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Aim: The aim of this study is to measure the diameter of the cystic artery using computed tomography in patients undergoing emergency surgery for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis, as well as to understand the role of cystic artery diameter in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis, and to investigate its association with clinical data, laboratory data, and computed tomography findings. Methods: A total of 187 patients admitted to the general surgery clinic between 2019 and 2023, comprising 123 individuals as the patient group and 64 individuals as the control group, were reviewed in terms of their radiological images, demographic data, and laboratory parameters. The patients' surgical records, laboratory parameters, and computed tomography scans taken during the diagnosis were investigated. Results: The diameter of the cystic artery was measured, and a cut-off value of cystic artery diameter >1.9 mm was found to be sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis (AUC: 0.852, 94% sensitivity, 75% specificity, p 1.9 mm was found to be highly specific for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. This study suggests that the measurement of cystic artery diameter can be used as an additional criterion in the evaluation of computed tomography for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis.

Aim: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a common method for patients who cannot be oral-fed. This study aims to evaluate the demographic characteristics, indication of PEG and early ( days) complications of PEG patients performed in our hospital over four years. Material and Method: The study is a retrospective study. This study includes patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopy gastrostomy between 2016-2020 in the endoscopy unit and intensive care units in the general surgery clinic of our hospital. The age, gender, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, PEG indications, the day of hospitalization, the complications, if any, and the day the complications developed were recorded on the computer. Complications before 30 days were divided into groups as early complications and those developing after 30 days of late complications. Results: A total of 207 patients the PEG procedure. When PEG indications were examined, it was observed that the most common cause was cerebrovascular events with a rate of 44.93%. Complications were observed in 19 (9.18%) of the patients after the procedure. 68.42% (13) of complications were seen before 30 days. In the evaluation, which was grouped as non-complicated and complicated patients, no significant difference was observed between age, gender, systemic diseases, time to PEG procedure, endoscopic or surgical opening, and mortality rates. Conclusion: Although PEG is a more invasive method compared to other methods in terms of enteral nutrition, it is the most preferred feeding method due to its low complication rate, fast and easy application, and low cost. PEG is recommended for eligible patients who are scheduled for long-term enteral nutrition.

Aim: This study aims to compare the early results of laparoscopic and open surgery of gastric cancer, which is the sixth most common cancer in all age groups and both genders. Materials and Methods: Patients who were operated on for gastric cancer between May 2018 and October 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The data of patients who underwent laparoscopic and open surgery were collected and short-term results were compared. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine the normal distribution, mean+standard deviation, and median (minimum-maximum) were used for continuous values. Student-t-test was used for parametric measurements and the Mann-Whitney-u test was used for non-parametric measurements. The chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Results: The results of 140 patients included in the study were analyzed. In laparoscopic surgery, the length of stay in the intensive care unit was shorter and the number of lymph nodes removed was found to be higher. Length of hospital stay and postoperative complications were similar. The operation time was longer in laparoscopic surgeries. Conclusion: Considering the results of this study, in which we compared our short-term results, we can predict that laparoscopic gastric resection can be safely performed by experienced surgeons in appropriate centers. As surgical experience increases, we believe that laparoscopy, which is the gold standard in surgeries such as gallbladder, appendectomy, and prostatectomy, may become the gold standard in gastric cancer surgery in the future.

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected healthcare service systems and personnel worldwide. Important decisions have been made such as surgical activity changes, recommendations to cancel elective surgery, and shifting surgeons to other medical activities. However, following the collection of new data and acceptance that this pandemic would last for at least a few years, firstly elective cases and then laparoscopic operations were started again. While it was reported that the COVID-19 virus was detected in the abdominal cavity in studies published in the form of series of a few cases, there is no clear information about the virulence of this detected virus yet. In guidelines published as recommendations by surgical associations, it is stated that it could be performed by taking the necessary precautions, but open surgery needs to be preferred in positive cases. We aimed in this study to show minimally invasive surgery is safe with all the precautions made preoperatively for both patients and surgical crew. Material and Method: We retrospectively examined the laparoscopic cases included between August 2020 and December 2020 at the General Surgery Clinic of the Hitit University Erol Olçok Research and Training Hospital from the hospital’s information system. We collected the ages of the found cases, their preoperative COVID diagnostic tests, and their COVID polyclinic visitation data in their postoperative follow-up. We also examined whether or not the surgical team involved in the surgeries of these patients was diagnosed with COVID-19 within 2 weeks following these surgeries. Results: A total of 124 laparoscopic cases were included at our clinic between August 2020 and December 2020. Most of these cases (68.5%) were laparoscopic cholecystectomy cases. A total of 124 laparoscopic cases were included at our clinic between August 2020 and December 2020. Most of these cases (68.5%) were laparoscopic cholecystectomy cases. The surgical team comprised the surgical nurse and operating room personnel under the leadership of the surgeon. Based on verbal questioning, it was determined that no person from the team involved in these surgeries was infected with SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion: In our study, as a result of our application of all these recommendations in the literature, we did not encounter any contamination in the 124 laparoscopic surgery cases we examined. In conclusion, we think that laparoscopic surgery may be performed safely with taking the necessary precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic period.