Traumatic injury is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children. This is a clinical review of pediatric blunt abdominal trauma. A retrospective analysis of the 112 children with blunt abdominal trauma aged 15 years or less treated at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chonbuk National University Hospital was performed. The analysis included age, sex, injury mechanism, number and site of the injured organ, management and outcomes. The average age of occurrence was 7.6 years, and the peak age was between 6 and 8 years. There was a male preponderance with a male to female ratio of 2.3:1. The most common cause of blunt abdominal trauma was traffic accidents (61.6%), principally involving pedestrians (79.7%). The accident prone times were between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM, the weekends (40.2%), and the winter respectively. Thirthy-five patients (31.2%) had multiple intra-abdominal organ injuries and the most common injured organ was the liver. Seventy-four cases (66.1%) were managed non-operatively and eleven cases (9.8%) expired. Of the patients who were treated surgically or were to be operated on one patient died before surgery, the remainder died during or after surgery. Risk factors such as number of injured organ, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and trauma scores by Glasgow coma scale (GCS), Pediatric trauma score (PTS), revised trauma score (RTS), injury severe score (ISS), TRISS were significantly correlated with mortality rate.
Inguinal hernia is the most common disease treated by the pediatric surgeon. There are several controversial aspects of management 1)the optimal timing of surgical repair, especially for preterm babies, 2)contralateral groin exploration during repair of a clinically unilateral hernia, 3)use of laparoscope in contralateral groin exploration, 4)timing of surgical repair of cord hydrocele, 5)perioperative pain control, 6)perioperative management of anemia. In this survey, we attempted to determine the approach of members of KAPS to these aspects of hernia treatment. A questionnaire by e-mail or FAX was sent to all members. The content of the questionnaire were adapted from the “
Postoperative management of anorectal malformation consists of colostomy management and then management after definitive surgery. Colostomy management requires attention to certain details, i. e. complete decompression of the distal limb to avoid secondary megarectosigmoid and prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections in patients with rectourethral fistula. Management after definitive surgery requires the care of catheters placed in the rectourethral fistula or cloacal defect. Prevention and treatment of various complications after definitive operation, i. e. wound infection, anal stenosis or stricture, anal mucosal prolapse, and management of functional disorders, i.e. constipation, fecal incontinence and urinary incontinence are also necessary. In this review, recent trends for the prevention and treatment of the above mentioned problems after operation for anorectal malformation are presented.
Inguinal hernia is one of the most common surgical diseases in pediatric patients. But the management of the side opposite the clinically apparent inguinal hernia, the “silent side” is controversial. Four hundred fifty-eight cases of pediatric inguinal hernias, operated by one pediatric surgeon at the Divisionof Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Chonbuk National University Hospital from January 1998 to December 2002, were reviewed retrospectively to determine the characteristics and significances of the silk-glove test on the side opposite the clinically apparent inguinal hernia. Males were preponderant as 2.8:1. Allhernias were of the indirect type and were repaired by high ligation of the sac. There were 238 (52.0%) right sided hernias, 160 (35.0%) were on the left and 60 (13.0%) were bilateral. The number of patients with a positive silk-glove sign on the contralateral side was 158(39.7%), and 133 of these had a contralateral patent processus vaginalis. Positive predictive value of Silk-glove test was 84.2% (133/158). The silk-glove test is a simple, safe, and relatively accurate method for contralateral exploration in the unilateral inguinal hernias in children.
Ovarian cyst is found in 32% of necropsies in neonates, and can be visualized during gestation by ultrasonography. The clinical evolution of these cysts is variable, but in most cases the prognosis is favorable. Ovarian torsion, bleeding, rupture, and peritonitis have been described as complications. We report a newborn girl with torsion of ovarian cyst. A cystic mass measuring 41.9x31.9 mm on left side of abdomen was identified at 32 weeks of gestation by fetal ultrasonography. Surgery was performed after birth.
A total of 30 cases of the peptic ulcer in children, who underwent operations from January 1981 to December 1995 because of complications at Department of the Surgery, Chonbuk National University Medical School, is reviewed. Twenty-three were males (76.7%), 7 females (23.3%) and male was preponderant at 3.3:1. There were 25 cases (83.3%) age 10 to 15 years, 3 (10.0%) between 2 and 9 years, and 2 (6.7%) below 2. The ulcer was located at duodenum in 27 (90.0%), and at stomach in 3 cases (10.0%). Complications were perforation in 19 cases (63.3%), pyloric obstruction in 9 (30.0%) and bleeding in 2 (6.7%). For perforation, truncal vagotomy with pyloroplasty was done in 11 cases, truncal vagotomy with hemigastrectomy and gastrojejunostomy in 6, and simple closure in 2 cases. For obstruction, truncal vagotomy with hemigastrectomy and gastrojejunostomy was done in 5, and truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty in 3 cases. For bleeding lesions, truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty was performed in 2 cases. Ten postoperative complications developed in 9 patients; adhesive ileus in 5, recurrence in 2, pneumonia 2, and wound seroma 1 case. One patient developed a primary duodenal perforation and another a recurrent obstruction. Both of patients had symptoms for more than 3 years and were treated with truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty for the primary operations. Hospital stay was 11.5 days for the patient with perforated ulcer, 11.0 days for the patient with pyloric obstruction, and 14.5 days for the child with bleeding. Average hospital period was 11.6 days. To reduce recurrences after operation, extensive procedure such as distal gastrectomy with vagotomy at the first operation should be considered in case with severe complication or with patients who have been symptomatic for long periods.
A 4-year-old female with acute lower abdominal pain was admitted with the diagnosis of periappendiceal abscess made by ultrasonography. At laparotomy, the appendix was normal, but the left ovary was twisted and necrotic. Appendectomy and left salpingo-oophorectomy were performed. The pathology of the appendix was normal, and the left tube and ovary were ischemic and had hemorrhagic necrosis. Pediatric adnexal torsion may be difficult to diagnosis clinically. Sonography is the preferred imaging study. It usually confirms a pelvic mass but may not establish the diagnosis. The correct diagnosis of adnexal torsion is often made at exploration. The most common erroneous diagnosis is acute appendicitis or periappendiceal abscess. Therapy for adnexal torsion remains controversial. While extirpation has been the standard of treatment in the past, there are current proponents of conservative therapy with adnexal sparing. Early diagnosis may lead to more frequent salvage of affected adnexa.
The purpose of our study was to evaluate children who underwent hepatic resection for primary malignant hepatic tumor in the period from January 1994 to December 2001. A total of 8 patients, seven with hepatoblastoma (HB) and one with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). were studied. One HCC was respectable at the initial diagnosis, but five cases of unresectable HB received two cycles of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) before operation. One patient with an unresectable HB with bone marrow metastasis was operated after one cycle of TACE and one cycle of systemic chemotherapy based on CCG-823F protocol. All 6 patients who underwent TACE and neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed marked redcuction in tumor volume and a clear outline of the lesion. Major complication was not noticed. Mean alpha-fetoprotei (alpha-FP) level at diagnosis, after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and after postoperative chemotherapy was 9,818 (42-35,350), 664, and 10.1 ng/mL, respectively. Half life of the alpha-FP after complete resection was 5.1 days (3.0-8.7 days). Median follow up period was 57.1 months (10-97 months) and all the patients are alive with NED. In conclusion, preoperative chemotherapy, especially TACE, is effective, safe, and useful to treat initially unresectable hepatoblastoma, and serial level of the serum alpha-FP is a useful tumor marker for diagnosis and monitoring therapeutic responses.
Although intraperitoneal teratomas are rare, teratomas of the greater omentuma are seldom reported. A single case of omental teratoma with torsion in a 26-month-old girl is reported. The patient presented with abdominal pain and a palpable mass. Ultrasonography and CT of the abdomen showed a large cystic mass with a non homgenious solid component composed of fat and calcification. The lesion was surgically excised. Pathology revealed a mature omental teratoma. The hospital course was uneventful.
Idiopathic small bowel ulceration distal to the duodenum is rare. Less than 5 % of the reported cases were in children. In the majority of the patients, a single ulcer of unknown cause is found in the jejunum or ileum. The diagnosis is difficult and usually made at the time of surgical exploration for complications, such as perforation, hemorrhage or obstruction. We treated a pediatric patient with perforation of an idiopathic ileal ulceration. The child was an ll-year-old boy who sustained blunt abdominal trauma. The involved ileal segment was resected. Pathologic findings were compatible with idiopathic small bowel ulceration. The clinical and pathological aspects of idiopathic ulcerations are discussed, and the literature reviewed.