Robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) was introduced as a further development of the conventional minimally invasive esophagectomy, aiming to further improve the high morbidity and mortality associated with open esophagectomy. We aimed to compare the outcomes between RAMIE and open esophagectomy, which remains a popular approach for resectable esophageal cancer. Ten studies meeting our inclusion criteria were identified, including five retrospective cohort, four prospective cohort, and one randomized controlled trial. RAMIE was associated with significantly lower rates of overall pulmonary complications (odds ratio (OR): 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI): [0.26, 0.56]), pneumonia (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: [0.26, 0.57]), atrial fibrillation (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: [0.29, 0.98]), and wound infections (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: [0.07, 0.57]) and resulted in less blood loss (weighted mean difference (WMD): −187.08 mL, 95% CI: [−283.81, −90.35]) and shorter hospital stays (WMD: −9.22 days, 95% CI: [−14.39, −4.06]) but longer operative times (WMD: 69.45 min, 95% CI: [34.39, 104.42]). No other statistically significant difference was observed regarding surgical and short-term oncological outcomes. Similar findings were observed when comparing totally robotic procedures only to OE. RAMIE is a safe and feasible procedure, resulting in decreased cardiopulmonary morbidity, wound infections, blood loss, and shorter hospital stays compared to open esophagectomy.

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the most common special type of breast carcinoma, accounting for 5–15% of all breast carcinoma cases. Its metastatic pattern differs from that of invasive breast carcinoma of no special type, with ILC metastases to the peritoneum, gastrointestinal tract, and female genital tract being more frequent. This literature review focuses on ILC cases with metastasis to the female genital tract (FGT). Searches were conducted in medical databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using specific keywords. Inclusion criteria centered on studies presenting one or more cases of patients with ILC metastasis to the FGT and English language publications. Exclusion criteria included articles that did not present original research findings, studies with insufficient data, and publications in languages other than English. A thorough analysis of 154 results from PubMed, 56 from Scopus, and 173 from Web of Science after the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria resulted in the inclusion of 54 manuscripts describing 61 cases. The demographic, clinicopathological, and therapeutic aspects of ILC metastases to the FGT were reviewed and the differential diagnosis and prognosis for each anatomic location in the FGT were discussed separately. Our analysis of the data showed that the restricted mean survival time was 186 ± 30.7 months and that a negative ER on a secondary tumor was found to be linked to worse patient survival rates. Also of note is the fact that in 37.7% of cases there was involvement of multiple FGT anatomic locations and in 36% of cases there were metastases in organs or anatomic locations other than the FGT. To our knowledge, our study is the only one to describe the features of patients with secondary FGT involvement from ILC.

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) has worldwide prevalence. The primary objective of this systematic review was to compare penetrating keratoplasty (PK) and deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) regarding the efficacy and complications of the treatment of corneal scarring caused by herpes simplex keratitis. Out of the 469 articles identified during the combined search of the literature based on the PubMed and Cochrane libraries, 10 retrospective and 2 prospective studies published from January 2010 to December 2019 were included. The study outcomes indicated that both surgical approaches resulted in a comparable improvement of visual acuity (VA). However, DALK demonstrated fewer complications in the majority of studies. Higher graft survival rates were associated with higher acyclovir (ACV) doses (above 800 mg/day), topical steroid and antibiotic drops. In conclusion, in terms of postoperative VA, both PK and DALK demonstrate comparable efficacy. However, DALK, which is applied in less severe HSK cases, is associated with fewer complications and better graft survival rates. High dosages of ACV, topical steroids and antibiotics contribute significantly to improved postoperative outcomes.

From January 2020, coronavirus has caused more than three million deaths. Lockdown has been enforced in many countries worldwide, affecting the emergency department visits of many surgical specialties. The purpose of this study was to present the difference in trends in pediatric emergency department visits from March 1 to May 30, 2020, compared to the same 3-month period in 2019 in a tertiary university hospital in Greece, which was one of the referral centers for COVID-19 patients. A 42.5% reduction in emergency department visits was observed. In 2020, only 196 patients visited the pediatric surgery emergency department, versus 341 patients in 2019 (p<0.05). The reasons for visiting the emergency department did not change in most categories. Even though visits to the emergency department were reduced, the rates of the distance of the patient’s residency from the hospital remained roughly the same. Hospital admission rates remained roughly the same. Even though there was a huge decrease in numbers, the reasons for visiting the ED remained roughly the same. The only exception was indoor accidents, which increased in 2020.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma is the most common histological type of renal cancer, which is a common cancer type usually associated with a long clinical course. During this course, various metastatic sites can be observed. In this review, we have focused on metastases to the thyroid gland. We conducted research in three medical databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using the same search algorithm. Our inclusion criteria focused on case reports and case series studies since 2011, covering therapeutic strategies for the primary and/or metastatic disease, as well as subsequent follow-up data. Studies with insufficient or uncertain data, or written in a language other than English, were excluded. An analysis of 510 articles from PubMed, 1729 from Scopus, and 649 from Web of Science, after application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulted in 77 reports, analyzing 189 patients. A description of the clinical, pathological, ancillary, and follow-up data, in the light of recent therapeutic schemes, was attempted. Our results suggest that metastases’ imaging features comprised more commonly a solitary nodule with a median size of 3.5 cm and worrisome features in ultrasonography, such as heterogeneity, hypoechogenicity, partially solid configuration, and variable internal vascularization. Histological and immunohistochemical examination of the lesion is necessary because these findings are not specific. Common non-thyroid metastases are seen in the urogenital system, lungs, and pancreas. We calculated the restricted mean survival from primary diagnosis at 274.6 months (95% CI: 264.3–285.0 months) and the restricted mean survival from thyroid metastases treatment at 93.9 months (95% CI: 65.3–122.4 months). Results regarding how patient characteristics affect these survival numbers were statistically nonsignificant (p > 0.05).