones. Training guidelines should reflect these changes and determine the specific procedures for such milestone assessments. This study aimed to develop a consensus view regarding operative procedures and tasks considered appropriate for junior and senior trainees, and the procedures that can be used as technical milestone assessments for trainee progression in general surgery. ⋯ A system of operative procedures and tasks for junior- and senior-level trainees has been developed along with an assessment model for trainee progression. These can be used as milestones in competency-based assessments.
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While the majority of studies report that a raised serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level before operation is associated with a high risk of recurrence and death in patients who undergo hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), results are conflicting. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of AFP. ⋯ A serum AFP level above 400 ng/ml predicts poor overall and recurrence-free survival after hepatectomy in patients with HBV-associated HCC. AFP is not a strong prognostic marker given its poor discriminatory power, with low sensitivity and specificity.