Murat Kemal Cigdem

Late Presentation of Bochdalek-Type Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in Children: A 23-Year Experience at a Single Center

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to report on our 23-year experience of treating children with late-presenting congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), focusing on diagnostic difficulties, associated anomalies, and morbidity.MethodWe reviewed 19 children in whom Bochdalek-type CDH was diagnosed after the neonatal period, between 1983 and 2005.ResultsThere were 14 boys and 5 girls, with a mean age of 18.3 months (range, 5 weeks–14 years). Ten (52.6%) of the patients presented with respiratory symptoms and five (26.3%) with gastrointestinal symptoms. The diagnosis of CDH was based on the findings of chest X-rays, gastrointestinal tract contrast radiographs, and computerized tomography findings. The CDH was on the left side in 16 patients and on the right side in three patients. A hernia sac was present in seven (36.8%) patients. The only postoperative complications were intestinal obstruction caused by adhesions, incisional hernia, and eventration of the diaphragm in one patient each. None of the patients died within this study period.ConclusionThe possibility of a delayed presentation of CDH should be considered in the differential diagnosis of recurrent non-specific respiratory or gastrointestinal tract symptoms in a child. A plain roentgenogram with a swallowed nasogastric tube might assist in the diagnosis. Early surgical correction of the diaphragmatic defect is crucial for preventing life-threatening complications.

When to resect and when not to resect an asymptomatic Meckel's diverticulum: an ongoing challenge

Abstract. To determine the morbidity and mortality of Meckels diverticulum (MD) as a cause of acute abdominal disorders and to evaluate the relationship between patient age, MD complications, and postoperative complications. We reviewed 74 patients who underwent surgery between 1990 and 2000 for an acute abdominal syndrome with a MD diagnosed intraoperatively. Forty children were treated before 1995 and reviewed retrospectively, while the remaining 34 were reviewed prospectively. The average age was 4.8 years; the male/female ratio was 2.5/1; 34 (46%) were less than 2 years old, 32 were between 2 and 8 years, and 8 were older than 8 years. None of the symptoms was suggestive of the diagnosis of MD. Thirty-nine MDs were asymptomatic (21 intussusception, 18 volvulus), but all were the secondary cause of the acute abdomen. The remaining 35 children had a symptomatic MD (diverticulitis in 14, diverticular bleeding in 11, diverticular perforation in 10). The risk of complications due to a MD occurring in children under 2 years and between 2 and 8 years of age was significantly higher compared to children older than 8 years (P = 0.02). Postoperative complications occurred more commonly in children between 2 and 8 years of age compared to other patients. There is thus an increased risk of morbidity in a symptomatic MD in patients less than 2 and between 2 and 8 years of age, and there is no predictive factor for the development of diverticular complications. Resection of the MD is recommended in all children younger than 8 years, including asymptomatic ones, in the absence of absolute contraindications.

Nonoperative Management of Pancreatic Injuries in Pediatric Patients

PurposeNonoperative management of minor pancreatic injury is the generally accepted approach. However, the management of major pancreatic injury remains controversial in pediatric patients. The aim of the present study was to determine the safety and efficacy of nonoperative management of pancreatic injury in pediatric patients.MethodsBetween 2003 and 2009, 31 patients, 28 male and 3 female, with pancreatic injury due to blunt abdominal trauma were treated in our clinic. All patients were evaluated by ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and evaluation of serum amylase levels. Patients with ongoing hemodynamic instability after resuscitation or signs of bowel perforation underwent immediate laparotomy, and the remaining patients were conservatively treated. Conservative treatment consisted of nasogastric tube replacement, total parenteral nutrition, monitoring of amylase levels, and serial clinical examination.ResultsThe most common mechanism of injury was a fall (35.4%). Ten patients (32.2%) had associated extraabdominal injuries, and 18 patients (58.1%) had associated abdominal injuries. The spleen was the most common site of intra-abdominal injury that was associated with pancreatic trauma. Initial amylase levels were normal in 5 patients, whose CT scans revealed pancreatic injury. Twenty-five patients (80.6%) were conservatively treated. Six patients (19.4%) required surgical intervention because of a hollow viscus or diaphragmatic injury and hemodynamic instability. A pseudocyst developed in 11 of the 25 patients who were nonoperatively treated; 6 patients required intervention for the pseudocyst (percutaneous drainage and cystogastrostomy). No patient succumbed to injury.ConclusionsThe majority of the pancreatic injuries in pediatric patients can be successfully treated conservatively, unless there is hemodynamic instability and a hollow viscus injury. The most common complication is a pseudocyst.

Effects of whole blood, crystalloid, and colloid resuscitation of hemorrhagic shock on renal damage in rats: an ultrastructural study.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to determine the effects of whole blood, crystalloid, and colloid treatment on histopathologic damage of kidney induced by hemorrhagic shock in rats. METHODS Fifty-six male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 8 groups. The carotid artery was cannulated, and systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), heart rate (HR), and rectal temperature (RT) were observed during the procedure. The jugular vein also was cannulated, and the SAP was decreased by aspiration of 75% of blood through the jugular vein in the control (nonresuscitated) and study (resuscitated) groups, whereas blood was not diminished in the sham group. The hemorrhagic shock was permitted to last 45 minutes; then, the study group rats were resuscitated with heparinized shed autologous whole blood (WB), normal saline (NS), Lactated Ringers solution (LR), hydroxyethyl starch 6% (HES6), hydroxyethyl starch 10% (HES10), or dextran 40 (D40). Histopathologic evaluation was performed under light and electron microscope. RESULTS The RT, SAP, and DAP decreased, and HR increased significantly in the control and study groups during the shock period compared with those of sham group. After volume resuscitation, these parameters changed to preshock levels. Electron and light microscopic examinations of kidneys showed severe proximal tubular degeneration with moderate glomerular damage in the control group; moderate proximal tubular degeneration with mild glomerular damage in the NS, LR, HES6, and HES10 groups; and mild proximal tubular degeneration with no evidence of glomerular damage in the WB and D-40 groups. CONCLUSIONS The characteristic ultrastructural features of hemorrhagic shock appear to be severe tubular degeneration and mild to moderate changes in glomeruli. Resuscitation of hemorrhagic shock with whole blood or dextran 40 solution appears to be most favorable therapy in preventing ultrastructural renal damage in rats.

Traumatic diaphragmatic rupture in children

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to describe our experience with traumatic diaphragmatic rupture (TDR). Very little has been written about this condition in the pediatric age group. METHODS Between January 2000 and December 2011, data on twenty-two patients with TDR were analyzed, and clinical data were recorded. The patients were divided into subgroups based on injury type and ISS values. RESULTS Four patients were female, and eighteen were male. Mean age was 9.4 years (range 2-15 years). TDR was left-sided in twenty (91%) patients and right-sided in two (9%). The mean ISS (Injury Severity Score) was 19 (range 11-29). No significant difference in morbidity was noted between firearm and other injuries (p=0.565) or between ISS values below and above 16 (p=0.565). Seven patients (32%) had isolated diaphragmatic injury, while the other fifteen cases had additional associated injuries. Diagnoses were determined via a chest radiograph alone in the majority of cases, while suspected cases were confirmed by multidetector computed tomography if the patients were hemodynamically stable. Herniation was observed in twenty patients. Primary suture of the diaphragm and tube thoracostomy were performed in all patients. Postoperative complications included ileus (two cases), intussusception (one case), empyema (one case), and one patient succumbed during the operation. CONCLUSIONS TDR, while uncommon, should be considered in cases of thoracoabdominal injury. All patients should undergo meticulous examination preoperatively. When the chest radiograph does not provide a definitive diagnosis, multidetector computed tomography, including multiplanar reconstruction or volume rendering, may be beneficial for confirming suspicion of diaphragmatic rupture.

Selective nonoperative management of penetrating abdominal injuries in children.

BACKGROUND Nonoperative management of solid organ injuries caused by blunt abdominal trauma has been the standard care for many years. However, operative management is considered the standard care for penetrating abdominal trauma by most surgeons. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of selective nonoperative management of penetrating abdominal trauma in children. METHODS A total of 90 children suffering from penetrating abdominal trauma between 2003 and 2008 were evaluated. Patients who had hemodynamic instability or signs of bowel perforation underwent an immediate laparotomy. The remaining patients were observed with serial clinical examinations, radiologic evaluation, and hemoglobin level. RESULTS There were 76 boys and 14 girls. The mean age was 9.9 years (range, 1-16 years). The mechanism of injury was stab wound in 60 patients (67%) and gunshot in 30 (33%). The most commonly injured organ was bowel (51.7%). Omentum or bowel was eviscerated through wound in seven patients; none of these patients had organ injury. Although 51 (56.6%) were treated nonoperatively, 39 patients (43.4%) required surgical treatment (19 of 60 stab wound, 20 of 30 gunshot). Of the 39 patients who underwent surgery, 6 (15.3%) were found to have no significant organ injury during surgery. Of the all, 51 patients who were initially followed nonoperatively, two patients required surgery. There were two complications. CONCLUSION The majority of abdominal stab wound and many gunshot wounds can initially be managed nonoperatively in children, when there is no hemodynamic instability or signs of hollow viscus perforation.