[Surgery in hemopathies: experience in ambulatory care and day surgery]

The one day surgery experience of our team developed in many years of a Special Surgical Service in Haematologic Diseases (within the III Surgical Department directed by Prof. G. Di Matteo of the University of Rome "La Sapienza") is herein reported. From 1989 to December 1995, 2,126 haematologic patients (1127 M, 999 F) were operated in day-surgery regimen. Five-hundred-fifty-six patients were over 65 years old. In most cases surgery was required for diagnostic purposes to ascertain the type, the stadiation or re-stadiation of the haematologic disease. Five-hundred-eighty-three operations were carried on the axillary region, 825 on the cervical region, 202 on the supraclavicular region and 163 on the groin region. In 729 patients a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was obtained, while 308 patients resulted affected by Hodgkin lymphoma. In 124 patients metastases from solid tumors (pulmonary, mammary, thyroidal adenocarcinoma, etc.) were found at histologic examination of the specimen. Furthermore, other types of pathologies such as lateral neck cysts, salivary gland adenomas, schwannomas, groin and crural hernias were identified. Outpatient surgery and one day surgery represent a valid procedure for the early diagnosis of haemotologic diseases also taking into account the low cost and the minimal invasiveness.