Journal of pediatric surgery
-
We report on 2 sisters presenting with acute torsion of a wandering spleen within a 3-year interval. The diagnosis was made preoperatively by computed tomography (CT) in both cases. A high index of suspicion because of our experience with the first patient, who underwent splenectomy, enabled a correct early diagnosis in the sibling. On urgent surgery, reversible ischemic changes were found, and detorsion and splenopexy resulted in preservation of the spleen.
-
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue tumor of childhood. Patient age, size, histologic finding, and site of the tumor are primary determinants of prognosis in RMS. Chest wall RMS is a site in which the limitations of surgical excision are realized. We aim to determine the impact of surgical excision in chest wall RMS. ⋯ The most significant impact on outcome in chest wall RMS patients is metastatic disease at diagnosis. The locoregional failure rate is high but does not appear to impact survival. Alternative treatment strategies are needed for chest wall RMS, but aggressive surgical excision may not be necessary.
-
Comparative Study
Quality-of-life outcomes after surgical correction of pectus excavatum: a comparison of the Ravitch and Nuss procedures.
The purpose of this study was to compare clinical and health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) outcomes within a group of patients treated for pectus excavatum (PE). ⋯ Patients undergoing surgery for PE by either Nuss or Ravitch procedure have similar clinical and HRQL outcomes, but as a group have poorer HRQL scores than age-matched population norms.
-
Multicenter Study
Mortality prediction in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
A validated risk stratification tool for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is required for accurate outcomes analyses. Existing mortality-predictive models include those of the CDH Study Group (CDHSG) based on birth weight and 5-minute Apgar score, the Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN) based on gestational age and admission score in Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology version II, and the Wilford Hall/Santa Rosa clinical prediction formula (WHSR(PF)) derived from blood gas measurements. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the calibration and discrimination of these predictive models using the Canadian Pediatric Surgical Network dataset. ⋯ Predictive outcome models are essential for risk-adjusted outcome analysis of CDH. The ideal predictive equation should prove robust across CDH datasets.
-
Case Reports
Abdominal cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome after blunt abdominal trauma in an 11-year-old girl.
Chronic abdominal pain is a common complaint in children. Pain originating from the abdominal wall is often overlooked. Nevertheless, recognizing this type of pain prevents unnecessary examinations (Editorial: Abdominal wall tenderness test: could Carnett cut costs? Lancet. 1991, 337:1134). ⋯ The treatment also is equally simple and effective. We describe an 11-year-old girl with ACNES after blunt abdominal trauma, what we believe has not been reported before. Abdominal wall pain, for example, caused by ACNES, as other types of chronic pain, has a serious impact on a child's well-being and future coping mechanisms with disease and health behavior.