Charles E. Bagwell

Circulating pro- and counterinflammatory cytokine levels and severity in necrotizing enterocolitis.

Objectives. To evaluate the relationship between the severity of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and circulating concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-8 and counterinflammatory cytokines IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and IL-10. These cytokines have been associated with bowel injury or inflammation and may be released more slowly or later than previously examined cytokines. Also, to determine if any one of these cytokines will predict the eventual severity of NEC when measured at symptom onset. Method. Serial blood samples at onset, 8, 24, 48, and 72 hours were obtained from newborn infants with predefined signs and symptoms of NEC. Normal levels were defined from weight-, gestation-, and age-matched controls. Concentrations of the four cytokines were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared throughout the time period by stage of NEC, using sepsis as a co-factor. Mean concentrations of each cytokine at onset were compared with the controls. Threshold values were obtained with the best combination of high sensitivity and high specificity for defining stage 1 NEC or for diagnosing stage 3 NEC at onset. Results. There were 12 cases of stage 1, 18 cases of stage 2, and 6 cases of stage 3 NEC included in the study, as well as 20 control infants. Concentrations of IL-8 and IL-10 were significantly higher in infants with stage 3 NEC from onset through 24 hours compared with infants with less severe NEC. At onset, concentrations of all four cytokines were significantly higher in stage 3 NEC. To identify, at onset, the infants with a final diagnosis of stage 3 NEC, an IL-1ra concentration of >130 000 pg/mL had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 92%. At 8 hours, an IL-10 concentration of >250 pg/mL had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 90% in identifying stage 3 NEC in infants with symptoms suggestive of NEC at onset. Conclusions. The severity of NEC and its systemic signs and symptoms are not due to a deficiency of counterregulatory cytokines. In fact, mean concentrations of IL-1ra in NEC are higher than what has been reported in other populations. The cytokines IL-8, IL-1ra, and IL-10 are released later or more slowly after a stimulus and may be more useful in identifying, within hours of symptom onset, which infant will develop significant NEC.

Balloon dilatation of long-segment tracheal stenoses

Although a rare anomaly, congenital tracheal stenosis is associated with a high mortality. Surgical approaches proposed for this life-threatening lesion have included resection of localized stenoses; tracheoplasty involving interposition of cartilage, periosteum, or pericardium via an anterior tracheal split; or esophageal anastomosis to a posterior tracheal split. None of these techniques have provided uniformly satisfactory results, and all entail significant morbidity associated with the tracheal anastomosis. We have used endoscopic balloon dilatation in four children with critical airway obstruction from long-segment tracheal stenoses. In each of these patients, symptoms began early in life (from 2 weeks to 6 months of age) and consisted of respiratory distress from upper airway obstruction or recurrent episodes of stridor and chest retractions requiring hospitalization. The location of the tracheal stenoses varied, involving the upper third, middle third, middle half, and distal half of the trachea in the patients encountered. At bronchoscopy, the lumen was judged to be less than or equal to 1 mm in three of these patients. Dilatation was accomplished using Gruentzig balloon catheters in sizes ranging from 3 mm to (eventually) 8 mm, and produced a posterior split in the complete tracheal rings responsible for the stenosis in all patients, resulting in great increases in airway lumen. All children were improved following balloon dilatation, and three are currently doing well at 2.5, 3.0, and 3.0+ years postdilatation. One infant eventually died of airway obstruction incurred by severe bronchomalacia distal to the tip of an endotracheal tube that had been passed to the carina after sequential balloon dilatations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pseudomembranous colitis following resection for Hirschsprung's disease☆

Enterocolitis is the most common cause of significant morbidity and death in Hirschsprungs disease. Although most cases respond to nasogastric decompression, antibiotics, and colonic evacuation, some children have an unusually fulminant or protracted clinical course. Four cases are reported of pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) that developed 1 to 18 months (mean, 8 months) after definitive surgery for Hirschsprungs disease (Soave endorectal pull-though, 2; Duhamel procedure, 2). While all children presented with fever, abdominal distention, and diarrhea, indistinguishable from typical Hirschsprungs enterocolitis, the clinical course was fulminant in two cases, both of whom died of septic shock. Postmortem examination in both showed extensive colonic pseudomembranes despite identification of Clostridium difficile toxin and subsequent vancomycin therapy (initiated late in the clinical course). Two children in the series had protracted hospitalizations and eventually required diverting enterostomy despite recognition of C difficile toxin and treatment with enteral vancomycin, in one child necessitating multiple courses of antibiotic therapy. Awareness of the virulence of PMC associated with Hirschsprungs disease (even after definitive resection) should prompt submission of stool specimens from any child who presents with enterocolitis for both C difficile culture and toxin levels. On the basis of our experience it is our policy to initiate a prompt course of vancomycin by rectal lavage or nasogastric tube in all children with Hirschsprungs enterocolitis, pending culture results, in view of the significant morbidity and mortality exemplified by cases in this review.

Unilateral pulmonary agenesis, esophageal atresia, and distal tracheoesophageal fistula

A small-for-gestational-age, premature infant with the combination of unilateral pulmonary agenesis, esophageal atresia, and distal tracheoesophageal fistula was treated successfully by early gastrostomy and delayed fistula division with esophagoesophagostomy. Only 2 other successfully treated cases have been reported previously. Both were full-term infants treated with early division of the tracheoesophageal fistula and esophagoesophagostomy. Gestational age, size, and associated medical problems need to be considered when planning operative therapy for these babies.

CO2 laser excision of pediatric airway lesions

Treatment of life-threatening pediatric airway lesions has been greatly enhanced by development of the CO2 laser. Using this modality, endoscopic access and precise tissue destruction are possible with minimal local inflammation and subsequent edema of the narrow airway. From October 1986 through October 1988, 26 patients underwent 96 laser procedures for excision of airway lesions, in 23 patients via bronchoscopy and in three patients via microlaryngoscopy. Ages ranged from 1 day to 20 years, with most patients under 2 years of age. Diagnoses included: laryngeal cysts (1); cystic hygroma (3); tumor (neurofibroma, 1) subglottic hemangioma (1); excision of airway granulation tissue (8); and tracheal stenosis (13, including subglottic stenosis in 9). Therapy of the offending lesion required from one to eight laser procedures (mean, 2.8), excluding one patient with congenital long-segment tracheal stenosis who required 24 laser treatments for repeated excision of tracheal granulation tissue. Most lesions responded to only one or two laser treatments. No bleeding or perforation occurred secondary to laser use. Use of the laser was responsible for salvaging the airway or simplifying management of the airway in 21 of the 26 patients. In three patients with cystic hygroma affecting the laryngeal structures as well as soft tissues of the neck, laser excision was performed to maintain upper airway patency with a tracheostomy for airway control. Two patients with critical subglottic stenosis initially responded to laser excision, but moved away from the area and developed recurrence of their subglottic stenosis requiring tracheostomy, because further laser treatment was either unavailable or was deferred in their new locale.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ischemic bowel after primary closure for gastroschisis

Between 1983 and 1986, four newborns who had primary closure of gastroschisis had postoperative ischemic bowel. Suspicion was raised almost immediately after closure that something was wrong inside the abdomen when there was persistent acidosis, sepsis, abdominal wall redness, and a generalized worsening condition. All four neonates were re-explored. Necrotic bowel was found, and three required silon pouch closure. The two survivors were left with a temporary short gut. Whether the cause of the bowel ischemia in the four babies was due to excessive intraabdominal pressure, volvulus, or the intestines being too vigorously manipulated, is speculative. Therefore, excessive manipulation and compression of gastroschisis contents seem unwise; if such a newborn has persistence of the above signs and symptoms, immediate reoperation and decompression are warranted.

Mural thrombi in children: potentially lethal complication of central venous hyperalimentation.

While benefits of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) are well documented in a wide range of surgical conditions, deaths of two children secondary to mural thrombi from central venous catheters underscore the potential risks of such therapy. With the proven accuracy and widespread availability of echocardiography for diagnosis of mural thrombi, routine surveillance of all patients receiving TPN via central venous catheters is recommended, if fevers are present or if Candida is isolated on blood cultures. While treatment may involve surgical intervention, most mural thrombi will respond to thrombolytic agents. New approaches to long-term venous access are needed to prevent this lethal complication.

Anterior cricoid split for subglottic stenosis

Subglottic stenosis is a common problem that often results from ventilatory support necessary in the premature infant. Previous methods of treatment include tracheostomy with dilatation of the stenosis, steroid injections, and procedures to stent the trachea. Results of these methods have been unsatisfactory because of the multiple procedures needed to obtain an adequate airway as well as the high mortality from long-term tracheostomy in infants. In the past 2 years, seven infants have undergone an anterior cricoid split for tight subglottic stenosis and airway obstruction. Of the seven patients, six were premature, five of whom required ventilatory support ranging from 4 to 30+ days. Each child presented in respiratory distress with symptoms present in five children from 1 to 11 months (mean 3.8) after birth. Bronchoscopy identified the site of obstruction in each case as subglottic, with a narrow lumen, usually less than 2.5 mm in diameter. Anterior cricoid split was performed at ages ranging from 2 to 11 months (mean 5.0). All children were extubated at 10 to 14 days and subsequently discharged home asymptomatic; none required postoperative tracheostomy. Complications developed in five children, including atelectasis, otitis media, phlebitis, and tracheocutaneous fistula in two, one of whom required operative closure. One child was rebronchoscoped at 3 weeks postoperatively for bronchospasm, which resolved on aminophylline. The subglottic trachea was normal. At follow-up ranging from 2 to 21 months (mean 8.3), no child has symptoms referrable to the subglottic region. In one patient, a brief period of respiratory distress recurred 3 months postoperatively due to tracheomalacia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hazards of Splenic Embolization

Perceived high operative risk for splenectomy in children with hematologic disorders and hypersplenism has led to attempts at transcatheter splenic embolization (TSE) as a possibly safer alternative. A recent experience with a child who presented with an apparent acute subcapsular hematoma after TSE and who underwent complicated emergency splenectomy prompted review of the risks and complications of TSE. Although theoretically attractive in many respects, TSE is associated with significant morbidity. The resultant diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties of this procedure can potentially complicate patient management, and the often life-threatening sequelae warrant considerable restraint in its use. In addition, TSE often fails to produce the desired, long-term hematologic response. Because of the morbidity and risk associated with TSE, primary operative intervention is advised for most children in whom splenectomy is indicated. Morbidity associated with the direct operative approach may be minimized by judicious use of blood components and by meticulous surgical technique.

Pediatric surgery in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, although a small country of only 55,000 square miles, is the worlds eighth most populous nation, and its 90 million inhabitants occupy a land of harsh economic conditions. One half of this dense population is children, 90% of whom suffer from parasitic infestations, 10% are affected with neonatal tetanus, and one half are severely malnourished. Health care resources are scarce with one physician and hospital bed for about every 10,000 persons. A 1-month stay in Bangladesh at the Dhaka Shishu Hospital, made possible by the Canadian Association of Paediatric Surgeons, afforded an invaluable opportunity to be involved in Pediatric Surgery in such a setting. During the month, over 40 major pediatric surgical procedures were performed, including sequestrectomy, drainage of parietal wall abscess, and resection of massive neoplasms. Many unusual pathologic conditions, not commonly seen in Western countries, were encountered including canker otis, tuberculous ileitis, and ascaris-induced small bowel obstruction. In the setting of widespread malnutrition and limited diagnostic aids, appropriate surgical treatment remains crucial in many serious childhood conditions. Awareness of some of the more unusual infections and parasites seen in Third World nations is of great importance to Western surgeons due to increased travel and immigration and for a perspective on diseases rarely seen in more affluent countries.