Stephen Murphy

Isolated congenital esophageal stenosis

The incidence of congenital esophageal stenosis (CES) is approximately 1 in 25,000 to 50,000 live births. There is associated esophageal atresia in one third of cases; the remainder are classified as isolated CES. Histologically, the anomaly may include tracheobronchial remnants, a membranous diaphragm, or diffuse fibrosis of the muscularis and submucosa. The authors report their experience with three patients who had isolated CES. The patients were free of symptoms for the first 6 months of life. All had difficulty with feeding from 6 to 12 months of age, which corresponded with the introduction of solids. Most solid feedings were regurgitated. Evaluation consisted of cine-esophagogram, pH monitoring, manometry, and endoscopy, with biopsies to exclude the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux. All patients underwent hydrostatic dilatation, but the benefit was only transient. The patients were referred for surgical correction when symptoms recurred. Limited resection of the esophageal stenosis with primary anastomosis was performed on all three patients via a left thoracotomy. The stenoses were located in the distal third of esophagus, near the junction with the middle third. Pathological examination showed tracheobronchial remnants in one patient and fibrotic muscle in the other two. The average age at the time of surgery was 19 months. The hospital stay averaged 8 days. The contrast study 1 week postthoracotomy showed esophageal patency in all patients, with no leakage. All were discharged from the hospital, tolerating solid food. CES should be sought for in patients who present with dysphagia to solid food that begins after the first 6 months of life.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax in children.

In the absence of pediatric data, spontaneous pneumothorax is managed according to adult guidelines. Fifty-eight patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) were treated in our center over the last 20 years. The median age was 16.7 years, and the male:female ratio was 1.9:1. A total of 102 PSP were treated; 63% were left-sided. The risk of recurrence was 51% after one PSP and 56% after two. There were four metachronous bilateral PSP. Nonoperative management included tube drainage in 57% of the cases (mean extent of PSP, 53%). Forty percent of patients were treated by supplemental oxygen and observation, without drainage (mean extent of PSP, 23%). Eleven patients were treated as outpatients, with Heimlich valves (mean extent of PSP, 64%). Fourteen patients (28%) underwent bullectomy, with or without pleurodesis. Thirteen of the surgically treated patient had experienced at least two episodes of PSP. Primary spontaneous pneumothorax in children has male predominance. The risk of recurrence after one episode is greater than that for adults. Operative management by bullectomy, with or without pleurodesis, carries little morbidity, has a high success rate, and is recommended after the first recurrence. It is safe to manage younger children conservatively because the chance of recurrence is lower; thoracotomy was not necessary in children under 9 years of age.

Report of three gastric tumors in children

The literature concerning gastric tumors in children is mainly limited to case studies. The authors reviewed 1,403 histological reports of pediatric gastric pathology (covering 10 years) at their institution. There were three gastric tumors of benign histology and no malignant tumors. The first patient was a 9 1/2-year-old boy who presented with several months of symptomatic, pH-probe-confirmed gastroesophageal reflux. He underwent placement of a Toupet antireflux valve. During laparotomy, a submucosal mass was discovered incidentally, on the greater curvature of the stomach. The mass was excised. Pathological examination showed heterotopic pancreas. The second patient, a 15-month-old girl, presented with a short period of vomiting. Results of an upper gastrointestinal series showed gastric outlet obstruction. She underwent laparotomy and was found to have an intussusception of a gastric polyp into the proximal jejunum, and an associated malrotation. Ladds procedure, gastroduoduodenostomy with reduction of the intussuscepted polyp, and excision of the polyp were performed. Histological examination of the tumor showed hamartoma with hyperplastic elements. The tumor was benign but was regarded as difficult to classify. The third patient, a 6-year-old boy, presented with microcytic anemia. Endoscopy showed multiple friable bleeding gastric masses. He underwent laparotomy, with partial gastrectomy and pyloroplasty. Histological examination showed the tumor to be plasma cell granuloma. The tumor recurred, and the patient required subsequent operative procedures. The authors confirm that gastric tumors in children are rare. Although the tumor histology may be benign, excision of the tumor may require major operative resection.

Gastric volvulus after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with gastrostomy.

The authors present the case report of a 13-year-old boy in whom organoaxial gastric volvulus developed four months after a laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and placement of gastrostomy. Intraoperative findings were significant for volvulus about an axis defined by 2 fixation points, one at the fundoplication site and the other in the area of the gastrostomy tube, positioned close to the pylorus. Of the 142 pediatric cases of gastric volvulus reported to date, only 7 describe it as a complication subsequent to gastric surgery, and just one case has been reported after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. This case shows that fundoplication and gastrostomy, a recommended treatment for gastric volvulus, does not always preclude its development. Increasing numbers of pediatric surgeons are performing laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication procedures. The authors advise surgeons to consider this potentially fatal complication, both intraoperatively when selecting a location for gastrostomy and postoperatively when evaluating complaints.

Minimally conjoined omphalopagi : a consistent spectrum of anomalies

Omphalapagus twins constitute less than one third of all siamese twins. Most omphalopagi are attached by a skin bridge that often contains hepatic tissue. Only four cases of omphalopagi attached by an intestinal bridge have been reported. The authors present two additional cases of conjoined twins minimally attached by a small bowel and bladder bridge. In both instances, the spectrum of anomalies included a ruptured omphalocele and imperforate anus with cloacal anomalies. The attachment consisted of an open urachal remnant joining the two bladders, and the short small bowel of twin A attached to the terminal ileum of twin B. Separation was uneventful. For one set of twins, the case part of the proximal colon of twin B was used to lengthen the bowel of twin A. Three of the twins survived and underwent additional procedures for repair of the cloacal anomalies. All four previously reported cases of minimally conjoined omphalopagi presented with a remarkably similar spectrum of anomalies. All had ruptured omphaloceles, imperforate anus with cloacal anomalies, and urachal anomalies. Intestinal connection was consistently at a point corresponding to the Meckel diverticulum site of twin B, with blood supply to the small bowel of twin A, probably via the vitelline artery. The consistent spectrum of anomalies encountered with minimally conjoined omphalopagi allows planning of separation. Caution is required to avoid overlooking the patent urachus, and intestinal lengthening procedures based on the vitelline artery become an important consideration.

The pediatric trauma center and the inclusive trauma system: Impact on splenectomy rates.

BACKGROUND Before 2006, the Delaware Trauma System (DTS) did not include a designated pediatric trauma center (PTC). In 2006, the Delaware Trauma System designated and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma verification/consultation program verified Nemours AI DuPont Hospital for Children, a freestanding children’s hospital, as a PTC. We evaluated the impact of the addition of the PTC to the state trauma system on pediatric traumatic splenectomy rates. METHODS The study cohort comprised DTS trauma registry recorded children younger than 16 years with spleen injury (ICD-9 codes 865.0–865.9) from January 1998 through December 2012. This cohort was categorized into pre-PTC (1998–2005) and post-PTC (2006–2012) groups. Penetrating injuries were excluded. Comparisons between groups included age, gender, length of stay, organ-specific injury grade, Injury Severity Score, incidence of polytrauma, splenectomy rate, and admitting hospital. Management, operative versus nonoperative, of low grade (Organ Injury Scale [OIS] score, 1–3) and high grade (OIS score, 4–5) were also compared. Pearson’s &khgr;2 analysis was performed for categorical variables. Continuous variables were reported as mean (standard deviation) and compared by Student’s t test for independent normally distributed samples. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for non-normally distributed variables. A value of p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS Of the 231 pediatric spleen injuries, 118 occurred pre-PTC and 113 occurred post-PTC. There were no significant differences in age, gender, length of stay, Injury Severity Score, OIS grade, or incidence of polytrauma. Splenectomy rates decreased from 11% (13 of 118) pre-PTC to 2.7% (3 of 113) post-PTC (p = 0.012). CONCLUSION The addition of an American College of Surgeons–verified PTC within an inclusive trauma system that was previously without one was associated with a significant reduction in the rate of blunt trauma–related splenectomy. Integration of a verified PTC is an influential factor in achieving spleen preservation rates equivalent to published American Pediatric Surgery Association benchmarks within a trauma system. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level IV; epidemiologic study, level III.

Pilot study using an Internet-based program in informed consent

PURPOSE To examine the effect of an internet-based aid to informed consent on parent recall of potential surgical complications. METHODS Parents of children scheduled for elective inguinal hernia repair were assigned to a control group or were enrolled in an internet-based program designed to aid in the consent process. Nine potential surgical complications were presented to the parent(s) in the consent discussion and in the Internet program. Parent recall of potential surgical complications was assessed immediately after the consent discussion and on the day of surgery. RESULTS Overall recall of complications was poor in both groups, both immediately and on the day of surgery. Parents in the control group (n = 13) recalled a mean of 2.9 complications immediately and 1.5 on the day of surgery, approaching statistical significance (P = .056). The parents in the internet program group (n = 17) recalled a mean of 2.6 complications immediately and 2.9 on the day of surgery (P = NS). There was no significant difference in immediate recall between the two groups, but there was a trend towards statistically significant improvement in recall in the study group the day of surgery vs. controls (P = .06). CONCLUSION Although overall recall of potential surgical complications was poor in both groups, there was a trend towards a significant improvement in recall in the study group after viewing the Internet-based program.

Female Adolescent Presenting With Abdominal Pain: Accidental Wire Bristle Ingestion Leading to Colonic Perforation.

Introduction Abdominal pain in female adolescents is a common presentation to both the emergency department and the outpatient pediatric clinic. The broad differential diagnosis for abdominal pain requires a high index of suspicion to make an accurate diagnosis of foreign body ingestion as the etiology. Foreign body ingestion occurs in all age groups, but sequelae of gastrointestinal tract perforation in children are rare. Treatment for perforation requires consultation of the pediatric general surgeon. Clinicians should take care to not overlook subtle imaging findings or dietary/exposure history, even in the context of a patient with known history of abdominal pain. Case Report/Technique Description We report the accidental ingestion of a wire bristle from a grill cleaning brush by a female adolescent. The patient, previously treated and seen for constipation and irritable bowel syndrome in the outpatient gastroenterology clinic, was referred to the emergency department after identification of a foreign body on abdominal radiography. Emergency department physicians discovered the history of grilling and consumption of grilled food, facilitating diagnosis of a wire bristle as the foreign body. The metallic foreign body had migrated to the colon, where it perforated and lodged into the abdominal wall, causing acute, focal symptoms. Observation in the hospital with pain control and infection management allowed for elective laparoscopy. The surgical team removed the object with minimal morbidity and avoided laparotomy. Discussion Reports of unintended ingestion of wire bristles have been increasingly reported in the literature; however, most focus on injury to the upper airway or upper digestive tract and subsequent endoscopic or laryngoscopic removal. Most reports detail injury in adult patients, pediatric case reports with digestive tract injury are uncommon, and foreign body removal after lower digestive tract injury in children from a wire bristle has not been reported. We caution pediatric emergency medicine and ambulatory providers to consider such an ingestion and perforation in the differential diagnosis of acute-onset, focal, and localizable abdominal pain in children.

Conservative Therapy of Esophageal Perforation With Neck Abscess in a Child

Conservative management of complicated esophageal perforations has gained favor in recent years. However, there are limited data concerning the applicability of this approach in the pediatric population. We describe the care and outcome of a 14‐year‐old girl who sustained an esophageal perforation after accidental ingestion of a shard of glass. The patient was treated using ultrasound‐guided drainage catheter placement with simultaneous esophagoscopy and postoperative antibiotics. She was discharged within 1 week of presentation and enjoyed an uncomplicated recovery. We believe that selected cases of pediatric esophageal perforation may be safely and effectively treated using a conservative approach.

INFANT WITH BILATERAL CATARACTS FROM NON-ACCIDENTAL TRAUMA

*Department of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, †Division of Ophthalmology, ‡Department of General Pediatrics, §Department of General Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, and jjDivision of General Surgery, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware Reprint Address: David W. Rittenhouse, MD, Department of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, 1015 Walnut Street, 620 Curtis Building, Philadelphia, PA 19107