A rare cause of neonatal intussusception. Considering it might reduce the mortality. A case report and a review of the literature.

Full-term neonatal intussusception is rare. Cecal duplication as a lead point for intussusception is very rare. We report a case of full-term neonate with ileo-cecal intussusception due to cecal duplication. Although cecal duplication represents rarely a surgical emergency, intussusception always needs immediate attention. The awareness of this entity is essential for diagnosis and management.

Pediatric appendectomy in developing countries: How does it differ from international experience?

INTRODUCTION: A review of the English literature indicates the faint superiority of laparoscopic (LA) over open appendectomy (OA) in the pediatric population; however, a developing-country's experience in the field is not available yet. This study presents our experience in LA versus OA over the last 7 years in one university hospital in Lebanon and compares our results to the international ones. METHOD: A single center retrospective study was done including all patients aged less than 15 years who underwent appendectomy. A description of each operative technique is presented. Patients' characteristics, intraoperative finding, operative timing (OT), length of stay (LOS) and short term postoperative complications including surgical site infection (SSI) rate, intra-abdominal abscess formation (IAA) rate and reoperation rate were all studied. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test, as for continuous, Student's t test was used or one-way ANOVA in case of more than 2 categories. RESULT: Appendectomy was performed in 84 patients. 52 patients underwent OA through a Rocky Davis incision, and 32 patients underwent a LA. We found an advantage of LA over OA in reducing SSI, otherwise both approaches were similar. CONCLUSION: In accordance with international results, in our experience, LA is superior to OA only with regards to SSI.

Retroperitoneoscopic bilateral nephrectomy and extraperitoneal ureterocystoplasty in a child on peritoneal dialysis.

A 4-year-old boy with posterior urethral valves and end stage kidney disease on peritoneal dialysis presented with high pressure non-compliant bladder with left ureterohydronephrosis. Inability to perform hemodialysis due to patient's weight exclusion, imposed the necessity to preserve peritoneal dialysis. A bilateral nephrectomy by retroperitoneoscopy with extraperitoneal augmentation ureterocystoplasty using left ureter and pelvis associated with continent diversion using right ureter as umbilical stoma was performed followed by kidney transplantation. An excellent outcome with voluntary voiding without CIC is reported eighteen months later. This treatment modality is the best option to manage End Stage Kidney Disease on peritoneal dialysis in those patients.

Celiac disease presenting as acute colonic pseudo-obstruction.

Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction rarely presents in children. Upon diagnosis, initiating conservative management and identification of an underlying etiology is mandatory. We describe the case of an 8-year-old girl who presented with signs of acute abdominal distention with no evident etiology. The diagnosis of celiac disease was suspected and confirmed by intestinal biopsy. Based on this case and other reported cases in the literature, we discuss this unusual mode of presentation of celiac disease, the underlying etiology and suggest management options to avoid unnecessary aggressive interventions.

Diffuse persistent interstitial pulmonary emphysema treated by lobectomy.

Persistent interstitial pulmonary emphysema is a rare condition that occurs in preterm infants on mechanical ventilation, characterized by abnormal accumulation of air in the pulmonary interstitium, due to disruption of the basement membrane. Diffuse persistent interstitial pulmonary emphysema is observed when small cysts are noted in all lobes of the lung. The management of infants suffering from diffuse persistent interstitial pulmonary emphysema varies according to severity and stability of the patient, being either conservative treatment or aggressive surgical treatment by pneumonectomy. We report a case of an unstable patient with diffuse persistent interstitial pulmonary emphysema successfully treated by lobectomy as a form of conservative surgical approach.

Primary sternal osteomyelitis: a report of two cases with literature review.

Primary sternal osteomyelitis is a rare disease in children caused mainly by Staphylococcus aureus. We describe 2 cases resulting from Streptococcus pneumonia and Candida albicans. On the basis of these cases and other documented case reports, we discuss the pathogens, clinical course, and pathophysiology and suggest a management protocol based on early debridement to initiate appropriate antibiotic therapy and shorten hospitalization.