The risk of acute abdomen in neonates and infants is generally increased due to advanced maternal age and neonatal intensive care unit care development. Enterostomy is a safe procedure for acute abdomen in neonates and infants. However, there is no consensus for the optimal timing of enterostomy closure (EC). A few considerations should be reviewed for deciding the timing of stoma closure to obtain the best outcome. Distal loopography is commonly performed upon examination to ascertain the existence of a distal passage after EC, detect signs of disease-specific complications, and assess the need of surgery in addition to EC. Pathology review is also one important pre-closure consideration. When the incidence of a hypoganglionosis or an aganglionosis combined with acute abdomen is observed in neonates and infants, thorough examinations should be performed to conclusively determine whether there is no passage disturbance of the distal bowel. Refeeding not only provides information about chance to grow, electrolyte imbalance correction, and proximal and distal bowel size match, but also provides information about distal bowel passage when there is a doubtful distal loopography or pathology result. Early closure enables growth spurt with the correction of water/electrolyte imbalance. It potentially reduced medical costs, less discrepancy between proximal and distal bowel size. Some factors favoring a late stoma closure may be due to less postoperative complications, early recovery, shorter time of total parenteral nutrition after EC, and decreased length of hospitalization after the EC. Some studies have shown controversial results. In summary, a pre-closure evaluation is imperative to assure the safety of an EC. The optimal timing of an EC remains controversial. For this reason, individualized approach is needed after reviewing the general condition of each patient. Further prospective study on optimal timing of stoma closure including a randomized clinical trial is needed.

Abdominal cystic lymphangiomas arising from the mesentery, omentum and retroperitoneum are rare and occasionally confused with other cause of acute abdomen. Sixteen children who underwent surgery for abdominal cystic lymphangioma between 1984 and 2005 at the Division of Pediatric Surgery, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center were evaluated retrospectively. There were 9 boys and 7 girls. Age ranged from 12 days to 13 years (mean age : 4.7years). The cysts were located in the omentum (4 cases),mesentery (9 cases : jejunum : 3, colon : 6). retroperitoneum (2 cases) and pelvic cavity (one case). The cyst content was hemorrhagic (8 cases), serous (5 cases), and inflammatory (2 cases), and chyle (one). Prenatal diagnosis was made in 3. The clinical features were variable, but abdominal pain, mass, and abdominal distention in order. There were 3 emergency operations in patients with complicated cyst, who were suspected of having panperitonitis and volvulus preoperatively. Complete excision was accomplished in all cases. There was one mortalityin a newborn with E.coli sepsis. Intestinal obstruction developed in 2 cases in long-term follow-up. No recurrence was observed. Although intraabdominal lymphangioma arising from mesentery, omentum and retroperitoneum are rare, it should be considered as a possible cause of acute abdomen.

Abdominal epilepsy is accepted as unusual cause of abdominal pain in children and young adolescents. Although its abdominal symptoms may be similar to those of the irritable bowel syndrome, it may be distinguished from the latter condition by the presence of the altered consciousness during some of attacks, EEG abnormalities, and a good response to anticonvulsant medication. The diagnosis of abdominal epilepsy came into vogue in the 1950s and 1960s as an explanation for childhood abdominal complaints. More recently, it has been recognized that isolated vomiting without loss of consciousness or other more common paroxysmal symtoms is rarely attributable to abdominal epilepsy.

We report 4 cases of abdominal epilepsy, whose ages ranged from 8 to 11 years, with paroxysmal abdominal pain or vomitng consistent with a diagnosis of abdominal epilepsy.