Editorial & Patient Consent Policy

Editorial Standards

All cases published on Rare Surgical Cases are reviewed by the author (Dr. Vasilios M. Penopoulos, MD) and reflect documented clinical encounters from his career at the General Hospital of Thessaloniki "G. Papanikolaou".

Cases are selected for their educational value — rarity, diagnostic complexity, operative challenge, or outcome significance. The platform does not accept sponsored case content.

Patient Consent

All cases are published with informed patient consent or, for retrospective cases where consent cannot be obtained, under applicable Greek and EU ethical guidelines for medical case publication (consistent with GDPR Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Greek Law 3418/2005).

Written consent is obtained using the platform's bilingual (Greek/English) consent form, which covers:

• Publication of clinical text and diagnostic information
• Publication of operative and clinical photographs
• Publication on digital platforms and in print
• Future indexing and educational reuse

De-identification Standards

Before publication, all cases undergo de-identification:

• Names, dates of birth, and patient identifiers removed
• Specific dates replaced with approximate timeframes
• Identifying image metadata (EXIF, DICOM) stripped
• Facial features and identifying tattoos/marks masked where present

Corrections & Takedowns

If you believe any published content contains identifiable patient information, please contact us immediately at [email protected]. We will review and act within 72 hours.

Conflict of Interest

The author declares no conflicts of interest. No case content is influenced by device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, or commercial entities.

Last updated: April 2026