Alasdair H.B. Fyfe

Pneumatic dilatation in childhood cardio-achalasia

Abstract Three boys with achalasia of the cardia were treated with balloon dilatation, with relief of obstruction and weight gain in all cases. Symptoms recurred in one patient, who then underwent myotomy rather than further dilatation. We recommend dilatation as the primary procedure in childhood achalasia.

Open versus prone retroperitoneoscopic partial nephrectomy in children: A comparative study

PURPOSE To compare the outcomes of open (OPN) and prone retroperitoneoscopic partial nephrectomy (PRPN) in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS The medical and radiological records of all children undergoing OPN and PRPN over a 6-year period (2002-2008) were reviewed. RESULTS Thirty-nine (11 boys/28 girls) partial nephrectomies were performed in a single institution. There were 24 OPNs (15 upper, 9 lower) and 15 PRPNs (13 upper, 2 lower) with a median age at surgery of 2.3 years and 3.4 years, respectively. Median duration of surgery was 50 min (range 30-180) for the OPN and 150 min (range 70-205) for the PRPN (P < 0.001). Median postoperative hospital stay was 4 days (range 2-7) for the OPN and 2 days (range 1-5) for the PRPN (P < 0.001). One patient in the OPN underwent a total nephrectomy with a loss of the remaining moiety. In 20 (87%) patients of the OPN group an epidural infusion was administered and four required a morphine infusion, while only five patients in the PRPN group required a morphine infusion. CONCLUSIONS Open partial nephrectomy had a significantly shorter operative time, but it was associated with a longer postoperative stay and higher analgesia requirements when compared to PRPN.

Amir A F Azmy

Amir Azmy died after a serious illness borne stoically: even close friends and colleagues were unaware of the gravity of his situation. Many knew him as very friendly, open, and generous, but he was essentially a private man and always a gentleman, especially in his manners and dress. Amir exuded good humour and humanity, and on the rare occasion when his ire was raised he invariably suffered most. Amir was born near Alexandria in Egypt in 1939 and was one of a successful family of six brothers and a sister. He first came to the UK in 1970 to undertake training in surgery, working in Glasgow and London (including Westminster, Carshalton, and Great Ormond Street). Despite a short return to a lecturer post in Azhar University in Cairo, his future lay in Britain. In London, Amir worked with Herbert Eckstein, Duncan Forrest, and Jeremy Lawson, among others. Like all trainees of his day, …