Journal of pediatric surgery
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Review Case Reports
Tension gastrothorax: a case report and review of literature.
Tension gastrothorax develops when the stomach, herniated through a congenital diaphragmatic defect into the thorax, is massively distended by trapped air. We report a case of tension gastrothorax and review the literature. ⋯ Tension gastrothorax is a life-threatening condition leading to acute and severe respiratory distress. The presence of air-filled structure in left hemithorax in a previously healthy child presenting with acute respiratory distress should prompt the inclusion of tension gastrothorax in the differential diagnosis.
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Biography Historical Article
Giovanni Battista Morgagni and his contribution to pediatric surgery.
Pediatric surgery is a less than a century old surgical specialty. However, early knowledge of human malformations and pediatric surgical conditions dates back to centuries before. One of the main contributors to progress in these fields was Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682-1771), who also had a substantial weight in the development of future pediatric surgery. ⋯ He was also the first to describe pediatric pathological conditions like epispadia, meconium peritonitis, Crohn's disease, and coarctation of the aorta. Finally, he substantially contributed to the understanding of the pathophysiology of conditions like the vesico-ureteral reflux, the anterior wall defects (gastroschisis/omphalocele), and the spina bifida. For this, it was said of him: "If all the anatomical findings made by Morgagni should bear his name, probably one third of human body would be called Morgagni's."