Search

Copyright of Ege Journal of Medicine is the property of Ege University, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

OBJECTIVE: The optimal anticoagulant treatment regimen in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is uncertain. This study aimed to compare the rates of disease progression and mortality in patients treated with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) according to baseline d-dimer levels and in those who received a fixed-dose regimen irrespective of the d-dimer level. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to a university hospital for COVID-19 pneumonia during a 1-year period. The protocol for d-dimer-driven therapy (on-protocol) was as follows: prophylactic dose when the baseline level is <1000 ng/mL, intermediate dose when the level is between 1000 and 3000 ng/mL, and therapeutic dose when the level is >3000 ng/mL. We compared the progression and mortality rates between the on-protocol and off-protocol treatment groups. The offprotocol group consisted of patients that received a fixed-dose LMWH regimen, which was not in accordance with the defined protocol. RESULTS: Of 384 patients (mean age 61.5 ± 15.9 years, 216 male), 294 patients with complete data composed the study group, and 174 patients were treated on-protocol and 120 patients were treated off-protocol. The on-protocol group had lower C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and d-dimer levels and higher SpO2/FiO2 levels at admission. Disease progression developed in 45/174 on-protocol patients (25.9%) vs. 53/120 off-protocol patients (44.2%) during the follow-up (P = .001), and mortality was 29 (16.7%) vs. 32 (26.7%), respectively (P = .041). Logistic regression analysis was performed and included age, presence of comorbidities, LMWH regimen, baseline SpO2/FiO2, CRP, and LDH levels as independent variables. The presence of cardiac comorbidity, age, CRP, and LDH levels, but not the LMWH treatment regimen, were associated with both disease progression and mortality. CONCLUSION: A d-dimer-driven LMWH treatment protocol is not associated with better clinical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a patient diagnosed with a parotid tumor whose histopathology was MASC. A 58-year-old female presented with a 5-month history of an enlarging right parotid mass. Ultrasonography showed a 48 × 30 mm heterogeneous solid lesion with a lobulated contour in the right parotid gland. A neck computed tomography (CT) with intravenous (IV) contrast showed a 28 × 34 mm pathological mass in the right parotid gland. After FNA, parotidectomy, and modified radical neck dissection, pathology showed that the surgical margin was positive for tumor, and one lymph node was metastatic in the right neck. This case was classified as T2N1M1 staged MASC of the salivary gland. She completed seven weeks of radiation therapy (RT) after surgery, and no recurrence or metastasis was observed at the 32nd-month follow-up. We aimed to report a rare parotid gland tumor with this case and inspire new research on diagnosing and treating rare salivary gland tumors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synopsis: This report sheds light on the extraordinary presentation of invasive mole with gingival metastasis. There are limited cases on this topic in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate a new surgical technique by the European Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach (TOETVA) Study Group. Methods: This study included 391 patients (47 [(12%]) male and 344 [(88%)] female) who had undergone endoscopic thyroid or parathyroid surgery via the vestibular approach between February 2016 and May 2022 at nine centers. The data were analyzed with regard to complications, surgery time and specimen retrieval. Results: Overall, 376 (96.2%) TOETVA and 15 (3.8%) transoral endoscopic parathyroidectomy vestibular approach interventions were performed with an average surgery time of 145 (± 61.2) minutes and 509 nerves at risk. The specimens were retrieved via a transoral vestibular and retroauricular approach in 66 (16.9%) patients and via a transaxillary approach in 8 (2%). Benign histology including Grave's disease was identified in 272 (69.6%) patients, 1 (0.3%) presented noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasms with papillary-like nuclear features, and 103 (26.3%) showed differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Solitary parathyroid adenoma were removed in 15 (3.8%) patients. Conversion to open surgery was necessary in 13 (3.3%) and revision had to be performed in 2 (0.5%) patients. Transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (RLNP) was present in 18 (4.6%) and permanent RLNP in 2 (0.5%) patients. Fifteen (3.8%) patients experienced transient hypoparathyroidism after thyroidectomy. No case of permanent hypoparathyroidism was observed. Postoperative surgical site infection occurred in 1 (0.3%) patient. Despite a higher rate of sensory and motor disorders and skin discoloration at discharge, permanent disorders were present in only 3 (0.8%) and 16 (4.1%) patients, respectively. Conclusion: Our results show that transoral endoscopic surgery, performed by experienced endocrine surgeons, is a safe alternative to conventional thyroid surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The optimal anticoagulant treatment regimen in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is uncertain. This study aimed to compare the rates of disease progression and mortality in patients treated with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) according to baseline d-dimer levels and in those who received a fixed-dose regimen irrespective of the d-dimer level., Material and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to a university hospital for COVID-19 pneumonia during a 1-year period. The protocol for d-dimer-driven therapy (on-protocol) was as follows: prophylactic dose when the baseline level is <1000 ng/mL, intermediate dose when the level is between 1000 and 3000 ng/mL, and therapeutic dose when the level is >3000 ng/mL. We compared the progression and mortality rates between the on-protocol and off-protocol treatment groups. The offprotocol group consisted of patients that received a fixed-dose LMWH regimen, which was not in accordance with the defined protocol., Results: Of 384 patients (mean age 61.5 ± 15.9 years, 216 male), 294 patients with complete data composed the study group, and 174 patients were treated on-protocol and 120 patients were treated off-protocol. The on-protocol group had lower C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and d-dimer levels and higher SpO2/FiO2 levels at admission. Disease progression developed in 45/174 on-protocol patients (25.9%) vs. 53/120 off-protocol patients (44.2%) during the follow-up (P = .001), and mortality was 29 (16.7%) vs. 32 (26.7%), respectively (P = .041). Logistic regression analysis was performed and included age, presence of comorbidities, LMWH regimen, baseline SpO2/FiO2, CRP, and LDH levels as independent variables. The presence of cardiac comorbidity, age, CRP, and LDH levels, but not the LMWH treatment regimen, were associated with both disease progression and mortality., Conclusion: A d-dimer-driven LMWH treatment protocol is not associated with better clinical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.