Background: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into clinical workflows holds promise for enhancing outpatient decision-making and patient education. ChatGPT, a large language model developed by OpenAI, has gained attention for its potential to support both clinicians and patients. However, its performance in the outpatient setting of general surgery remains underexplored. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether ChatGPT-4 can function as a virtual outpatient assistant in the management of puerperal mastitis by assessing the accuracy, clarity, and clinical safety of its responses to frequently asked patient questions in Turkish. Methods: Fifteen questions about puerperal mastitis were sourced from public health care websites and online forums. These questions were categorized into general information (n=2), symptoms and diagnosis (n=6), treatment (n=2), and prognosis (n=5). Each question was entered into ChatGPT-4 (September 3, 2024), and a single Turkish-language response was obtained. The responses were evaluated by a panel consisting of 3 board-certified general surgeons and 2 general surgery residents, using five criteria: sufficient length, patient-understandable language, accuracy, adherence to current guidelines, and patient safety. Quantitative metrics included the DISCERN score, Flesch-Kincaid readability score, and inter-rater reliability assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: A total of 15 questions were evaluated. ChatGPT’s responses were rated as “excellent” overall by the evaluators, with higher scores observed for treatment- and prognosis-related questions. A statistically significant difference was found in DISCERN scores across question types (P=.01), with treatment and prognosis questions receiving higher ratings. In contrast, no significant differences were detected in evaluator-based ratings (sufficient length, understandability, accuracy, guideline compliance, and patient safety), JAMA benchmark scores, or Flesch-Kincaid readability levels (P>.05 for all). Interrater agreement was good across all evaluation parameters (ICC=0.772); however, agreement varied when assessed by individual criteria. Correlation analyses revealed no significant overall associations between subjective ratings and objective quality measures, although a strong positive correlation between literature compliance and patient safety was identified for one question (r=0.968, P<.001). Conclusions: ChatGPT demonstrated adequate capability in providing information on puerperal mastitis, particularly for treatment and prognosis. However, evaluator variability and the subjective nature of assessments highlight the need for further optimization of AI tools. Future research should emphasize iterative questioning and dynamic updates to AI knowledge bases to enhance reliability and accessibility.

Objective: Our study aims to explore the predictive value of the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score, calculated from routine blood te...

BACKGROUND Rectal cancer has increased in incidence, and surgery remains the cornerstone of multimodal treatment. Pelvic anatomy, particularly a narrow pelvis, poses challenges in rectal cancer surgery, potentially affecting oncological outcomes and postoperative complications. AIM To investigate the relationship between radiologically assessed pelvic anatomy and surgical outcomes as well as the impact on local recurrence following rectal cancer surgery. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 107 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma treated with elective rectal surgery between January 1, 2017, and September 1, 2022. Pelvimetric measurements were performed using computed tomography (CT)-based two-dimensional methods (n = 77) by assessing the pelvic inlet area in mm², and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based three-dimensional techniques (n = 52) using the pelvic cavity index (PCI). Patient demographic, clinical, radiological, surgical, and pathological characteristics were collected and analyzed in relation to their pelvimetric data. RESULTS When patients were categorized based on CT measurements into narrow and normal/wide pelvis groups, a significant association was observed with male sex, and a lower BMI was more common in the narrow pelvis group (P = 0.002 for both). A significant association was found between a narrow pelvic structure, indicated by low PCI, and increased surgical morbidity (P = 0.049). Advanced age (P = 0.003) and male sex (P = 0.020) were significantly correlated with higher surgical morbidity. Logistic regression analysis identified four parameters that were significantly correlated with local recurrence: older age, early perioperative readmission, longer operation time, and a lower number of dissected lymph nodes (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the narrow and normal/wide pelvis groups in terms of the operation time, estimated blood loss, or overall local recurrence rate (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION MRI-based pelvimetry may be valuable in predicting surgical difficulty and morbidity in rectal cancer surgery, as indicated by the PCI. The observed correlation between low PCI and increased surgical morbidity suggests the potential importance of a preoperative MRI-based pelvimetric evaluation. In contrast, CT-based pelvimetry did not show significant differences in predicting surgical outcomes or cancer recurrence, indicating that the utility of pelvimetry alone may be limited in these respects.

AIM: Differentiating complicated appendicitis (CA) from uncomplicated appendicitis (UA) is a critical aspect of preoperative evaluation that influences surgical planning and patient outcomes. This study explored the role of the immature granulocyte count (IG#) and percentage (IG%) as accessible and reliable biomarkers to enhance the diagnostic precision of CA. METHODS: This retrospective observational study analyzed 482 emergency appendectomies performed at a single tertiary hospital between January 2020 and June 2023. After excluding 23 cases due to haematological disorders, malignancies, additional procedures, or incomplete data, 459 patients were included in the final analysis. Patients were categorized into the UA and CA groups based on histopathological examination. CA was defined as a perforation or gangrene. Laboratory parameters, including IG#, IG%, and inflammatory markers, were compared between groups. RESULTS: Among the 459 patients, 386 (84.1%) had UA and 73 (15.9%) had CA. The median age of CA patients was significantly higher than that of UA patients (36 vs. 33 years, p = 0.016). CA patients also demonstrated significantly elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), direct bilirubin, white blood cell count (WBC), IG#, IG%, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) compared to UA patients (p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis identified an IG# cut-off of 0.06 (area under the ROC curve [AUROC] = 0.699, sensitivity = 68.5%, specificity = 65.2%) and an IG% cut-off of 0.35 (AUROC = 0.663, sensitivity = 75.3%, specificity = 49.6%). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, none of the evaluated laboratory parameters, including WBC count (Odds ratio (OR): 1.133, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.979–1.313, p = 0.095), IG# (OR: 0.000, 95% CI: 0.000–1.595, p = 0.056), IG% (OR: 6.740, 95% CI: 0.873–52.064, p = 0.067), and NLR (OR: 1.070, 95% CI: 0.980–1.169, p = 0.131), remained significant independent predictors of CA. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated IG# and IG% levels were associated with CA in univariate analysis; however, they did not remain significant independent predictors in the multivariable model. Although the potential of these markers may still provide complementary information in certain clinical scenarios, further large-scale prospective studies are needed to better define their role in clinical practice.

Objetivo: Explorar el valor predictivo del puntaje HALP, calculado a partir de análisis de sangre sistemáticos que miden los niveles de hemoglo...

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), one of the most frequently performed operations within the scope of bariatric surgery, creates a remnant stomach containing the fundus, corpus and antrum where gastric acid and pepsinogen are synthesized in significant amounts. Although rare complications such as bleeding, perforation and ischemia occur regarding the remnant stomach. A 47-year-old male patient who was operated on for open RYGB 10 years ago was admitted to the emergency department with complaints of abdominal pain and deterioration in his general condition. The patient who had widespread tenderness in the abdomen was unstable on physical examination. It was observed that the remnant stomach was perforated 2.2 cm from the anterior surface of the corpus at emergency laparotomy after defining the upper gastrointestinal anatomy with the aid of peroperative endoscopy. The patient whose remnant stomach was resected was discharged uneventfully on the 5th postoperative day. The approach to remnant gastric perforations due to benign causes is the same as for gastric perforations. Laparotomy is indicated in unstable patients.