Mediastinal mature cycstic teratomas are rare germ cell tumors most commonly found in the anterior mediastinum, and constitute about 3-12% of all mediastinal tumors. They growslowly and are usually diagnosed incidentally. This is a rare presentation of a young lady with mediastinalmature cystic teratoma (dermoid cyst) presenting with chronic cough and haemoptysis.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of death in the industrialized world. Obesity is one of the risk factor for developing CAD and also postoperative morbidity and mortality. However, in published articles the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and outcome of coronary artery bypass graft surgery depict conflicting results. This study evaluated the relationship between BMI and outcome of isolated coronary artery bypass graft performed in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). Cardiothoracic Unit HUSM is a referral centre for east coast of West Malaysia. Data was retrospectively collected from the medical records retrieved from the hospital record office. All patients who underwent isolated CABG in Cardiothoracic Unit, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia Kubang Kerian, Kelantan from November 2001 till October 2004 were identified and their demographic and clinical data were collected. Patients were divided into non overweight (BMI= or <25 kg/m2) and overweight (BMI>25 kg/m2) group. Data was then analyzed using SPSS version 12.0. There were 141 patients who underwent isolated CABG over the three year period. There were 80 patients with BMI < or =25 kg/m2 and 61 patients with BMI of >25 kg/m2. The demographic data of the two groups were similar. There was no statistical significant differences in the outcome of isolated coronary artery bypass graft. In conclusion, body mass index does not influence the outcome of isolated coronary artery bypass graft.

Introduction: Thyroid enlargement is one of the common surgical presentations in the Department of Surgery, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). Among them, benign non-toxic multinodular goiter constitutes one third (30%) of patients who underwent thyroidectomy. Common complications of thyroidectomy include recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury, hypocalcaemia, and recurrence of the thyroid lesion. Objective & Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with multinodular goiter treated in HUSM between January 1996 and December 2005. A total of 111 patients were studied and 52 of them underwent subtotal thyroidectomy while 59 underwent total thyroidectomy. The outcome in terms of RLN injury, hypocalcaemia and mass recurrence were analyzed. Results: Post operative complications were studied in both groups. Permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve injury occurs in 2.4% (1 case) in subtotal thyroidectomy group compared to total thyroidectomy group (3.6%, 2 cases). Five cases from total thyroidectomy group suffered from permanent hypocalcaemia but none in the other group. 70.7% (29 cases) from subtotal thyroidectomy group have functional remnant of thyroid tissue. Recurrence rate post subtotal thyroidectomy after 5 years is only 4.9% (2 cases). Conclusion: The post operative outcome in patients who underwent subtotal thyroidectomy in HUSM from January 1996 to December 2005 was better than total thyroidectomy with significant functional thyroid remnant.