Ottavio Adorisio

Effectiveness of primary endoscopic incision in treatment of ectopic ureterocele associated with duplex system

OBJECTIVES To report our experience with the endoscopic treatment of ectopic ureterocele to demonstrate its long-term effectiveness. Endoscopic treatment is often recommended as the initial and definitive treatment in patients with ureterocele. METHODS A total of 46 children with ectopic ureterocele in a duplex system underwent primary endoscopic incision from January 1998 to January 2006. The mean follow-up was 3.8 years. Of the 46 children, 35 had been diagnosed prenatally and 11 had been diagnosed after birth because of a urinary tract infection. Low-dose antibiotic prophylaxis was administered to all children and was maintained until voiding cystourethrography showed no reflux. The pre- and postoperative evaluation included clinical assessment, ultrasound evaluation, diethylenetriaminepentacetic acid renography, and cyclic voiding cystourethrography. RESULTS Ureterocele decompression was achieved in 43 patients (93%). Three patients required additional surgery for persistent ureterocele (1 underwent ureteroureterostomy and 2 ureteropyelostomy). None of our patients showed deterioration of renal function after the procedures. Vesicoureteral reflux was seen in the lower moiety of the ipsilateral kidney in 14 patients (30%). Of the 14 patients with vesicoureteral reflux, 10 had spontaneous resolution. The remaining 4 underwent endoscopic correction. Five patients (10%) developed de novo vesicoureteral reflux in the ipsilateral ureterocele moiety. Of these 5 patients, 3 were treated with endoscopic injection and 2 had spontaneous resolution after 6 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Our data have shown that primary endoscopic puncture of a ureterocele is a simple, long-term, effective, and safe procedure, avoiding complete reconstruction in most patients.

Reliability of bladder volume measurement with BladderScan® in paediatric patients

Objective. To evaluate the reliability of estimates of bladder volume (BV) in children made with the BladderScan® BVI 2500 (BS) and their agreement with standard ultrasound (US) measurements. Material and methods. BV was measured using both US and BS in 92 children (41 females, 51 males; age range 3 months to 16 years) who underwent standard US measurements for various reasons. Patients were stratified into three groups according to age (3–35, 36–83 and >83 months) and BV (<20%, 20–50% and >50% of expected bladder capacity for age). US and BS measurements were compared by means of the percentage difference and Pearsons correlation coefficient (r); limits of clinical agreement were evaluated by means of Bland–Altman analysis. Results. Overall, a difference of −12.9% and a correlation coefficient of r=0.98 were found between US and BS. The percentage difference was higher in younger patients (−27.8%) and for low volumes (−24.8%). Correlation analysis confirmed this trend in different age (3–35 months, r=0.74; 36–83 months, r=0.93; >83 months, r=0.97) and BV (<20%, r=0.70; 20–50%, r=0.94; >50%, r=0.97) groups. Bland–Altman analysis showed large limits of clinical agreement between the two methods in terms of overall measurements (−45 to 29.3 ml) and in both age (−25.3 to 56.9 ml) and BV (−27.5 to 52.5 ml) groups. Conclusions. A good correlation between US and BS measurements of BV was found in children aged >7 years and in those with a BV >20% of expected bladder capacity. Thus, BS avoids the need for standard US equipment to assess BV for schoolchildren with voiding dysfunction. Nevertheless, a dedicated BS instrument should be used in younger children.

The impact of perinatal urinoma formation on renal function: our experience and review of the literature.

Introduction:  A urinoma is a fluid mass consisting of extravasated urine in the perirenal space. Its impact on renal function was analysed.

The Obalon swallowable intragastric balloon in pediatric and adolescent morbid obesity

Background and study aims Incidence of morbid obesity has grown dramatically in the last half century and this phenomenon affects with particular severity the pediatric population. Dietary restrictions and careful programs to improve lifestyle are often ineffective to manage this particular group of patients, due to poor compliance typical of the adolescence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new intragastric balloon for treatment of morbidly obese children. Patients and methods A new swallowable intragastric balloon (Obalon) has been used for the first time in 17 obese children in order to assess its safety and effectiveness in terms of reduction in excess weight. In 9 of 17 children a second balloon was placed 30 to 40 days after the first insertion. All devices were endoscopically removed after a mean time of 18 weeks. Results In the group of 16 patients who completed the study (1 patient still under treatment) mean weight decreased from 95.8 ± 18.4 Kg to 83.6 ± 27.1 (P < 0.05). Mean body mass index (BMI) decreased from 35.27± 5.89 (range 30.4 – 48) to 32.25 ± 7.1 (range 23.5 – 45.7) (P > 0.05); mean excess weight, calculated according to Cole’s curves for pediatric populations, decreased from 36.2 ± 15.9 to 29.4 ± 18.3 Kg (P = 0.14), with an %EWL of 20.1 ± 9.8 (range 2.3 – 35.1). Waist circumference decreased from 109 ± 12.3 cm to 99 ± 10.5 cm (P < 0.05). Conclusions Obalon can be administered easily without complications, inducing an appreciable weight loss with a statistically significant reduction in BMI and an improvement in associated comorbidities.

The importance of patient selection in the treatment of distal hypospadias using modified Koff procedure

OBJECTIVE We present our experience in the treatment of distal hypospadias using a modified Koff procedure, emphasizing the importance of patient selection for a good outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 2003-2008, 90 patients, mean age 52.1 months, underwent surgical repair of distal hypospadias using urethral advancement according to Koff, modified with a Ψ incision on the tip of the glans. Meatal defect was glanular in six (8%), subglanular in 24 (26%) and coronal in 60 (66%) cases. Mild chordee was present in 19 patients (21%). Follow-up was 8-66 months. All patients were evaluated in terms of cosmetic results, and early and late postoperative complications. RESULTS All patients showed excellent cosmetic results with urethral meatus on the tip. There was only one postoperative fistula due to extensive use of electrocautery during urethral mobilization that was surgically corrected 8 months after appearance. One patient had a postoperative meatal stenosis treated conservatively. No cases of residual chordee were detected. CONCLUSIONS Successful use of the modified Koff procedure depends on careful selection of patients. Good candidates are those with distal or mid-shaft hypospadias, presenting with: (1) absence or low degree of ventral chordee; (2) distal plate of urethra well developed; (3) distance between meatus and tip of glans at most 10-12 mm; and (4) glanular morphology preserved.

Analysis of readability and quality of web pages addressing both common and uncommon topics in pediatric surgery

INTRODUCTION The quality medical information on Internet is highly variable. The aim of this study is to determine if Web pages addressing four common pediatric surgical topics (CT) and four uncommon pediatric surgical topics (UT) differ significantly in terms of quality and/or characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed an Internet search regarding four CT, addressing more frequent clinical conditions with an incidence≤1:1.500 children (inguinal hernia, varicocele, umbilical hernia, and phimosis) and four UT addressing less frequent clinical conditions with an incidence≥1:1.500 children (anorectal malformation, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, and omphalocele), using a popular search engine (Google). We evaluated readability with the Flesch reading ease (FRE) and the Flesch-Kincaid grade (FKG) and quality of content using the site checker of the HON Code of Conduct (HON code) for each website. RESULTS In this study, 30/40 websites addressing CT versus 33/50 addressing UT responded to our criteria. No differences statistically significant in advertisements between the two groups were found (15 vs. 16%) (p>0.05). No differences were found in terms of time from last update, owner/author type, financial disclosure, accreditation, or advertising. CT had higher quality level according to the HON code (6.54±1.38 vs. 5.05±1.82) (p<0.05). Mean FRE was 47.38±14.27 versus 46.24±14.56, respectively, for CT and UT (p>0.05). The mean FKG was 8.1±1.9 for CT versus 8±1.9 for UT (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Websites devoted to pediatric surgical topics have higher readability and quality information for disease diagnosis and natural history. Otherwise, the quality of pediatric surgical information on the Internet is high for CT and UT. A high reading level is required to use these resources.

Cobb's collar: a rare cause of urinary retention

Cobbs collar is a membranous stricture of the bulbar urethra, often misdiagnosed, potentially leading to acute urinary retention, upper urinary tract dilations, enuresis, infectious diseases, poor streaming and haematuria. A 14-year-old boy with a history of previous hospitalisations came to our attention. A Cobbs collar was diagnosed and successfully managed with a videoendoscopic one-step approach. Although extremely uncommon, paediatric urologists must be aware of this congenital anomaly. A correct and timely diagnosis and endoscopic management may affect positively the clinical onset of these patients avoiding major urethral surgery and preserving renal and bladder function.

YouTube and Pediatric Surgery. What Is the Danger for Parents

Internet became one of the most important sources of public health informations especially for relatives and/or caregivers of sick children. Use of YouTube as a source of information in pediatric surgery has not been evaluated. In this study, we want to evaluate the use of YouTube as a source of information about one of the most frequent surgical urgency in pediatric patients, the acute appendicitis, to evaluate the risks for patients and parents.

The importance of a multidisciplinary approach in a child with major abdominal penetrating trauma.

We present a case of a 2-year-old girl who had a lawn mower accident with subtotal gut evisceration, multiple ischemic intestinal lesions, hepatic and gastric wounds, amputation of the left forearm, and hypovolemic shock. Prompt and adequate management was carried out in tertiary level institution, based upon quick evaluation of the lesions, fluid resuscitation, surgical repair, and postoperative admission to the pediatric intensive care unit.

Enterobius Vermicularis as a Cause of Intestinal Occlusion: How To Avoid Unnecessary Surgery.

Enterobius vermicularis may cause infections of the gastrointestinal tract and occurs approximately in 4% to 28% of children worldwide. It is most common in children aged 5 to 14 years.The most commonly reported symptoms are pruritus in the perianal region, abdominal pain, urinary tract infection, insomnia, irritability, salpingitis, and appendicitis, whereas intestinal obstruction is a very rare but would be considered to perform the right instrumental examination avoiding unnecessary surgical exploration.We report a case of an 8-year-old boy with an intestinal occlusion due to a colonic intussusception by Enterobius vermicularis managed conservatively.