Laparoscopic repair of intraperitoneal bladder perforation due to indwelling urethral catheter

Intraperitoneal perforation can occur as a rare but life threatening complication of indwelling urethral catheters. Computed tomography (CT) revealed the bladder perforation by the Foley catheter. The injury could not be managed conservatively due to the presence of systemic infection. We present the case of a successful laparoscopic repair of the bladder due to indwelling urethral catheter.

High-grade poorly differentiated retroperitoneal sarcoma. Report of a case and review of the literature

Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) are uncommon tumors associated with a poor prognosis. This is particularly true in case of high-grade sarcomas of specific histological subtypes, as demonstrated by the largest surveys of the last decade. Up to the present day, unfortunately there are no powerful tools available except for surgery. On the other hand, the resection rate of RPS is significantly increased over the last decades allowing to deliver the best treatment available. This paper reports on the case of a young patient who was incidentally diagnosed with a retroperitoneal mass. The patient underwent surgery in our department and the histological report showed a spindle cell sarcoma of high grade of malignancy with an incomplete muscular phenotype. The patient was discharged on the seventh postoperative day and he is still free of local and distant recurrence.

Herniation of the gallbladder within a hernia of the abdominal wall associated with Mirizzi Syndrome

A gallbladder incarcerated hernia associated with Mirizzi syndrome is a very rare entity and to our knowledge this is the first case ever described in literature. An 85-year-old man presented at the emergency department with a tender right upper quadrant mass. Computed Tomography (CT) revealed the presence of a gallbladder lithiasis with signs of acute cholecystitis, herniated through the abdominal wall with an associated Mirizzi syndrome. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and repair of the abdominal wall defect were performed. The patient recovered very well and the postoperative period was uneventful.

Geographical Information Systems and on-line GIServices for health data sharing and management

Integrating Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology and public health experience may represent a solution for a better comprehension of spatial and temporal trends of phenomena. Useful applications can be built that support practitioners in their daily tasks, from risk assessment to prevention programmes. Also, making available data on the Internet through GIServices represents an important goal. Institutions and public health practitioners may benefit from the technological integration of GIS, the Web, handheld and mobile global positioning systems (GPS) devices. Expert users may be supported in deriving thematic maps which represent a spatial synthesis documentation starting from an analytic study expressed in terms of numbers and features. In this paper we show an example of an on-line data sharing and processing application, emphasizing ways GIS can provide added value to health research and management.