Lymphatic malformations (LMs) are congenital malformations of the lymphatic system which can be effectively treated by sclerotherapy. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of doxycycline in the treatment of LMs.
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients who were diagnosed as LMs and underwent doxycycline sclerotherapy in Asan Medical Center between March 2013 and February 2014. Thirty-five sclerotherapy procedures were performed on 21 patients. The procedures were performed under general anesthesia. After each treatment, the clinical and radiographic response was characterized as complete (≥80% decrease in lesion size), partial (<80% decrease of size), or no response (no decrease of size).
There were 11 male patients and 10 female patients. The median age of sclerotherapy was 21 months (range, 2–180 months). The most common location was cervicofacial (52.3%), followed by extremity (28.6%) and truncal (19.0%). The most common lesion type was macrocystic (71.4%), followed by microcystic (28.5%). There was one (2.8%) skin necrosis which was recovered by wound management. Thirty-eight percent of patients had a complete response, 47.6% of patients had a partial response and 14.3% of patients had no response. Median frequency of treatment was one (range, 1–5). No response group consisted of all microcystic type.
Sclerotherapy with Doxycycline is safe and effective for macrocystic LMs.
This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between nutritional support and growth velocity after abdominal surgery in neonates.
The electronic medical records of 45 neonates who underwent abdominal surgery in neonatal intensive care unit from 2012 to 2016 were collected to see how surgery and postoperative nutrition affect for the growth of neonate with abdominal surgery. The growth velocity was measured from the time of surgery to the time of discharge based on body weight.
In neonates who achieve their protein requirement on the first day after surgery, the growth velocity was better than that in neonates who did not achieve their protein requirement on the first day after surgery (4.31 vs. 15.21; p=0.004). Based on the type of surgery, length of bowel resection and surgical complications, this study showed better growth velocity in neonates who had no surgical complications (5.34 vs. 12.74; p=0.775), reoperation (5.25 vs. 22.19, p=0.987), or bowel resection (6.79 vs. 9.95, p=0.302). However, there was no statistically significant difference among these factors.
We concluded in this study that adequate protein supplement from the first day of surgery could have a positive effect on the growth velocity of neonates who underwent abdominal surgery.
The management of lymphatic malformation (LM) in pediatric patients is challenging. Complete excision of LM is difficult to achieve in some cases. We reviewed our experience how to manage LM.
We retrospectively reviewed the patients who were treated for LM between 2010 and 2017. Medical records were reviewed about age of diagnosis, age of treatment age, gender, symptom, location of tumor, treatment modality, response and complication.
Sixty-three patients (39 boys and 24 girls) were included. Mean age at diagnosis was 14.5±28.0 months (range, neonate-10 years). The involved lesion were head and neck in 27 patients (42.9%), abdominal cavity in 7 patients (11.1%), chest wall and abdominal wall in 11 patients (17.5%), buttock in 7 patients (11.1%), and extremities in 11 patients (17.5%). The treatment options were including surgical resection in 32 patients, sclerotherapy in 7 patients, surgical resection combined sclerotherapy in 19 patients, and close observation in 5 patients. We achieved complete remission in 39 patients. Fourteen patients showed partial remission and 6 showed recurrences.
Despite surgical difficulty, meticulous excision with supportive treatment, and adjuvant sclerotherapy could get a favorable outcome without fatal complication. Decision should be based on surgeon's experience, location of LM, related symptoms, and consultation with patient's parents.
Varicose veins requiring operative treatment have been more common recently, but there are not enough studies among children dermographics because most patients belong to the adult population. We concentrated on varicose vein of under 18 years old, and here intend to report cases of our clinical experiences.
From January 2003 until December 2014, there were 6 children under 18 years old who required varicose vein management. Data was collected by the investigation of medical records retrospectively, including preoperative symptoms, diagnostic tools, treatment methods, results of treatment, and complications.
The mean age was 11 years (range, 3-17 years), and gender ratio was 1:2 (2 male, 4 female). The involved legs were on the right in 3 cases, on the left in 2 cases, and on both in 1 case. The most common symptoms were venous bulging and tortuosity in 6 cases, and other symptoms were Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome in 2 cases, pain and fatigue in 1 case, port-wine stain in 1 case, and telangiectasia in 1 case. Duplex sonography was performed to confirm venous reflux in all cases. The additional venography was performed to check for anatomical variation in 1 case, and three-dimensional CT in 2 cases. Treatments were high ligation and stripping in 3 cases, and endovenous laser therapy in 3 cases. Additionally, remnant varicosities after first operations were treated by endovenous laser therapy in all cases. During the mean postoperative follow-up period of 60 months, complications included edema of the foot and petechia in 2 cases each, and were not severe.
Operative treatments including high ligation and stripping, and endovenous laser therapy are very effective for the management of varicose vein in the pediatric population, with improvements in quality of life including relief of symptoms and management of the cosmetic aspect.
Recent data suggest that monotherapy with a broad-spectrum antibiotic may be as efficacious as, and potentially less costly than, standard multi-drug therapy. We compared mono-therapy with intravenous piperacillin-tazobactam (PT) with multi-drug therapy with cefotaxime and metronidazole (CM) in aspect of postoperative complications and hospital stay.
We reviewed the hospital records and medical costs of the pediatric patients who were managed for perforated appendicitis between April 2013 and May 2014 retrospectively.
Forty-six patients with laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated appendicitis were included in our study. PT group was 20 and CM group was 26 patients. On admission, there were no significance in sex distribution, duration of symptoms, leukocyte count, and CRP levels. At postoperative third, fifth, and seventh day of each regimen, PT group have no statistical difference with CM group in leukocyte count, percentage of neutrophil, and CRP. There was no difference in abscess formation rate, wound infections, and hospital stay between two groups. There was only one patient who was readmitted with elevation of CRP and leukocyte count in CM group.
Daily dosing with the mono-therapy of PT offers as efficient as multi-drug therapy of CM. To evaluate the efficacy of broad-spectrum antibiotics monotherapy in perforated appendicitis children, the cohort included more patients should be needed.
Cervical lymphangiomas are rare lymphovascular malformations arising in the neck, which form huge fluid-containing cysts. Treatment of the malformation consists of surgery and sclerotherapy. However, the optimal approach is still controversial. Here, we describe a series of cervical lymphangiomas which have been treated with surgical approaches.
We retrospectively investigated the medical records of 82 patients who had been diagnosed with cervicofacial lymphangioma from 2001 to 2012 in our center. A closed suction drainage with negative pressure was placed on the operative lesion following excision to prevent reaccumulation of lymphatic fluid and the drainage tube was removed after injecting OK-432 through the tube.
Twelve patients underwent surgical excision of cervical lymphangioma. The median patient age was 3 months at the time of the operation. The patients have been followed-up over a period of 34 months. When lesions were located near vital organs such as the trachea or carotid artery or did not respond to repetitive OK-432 injections, surgical treatment might bring good outcomes. However, swallowing difficulty, lip palsy, or dyslalia due to adjacent nerve damage temporarily appeared as postoperative complications. Five children had tracheostomy due to tracheal or subglottic stenosis and 2 patients had gastrostomy due to aspiration while they eat after surgery.
Surgery for cervicofacial lymphangioma should be conducted carefully in selective cases. A well thought-out surgical plan with a multidisciplinary surgical team approach and placement of closed suction drainage tube after surgery and adjuvant OK-432 sclerotherapy through drainage tube seem to be helpful for good outcome.
Tracheal injury is a rare complication of endo-tracheal intubation. However in neonates, the rates of morbidity and mortality are high. Recommendations for treatment are based on the several reports of this injury and are individualized. Conservative management can be effective in some cases. We describe the case of a neonate who presented with subcutaneous emphysema after intubation in a neonatal intensive care unit. This patient suffered full VACTERL syndrome and had 1.7mm diameter subglottic stenosis. Conservative management resulted in no further increase in subcutaneous emphysema and after 10 days the patient was stable.
Four children with solid and papillary epithelial neoplasm of the pancreas are reported. Three were girls. Mean age at operation was 12 years and 7 months (10-13 years). Clinical presentation included nausea, vomiting, and apalpable mass. One had hemoperitoneum due to tumor rupture. In two cases, tumors were in the body of the pancreas, and one the body and tail, and in one,the tail. Mean diameter of the tumors was 10.8 cm (8-15cm). Surgical procedures were distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy in 2 cases, distal pancreatectomy in one, and subtotal pancreatectomy and splenectomy in one. Mean follow-up period was 61 months (6-121 months). Three patients are still alive without any recurrence. However, in the one case of ruptured tumor, portal vein thrombosis and liver metastasis developed after subtotal pancreatectomy and splenectomy during the course of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.
A newborn male baby was transferred to our hospital with a left inguinal mass. The mass was huge measuring 10 x 10 cm, engorged, and dark-blue colored as a result of internal hemorrhage. Unstable vital signs were combined with DIC and acute renal failure. Emergency operation was performed because of the suspicion of bowel perforation. The peritoneal cavity was full of ascitis and the distal jejunum had a 0.5 cm perforation. Segmental resection of the jejunum and incisional biopsy of the inguinal mass were performed. On pelvic and thigh MRI, the mass protruded into pelvic cavity and encircled large vessels and nerves of the thigh. Pathologic diagnosis was congenital infantile fibrosarcoma. Fifteen days after operation, primary tumor excision was undertaken. The second look operation, performed after 6 times VAC chemotherapy, revealed no remained malignant cell on microscopic section. The baby has been followed closely for the last eight months.
The teratoma is a unique complex neoplasm and is one of the most frequent pediatric tumors originated from the extragonadal germ cells. Mature teratoma is composed of mature differentiated tissues, while immature teratoma always contains embryonic tissues of variable degrees of immaturity, especially in the neuroepithelial elements. Diagnosis of teratoma is relatively easy by conventional radiologic study, but the immaturity can be identified only by histopathological examination. Between January 1993 to December 2002, 63 cases of teratoma were operated and analysed retrospectively at the Chonnam University Hospital Female to male ratio was about 3:1 and age distribution was relatively even. Among 63 cases, gonadal teratoma was the most common (52.4%), followed by sacrococcygeal (25.4%), retroperitoneal (9.5%) and mediastinal teratoma (9.5%). Fifty-six cases were mature teratomas and seven were immature teratomas. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was elevated in 4 of 6 immature cases, but in 2 of 51 mature ones Elevated AFP progressively returned to normal range by 1 month after operation in all. Complete excision of the mass was performed, and major complication was not noticed. In five immature cases, PEB chemotherapy (Cisplatin, Etoposide, Bleomycin) was performed. Two of 2 cases in histological grade II were well tolerated to the aggressive chemotherapy. One of three cases in grade III expired due to severe bone marrow depression, and two of them expired by tumor recurrences. In conclusion, immature teratoma in histological grade III showed high potentiality of recurrence. Therefore, postoperative chemotherapy has to be applied to the high graded immature tumors.
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.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the applicability of intravenous atropine sulfate therapy in infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS). From 1998 to 2000 among 35 cases of IHPS, pyloromytomy was performed in 13 (Group A), and intravenous atropine was given as a primary therapy in 22 cases (Group B). In group A, all cases were cured completely. In group B, 13 (59 %) out of 22 cases were successfully treated with atropine, but 9 were failed therapy, and required operation. The recovery period to normal feeding and the hospital stay of the successful atropine group were longer than those of pyloromyotomy, 8.6 days vs. 2.9 days and 13.2 days vs. 4.1 days, respectively. In conclusion, intravenous atropine therapy did not replace pyloromyotomy, but it might be an alternative for the selected patients with contraindications for operation.
It has been widely accepted that complete surgical resection of hepatoblastoma is essential for long-term survival. But unfortunately less that 50% of hepatic tumors in children can be totally removed at the time of diagnosis. This report is to present the experience of successful resection of hepatoblastoma after concurrent radiotherapy with transarterial chemoinfusion in a child. We believe this modality of treatment enables complete resection of unresectable hepatoblastoma, which is resistant to the systemic chemotherapy.
In hepatoblastoma, encouraging cure rates have been achieved with recent advances in chemotherapy and surgical techniques. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of combined therapeutic modalities and surgical resection in hepatoblastoma. Fifteen cases of hepatoblastoma were treated from January 1993 to August 2000. Six patients had resectable tumors at initial diagnosis. All underwent surgical resection and in four patients postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was needed. Nine out of 15 patients had unresectbale tumors at initial diagnosis, and preoperative chemotherapy was applied. There was one operative mortality and 14 patients showed good prognosis after surgery. Although various treatment modalities should be combined for the unresectable hepatoblastoma, surgical resection remains the major curative procedure.
Neuroblastoma derived from neural crest cells of the sympathetic nervous system, is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children with many interesting features. It has the highest rate of spontaneous regression, yet has one of the poorest outcome results. Recent updates have shown much increased outcomes in multitreatment approaches and early diagnosis with screening. Authors have studied 42 patients who have been diagnosed and treated in the last decade in the Severance and Yongdong Severance Hospital respectively. They were followed up till January 1998 and was analyzed in terms of age, sexual difference, admission period, staging, diagnostic studies, clinical symptoms and physical examinations, operative time, treatment modalities, survival rate. Twenty eight patients underwent operative procedures, 16 patients had postoperative chemotherapy, and 19 patients had preoperative chemotherapy. Sexual difference was 1.33:1 in favor of males, and 43% of patients were under the age of one year. The patients were initially diagnosed symptomatically, and the abdominal mass was the most common clinical symptom. Eighty six percent of the patients were of advanced stages (>Stage III of INSS), and the 2 year survival rate showed 59.2% and the 5 year survival rate was 29.6%.
Hepatoblastoma is a rare pediatric malignancy which frequently presents at an advanced unresectable stage. With the neoajuvant chemotherapy, improved resectability and survival have been reported. Twenty children with biopsy proven hepatoblastoma were treated during the period between January 1987 and June 1995. Median age at diagnosis was 13 months(2 months to 7 year and 10 months), and 13 were male. Histologic profile was 13 epithelia1(5 fetal, 4 mixed, 1 embryonal, 3 undetermined), and 5 mixed mesenchymal and epithelial and 2 of undetermined type. Chemotherapy effectively reduced the tumor volume(