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Migration of femoral Kuntscher intramedullary nail (K-nail) proximally or distally within the femoral medullary cavity is a well-known documented complication, but spontaneous extrusion of a distally migrated K-nail is a rare complication. This is a case report of a 33-year-old lady who complained of sudden onset left knee pain and presented with spontaneous extrusion of a Kuntscher nail 12 years postinsertion. She underwent a successful K-nail removal surgery and showed a good clinical outcome after 6 months of outpatient follow-up.

Leadership competence is the ability to exercise the prescribed skills and behavior of a given task. The responsibilities that the University of Bohol Supreme Student Government (UBSSG) officials are facing involve transitioning quickly from their usual daily teenage activities to that being young leaders. In this connection, the researchers deemed it imperative to assess the leadership competence of the UBSSG officials for the school year 2018-2019. This study used a standardized descriptive questionnaire as the main instrument in gathering data from the target respondents. The findings show that the highest-rated leadership competencies of UBSSG were Diversity Learning (Very Competent), Self-Responsibility (Very Competent), and Integrity (Very Competent); and the three lowest-rated leadership competencies of UB SSG are Cross-functional Teamwork (Moderately Competent), Business Acumen (Moderately Competent), and Empowerment (Very Competent). The overall composite mean is 3.38 (Very Competent). The researchers are hopeful that those concerned will take into consideration the findings of this study and take steps that include but are not limited to the conduct of financial management training for sustainable finances, team-building activities, and linkages among departments.

CRS-HIPEC is associated with improved cancer survival but an increased risk of infection.Consecutive patients undergoing CRS-HIPEC between January 2016 and May 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Malignancy type, comorbidities, perioperative risk factors and infectious complications were captured, using standardised definitions. Association between risk factors and infection outcomes was evaluated by logistic regression modelling.One-hundred patients underwent CRS-HIPEC, predominantly for colorectal cancer and pseudomyxoma peritonei. Overall, 43 (43.0%) experienced an infectious complication, including infections at surgical site (27), respiratory tract (9), urinary tract (11), Clostridium difficile (2) and post-operative sepsis (15). In most, infection onset was within 7 days post-operatively. Median length of hospitalisation was 19 days for patients with infection, compared to 8 days for those without (p = 0.000). There were no deaths at 60 days. Of variables potentially associated with surgical site infection, small bowel resection (OR 4.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.53-10.83; p = 0.005) and number of resected viscera (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.00-1.98; p = 0.048) were significantly associated with infection.We demonstrate a significant burden of early infective complications in patients undergoing CRS-HIPEC. Higher-risk subgroups, including those with small bowel resection and increased number of resected viscera, may benefit from enhanced monitoring.

The Consumer Attitudes towards Evidence Based Services (CAEBS) scale is a 29-item questionnaire designed to assess public views on the role of science in helping to guide mental health treatment. The aim of the current study was to assess the Factor structure the CAEBS in an online sample of adults seeking information about mental health services. The CAEBS was administered to a nationwide sample of participants from websites offering classified advertisements for mental health related study participation (n = 312). An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) suggested four factors based on 26 of the items: Beliefs Regarding Therapists' Practices, Attitudes about Mental Health Policy, Negative Personal-Level Attitudes toward EBPs, and Negative Societal-Level Attitudes towards EBPs. In order to increase consumer empowerment within the mental health-care system and develop policies supporting EBP usage, mental health professionals need to increase communication with the public to address these concerns and leverage positive attitudes.

The quality of life is a general sense of how the respondents perceive or assess their sense of well-being. This particular study aims to look into how the OFW student-dependents assess their quality of life as reflected in their behavior or level of functioning across four domains—personal, psychosocial, cognitive, and spiritual. The study made use of the descriptive-purposive survey method with the use of a self-constructed questionnaire on the assessment of the quality of life, and documentary analysis of the existing records as to the academic performance of OFW-dependent students of the University of Bohol. In the analysis and interpretation of data, frequencies, percentages, weighted mean, Pearson Product Moment, and Chi-Square were used. Results showed the largest percentage of the respondents had academic performance ratings equivalent to Very Good. The overall composite mean in the personal, psychosocial and cognitive areas was 3.23, which inferred that the condition is visible but not so obvious to the respondents, and they did not strongly feel their impact on their lives. Results showed further that there is no significant degree of correlation between academic performance and the quality of life of OFW dependents. Furthermore, weekly allowances have no significant impact on respondents’ academic performance.

For the assessment of fat malabsorption, the standard method of measuring faecal fat excretion using a 5 day stool collection has been compared with the alternative methods: stool microscopy, a lipid tolerance test and a continuous marker technique for the estimation of fat content on a single stool sample. The lipid test, using an emulsion of arachis oil (Prosparol), was less reliable than had been expected with a sensitivity of 33% and a specificity of 45.4%. Stool microscopy using Oil Red O to stain fat globules had a sensitivity of 72.2% and a specificity of 95.4%. Fat estimation of a single stool sample using copper (1) thiocyanate showed a high correlation with that determined on a 5 day stool collection (p less than 0.001). It is concluded that lipid tolerance tests have little place in the estimation of fat absorption. In laboratories where faecal fats are not measured, microscopic examination of stool for fat globules provides a specific and relatively sensitive method for detecting steatorrhoea. The use of a continuous marker provides a method for assessing the degree of steatorrhoea on a single stool sample without the disadvantages of the conventional method of faecal fat analysis.

The Consumer Attitudes towards Evidence Based Services (CAEBS) scale is a 29-item questionnaire designed to assess public views on the role of science in helping to guide mental health treatment. The aim of the current study was to assess the Factor structure the CAEBS in an online sample of adults seeking information about mental health services. The CAEBS was administered to a nationwide sample of participants from websites offering classified advertisements for mental health related study participation (n = 312). An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) suggested four factors based on 26 of the items: Beliefs Regarding Therapists' Practices, Attitudes about Mental Health Policy, Negative Personal-Level Attitudes toward EBPs, and Negative Societal-Level Attitudes towards EBPs. In order to increase consumer empowerment within the mental health-care system and develop policies supporting EBP usage, mental health professionals need to increase communication with the public to address these concerns and leverage positive attitudes.

The case is reported of a patient presenting with ascites and acute renal failure resulting from spontaneous rupture of the urinary bladder, 30 years after the successful initial treatment of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma. The delay in the presentation until the patient began to experience the symptoms due to urinary ascites, the diagnostic dilemma because of the rarity of the condition, and the possible aetiologies are discussed.

In the process of identification of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 gene, which was recently published, we isolated a novel gene in the 11q13 region. This gene (named ZFPL1, for zinc-finger protein-like 1) is expressed strongly in the exocrine pancreas as a 1.4-kb polyadenylated RNA encoding a putative protein of 310 amino acids. A mouse EST contig predicts an equally sized murine protein with 91% amino acid sequence identity to the human protein. No significant homology with known proteins could be found through database screening. However, zinc-finger-like domains and leucine-zipper-like motifs in the predicted ZFPL1 protein were identified, suggesting the presence of DNA-binding and dimerization domains possibly involved in transcription regulation. This notion is supported by the presence of a putative bipartite nuclear localization signal. This paper presents the full-length cDNA sequence for this gene, its genomic structure and chromosomal orientation, and expression studies by Northern blot hybridization and RNA in situ hybridization.

This paper contains a sensitivity analysis of the effects of physical parameters on radar backscatter coefficients from a vegetation canopy using the method of principal component analysis. A Monte Carlo forward scattering model is used to generate the necessary data set for such analysis. The vegetation canopy is modeled as a layer of randomly distributed circular disks bounded below by a Kirchhoff rough surface. Data reduction is accomplished by the statistical principal component analysis technique in which only three principal components are found to be sufficient, containing 97% of the information in the original set. The first principal component can be interpreted as volume-volume backscatter, while the second and the third as surface backscatter and surface-volume backscatter, respectively. From the correlation matrix obtained, the sensitivity of radar backscatter due to various physical parameters is investigated. These include wave frequency, moisture content, scatterer's size, volume fraction, ground permittivity and surface roughness.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Twenty cases of hepatic granulomas seen in the Department of Medicine over the period of 8 years from 1981-1988 were reviewed. Prolonged fever and jaundice were the commoner presentations. While the aetiology was varied, patients with tuberculosis and idiopathic causes formed the major groups. There were also 2 rare causes, one due to cytomegalovirus infection and the other a result of allopurinol hypersensitivity. The idiopathic group of cases fared well but those with tuberculosis did badly and 2 out of 6 died. The absence of pulmonary involvement and the high incidence of jaundice and liver dysfunction in the patients with tuberculosis were the other striking features.

Top-yellowing of peas, stunting and yellowing of dwarf beans. and leaf roll of broad beans in Canterbury, New Zealand, were found to be due almost entirely to infection with subterranean clover red...

Three sap-transmissible viruses, Australian lucerne latent virus (ALLV), lucerne transient streak virus (LTSV), and alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), were detected in 8.2%, 3.5%, and 2.3% respectively of samples collected from symptom-less lucerne crops. We conclude, from differences in their incidence between young and older crops, that ALLV and LTSV spread more slowly than AMV. The high level of ALLV in young crops may be due to introduction by seed transmission. The possible effects of these viruses on crop yield and the possible influence of chemical control measures for lucerne aphids are discussed.

A study was carried out on 41 cases of early gastric cancer over a five year period (1983-1987) based on resected stomach specimens. Males (29) outnumbered females (12) by 2.4:1. Mean age was 63 years (Range 30-80 years), and there was an overwhelming Chinese preponderance (40, 97.6%). The indications for endoscopy were: dyspepsia (24, 58.5%), gastro-intestinal bleeding (14, 34.1%) and follow up of megaloblastic anaemia (3, 7.4%). The diagnosis of malignancy was unsuspected at endoscopy in 38 patients and the commonest finding was a chronic ulcer (35, 85.4%). Most of the lesions were located in the body (24, 58.5%) and along the lesser curvature (36, 87.8%). Depressed lesions (Type III and combined IIc + III) were the commonest macroscopic lesions. Intestinal type carcinoma was the commonest microscopic type (34, 82.9%). Submucosal infiltration was present in 19 (47.3%) and lymph node metastases in 4 (9.8%). There was only one death from carcinoma of the stomach (mortality 2.4%).

A retrospective study of 22 patients with cancer of the pancreas seen in a medical department was carried out. The mean age was 61.7 years, although the youngest was only 32 years. Weight loss, pain and jaundice were the most frequent presenting symptoms. Hepatomegaly and jaundice were the most common physical findings. The gall bladder was palpable in 27.3%. Serum alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin and ESR were raised in most cases. Ultrasound examination was done in 72.7% of cases and was diagnostic in 62.5% with 12.5% falsely negative. Five patients had CT scan of the abdomen, of which 4 were diagnostic. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram was positive in all the 8 patients where it was carried out. The cancer was of the pancreatic head in 72.7%. Gallstones were present in 22.7%. Secondary tumour involvement of the liver was present in 40.9%. Laparotomy was performed in 11 patients of which only 2 had a curative procedure (Whipple's operation). The overall prognosis was very poor: 54.5% died during the same admission.

Cardiac Amyloidosis was first observed by Vichow in 1957. Since then many more cases have been documented, but there has been no case report of mortality from severe cardiac involvement in the local literature. We describe one such case seen in the Singapore General Hospital and review briefly the clinico-pathological data on this uncommon entity.

This paper evaluates the haemodynamics of intravenous Acebutolol (SECTRAL) (0.5 mgm/Kgm) in the acute phase of myocardial infarction uncomplicated by hypertension, cardiac failure or conduction abnormalities. Nineteen observations were made on 15 consecutive patients. Haemodynamic parameters were recorded just before, and at 15 and 30 min after injections, using Swan-Ganz Catheter-Thermister and Edslab Cardiac Output Computer (9520) in the Intensive Care Unit. All patients survived; none had extension of infarction. The Heart Rate dropped by 9 +/- 1% (+/- SEM) (from 90.2 +/- 4.0 to 81.6 +/- 3.1 per min, P less than 0.001) but systolic and mean Blood Pressures were not significantly altered. Pulmonary Capillary Pressure was elevated by 2.5 +/- 6% (from 11.6 +/- 0.8 to 14.4 +/- 0.9 mmHg P less than 0.001) but cardiac failure hardly ever developed clinically. The mean Pulmonary Arterial Pressure rose by 10 +/- 2% (P less than 0.005) while the Right Atrial mean increased from 6.0 +/- 1.0 to 8.3 +/- 1.3 mm Hg (P less than 0.005). Although the Cardiac Index was depressed by 11 +/- 2% (from 3.0 +/- 0.1 to 2.7 +/- 0.1 L/min/M2; P less than 0.001), the Stroke Index remained virtually unaffected. Myocardial oxygen consumption per min as reflected by Heart Rate x BP product declined by 12 +/- 2% (P less than 0.001), while the Stroke Work Index was lowered by 9 +/- 3% (P less than 0.005). The haemodynamic profile indicates that intravenous Acebutolol in uncomplicated infarcts is well tolerated, and that it could be employed with advantage to manipulate determinants of myocardial oxygen consumption through reduction of Heart Rate Pressure product and Stroke Work Index.

Gastric cancer is one of the commonest malignancies in Singapore. 330 to 350 new cases are reported annually. Only about 8% of these cases undergo curative resection and the rest receive some form of palliative surgery. Early gastric cancer (i.e., cancer limited to mucosa and submucosa) is rarely diagnosed in Singapore. This paper presents 11 cases of early gastric cancer treated successfully by various Departments of Surgery over the past 5 years. All patients are well and free of tumour to date. The aim of this presentation is to remind clinicians of the importance of detecting early gastric cancer which has more than 90% 5 year survival rate.

1000 consecutive blood donors had their liver functions studied. 110 donors (11%) were found to have raised ALT of more than twice normal levels. 29 donors had liver biopsies done. Histologically 23 had fatty change, 5 had chronic persistent hepatitis and 1 had liver cirrhosis. Fourteen out of the 23 donors with fatty change also had hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia. Viral serology of the 110 donors showed that 3 donors were HBsAg positive, 5 donors were Anti-HAV (IgM) positive and 20 donors were Anti-HBc (IgM) positive. Majority of donors with raised ALT had fatty liver on biopsy with only 6 donors having significant findings of chronic persistent hepatitis and cirrhosis. Serologically, most of the donors (74.5%) with raised ALT had no markers of Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, CMV or EBV. An interesting finding is the high incidence (18%) of positive, Anti HBc (IgM) in donors with raised ALT.

Fifty-five Chinese healthy asymptomatic Hepatitis Bs Antigen carriers, 49 males and 6 females, were studied over a six year period, 1978 to 1984. Seventeen patients (30.9%) had normal transaminases, and 38 patients (69.1%) had fluctuating levels of transaminases throughout the period of study. 83.6% of patients were below 40 years, and mean age was 29.5 years (range 18 to 49 years). Twenty three patients (41.8%) had liver biopsy, and a spectrum of chronic liver diseases was seen, with Chronic Lobular Hepatitis (CLH) and Chronic Persistent Hepatitis (CPH) being the commonest. Six patients (26.1%) had normal histology, seven patients (30.4%) had CLH, seven patients (30.4%) had CPH, two patients (8.7%) had Chronic Active Hepatitis (CAH), and one patient (4.4%) with Active Cirrhosis (AC). An attempt to correlate the severity of histological changes with the levels of transaminases at the time of biopsy failed to show any definite correlation. However, three patients with transaminases of more than four times normal had severe liver diseases (2 CAH and 1 AC).

Hepatocellular carcinoma afflicts mainly Chinese Singaporeans 75/77 (97.4%), of which 71/77 (92.2%) of the patients are males. It is rare below the 3rd decade of life (1.3%), with the peak incidence occurring in the 5th to 7th decade of life (68.5%). Common presenting features are hepatomegaly (85.7%), jaundice (63.6%), and right hypochondrial pain (51.9%). Liver function tests were abnormal in 98.7%. Alpha-foetoprotein were positive in 61/77 (79.2%) of patients. Hepatitis B surface Antigen were positive in 43.75 (57.3%) of patients. Radiology and ultrasound studies demonstrated that 70.1% had lesions involving both lobes at diagnosis. Only 4/77 (5.1%) had surgical resections of the tumour. 50/65 (76.9%) died within six months of diagnosis, 11/65 (16.9%) survived for one year, 1/65 (1.5%) for 1 1/2 years, 1.65 (1.5%) for 2 years and 2/65 (3.0%) for more than 2 1/2 years; the longest survivor is still alive, at 4 1/2 years after diagnosis.

Sixty-one consecutive cases of ulcerative colitis from the Department of Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, over a 16-year period (1971 to 1986) were reviewed. Mean duration of follow-up was 35.9 months (range 2 months to 16 years). Fifty-one (83.6%) cases were diagnosed in the last 8 years. Sex ratio was almost equal (males 30, females 31) and mean age was 38.2 years. All racial groups were affected but a predilection among Indians (21.3%) was observed. At presentation, the disease was mild in 36 (59.0%), moderate in 14 (22.9%) and severe in 11 (18.1%) patients. Fifty-two (85.2%) patients had symptoms of at least one month's duration before presentation. The 3 commonest symptoms were haematochezia (95.1%), diarrhoea (95.1%) and mucoid stools (83.6%). Extraintestinal manifestations of disease such as backache (8.2%), peripheral arthritis (6.5%), iritis (6.5%) and liver disease (1.6%) were uncommon. Severe intestinal complications include toxic megacolon (1.6%), colonic perforation (1.6%) and massive gastrointestinal haemorrhage (1.6%). Haematological and biochemical indices at presentation generally reflected the activity and severity of disease. The disease was limited to the rectum and sigmoid colon in 12 (19.7%) patients, extended up to the splenic flexure in 16 (26.2%), up to the hepatic flexure in another 16 (26.2%) and involved the whole colon in 17 (27.9%). Pseudopolyposis was present in 13 (21.3%) patients. Of 49 patients: (a) 18 (36.7%) had remission and were relapse free subsequently (b) 14 (28.6%) had infrequent relapses (less than 3 x/year) (c) 3 (6.1%) had frequent relapses (greater than 3 x/year) (d) 10 (20.4%) had chronically active disease (e) 4 (8.2%) had a short fulminant course terminating in death.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Fifty consecutive patients (32 males and 18 females) with cholestatic jaundice were examined by grey-scale ultrasound from June 1981 to June 1983. All patients were studied without access to case notes. All patients had a diagnosis established by subsequent liver biopsy, clinical course, surgery or autopsy. Using the presence or absence of a dilated biliary system as the criterion, intrahepatic or extrahepatic cholestasis was correctly differentiated in 48 of the 50 patients, giving an overall accuracy of 96%. All 16 patients with intrahepatic cholestasis were correctly identified. Two of the 34 patients with extrahepatic cholestasis, each of whom had biliary stones, were misdiagnosed as intrahepatic cholestasis. In the 34 patients with extra-hepatic cholestasis, site of obstruction was defined in 55.9%, and specific aetiology diagnosed in 44.1%. Ultrasound proves to be an accurate method for the evaluation of cholestatic jaundice, and would have a definite value as a screening test before proceeding to invasive studies.

To study the effects of Methotrexate (MTX) on the liver, light microscopic examination of liver biopsies from 18 consecutive patients with moderate to severe psoriasis receiving MTX seen between 1981-1985, were carried out. All patients received MTX (mean dosage of 1808 gm, mean duration of 88 months) prior to biopsy. There were 12 males, 6 females, with mean age of 55.1 yrs (range 39-77 yrs). All patients were HBsAg negative, non diabetic, and with no significant drug history or alcohol intake. Twenty liver biopsies were examined. Attempts to correlate severity of histological changes to dosage and duration of MTX therapy; and to the levels of raised SGPT at biopsy, failed to show any definite relationship. A variety of histological changes were seen in liver biopsies of MTX treated psoriatics, with 2 patients showing progression of histological changes following repeat biopsy.

We report a case of perforation of the colon from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presenting initially with diarrhoea and later with acute abdominal symptoms. She was found to have widespread arteriolitis involving the colon resulting in necrosis, ulceration and perforation with peritonitis and ultimately, death from septicaemia. Although intra-abdominal symptoms are not uncommon in cases of SLE, actual involvement of the gastrointestinal tract of a degree severe enough to warrant surgical intervention is a relatively uncommon phenomenon.

Eight cases of abdominal tuberculosis from the Department of Medicine, Singapore General Hospital are reported to illustrate the varied clinical manifestations of the disease. Presentation ranged from asymptomatic hepatomegaly to acute abdomen (intestinal obstruction/perforation). Chronic non-specific symptomatology (fever, weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, jaundice) was commonest. There were three patients with hepatic tuberculosis, two with tuberculous mesenteric lymphadenitis and three with intestinal tuberculosis, two of whom had concomitant tuberculous peritonitis. Only three patients had coexisting pulmonary tuberculosis. The diagnosis was unsuspected at presentation in four patients. Initial provisional diagnoses included typhoid, abdominal lymphoma, hepatic malignancy, chronic hepatitis and iatrogenic gut perforation. All patients responded totally to conventional antituberculous therapy.

Nine cases of Crohn's disease from the Department of Medicine, Singapore General Hospital were collected over a duration of 9 years (1978-1986). Male (5): Female (4) ratio was nearly equal. Predominantly young people (mean age 30.5 year, range 12-59 year) from all races in Singapore were affected. Presentation could be acute (1), subacute (2), or chronic (6). The commonest symptoms were abdominal pain (8) diarrhoea (6) and weight loss (6). Three patients had a palpable right iliac fossa mass, 3 had definite malabsorption from ileal disease and 1 had perianal involvement leading to an anal stricture. The only extraintestinal manifestations of disease were clubbing and sacroiliatis. Haematological (haemoglobin, total white count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and biochemical (albumin) parameters generally reflected the degree of activity and chronicity of disease prior to presentation. The diagnosis and assessment of disease sites were based on a combination of radiological, endoscopic, operative and histological criteria. Ileal disease (4) per se was commonest followed by ileocolic disease (3) and colonic disease (2). Medical treatment consisted of sulphasalazine +/- steroids in all patients. Azathioprine and metronidazole were used for steroid sparing and perianal disease respectively. Laparotomy was performed in 2 patients. Six patients were well with infrequent (less than or equal to 2 times/year) or no relapses during follow up. Of the remaining three, 2 had either chronically active disease or frequent relapses (greater than 2 times/year) and one severe recurrent disease despite repeated gut resection.

Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) is a rare cholestatic condition seen locally. Its etiology is unknown and it is commonly associated with ulcerative colitis, another rare condition seen locally. In this report, 2 patients with PSC, both Indian males, had ulcerative colitis and in one PSC was diagnosed some 15 years later. An interesting feature common to both patients was that of intra-hepatic ductal involvement. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram (PTC) and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatogram (ERCP) showed characteristic stricturing and beading of the intra-hepatic ducts.

Forty consecutive cases of liver abscess from the Department of Medicine III, Singapore General Hospital, from 1978 to July 1983 were reviewed. Nineteen (47.5%) were amoebic, 15 (37.5%) pyogenic and 6 (15%) of unknown aetiology. Of the first 20 cases from 1978 to 1980, amoebic abscesses (60%) predominated. An increased incidence of pyogenic abscess constituting 50% was seen in the next 20 cases. Though all racial groups were affected, a predilection among Indians was seen. Males outnumbered females (4:1), and peak incidence occurred in the 40 to 70 age group (62.5%). Fifty percent presented early (less than one week of symptoms) to hospital. Common physical signs were fever (97.5%) and hepatomegaly (92.5%). Investigations showed leucocytosis in excess of 10,000 WBCs/cmm (87.5%), an ESR of 80 mm/hr (80%) and an elevated alkaline phosphatase of at least twice normal (73.6%). Single abscesses (72.5%) located in the right lobe were more likely to be amoebic. Where abscesses were multiple, they were more likely to be pyogenic (63.6%). Two-thirds of the pyogenic abscesses were due to either Klebsiella species or E. coli. Medical treatment consisted of broad spectrum antibiotics, usually in combination with metronidazole. Aspiration or drainage (open or closed) was employed when indicated. These were carried out more often for pyogenic than amoebic abscesses. Amoebic abscesses responded faster to treatment compared to pyogenic abscesses. Mortality in the first 20 cases prior to 1981 was 30%, being mainly confined to pyogenic abscesses. However, after 1981, there has been no mortality in the ensuing 20 cases.