Ultrasound-guided reduction of intussusception in infants in a developing world: saline hydrostatic or pneumatic technique?

Non-operative reduction has emerged as first line in the management of uncomplicated intussusception. The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of ultrasound-guided saline hydrostatic reduction and ultrasound-guided pneumatic reduction of intussusception in infants. This is a prospective study of infants with uncomplicated intussusception confirmed by ultrasound over a period of 21 months from December 2018 to August 2020. Fifty-two (69.3%) out of seventy-five infants were eligible and randomized based on simple random sampling technique into two groups: Group A included patients who had ultrasound-guided hydrostatic (saline) reduction; Group B included patients who had ultrasound-guided pneumatic (air) reduction. The success rates, time to reduction and complication rates were assessed. The success rates, between the saline hydrostatic reduction group and pneumatic reduction group, were comparable [17 (65.4%) versus 19 (73.1%); relative risk (RR) 0.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6-1.2; p = 0.54]. The mean time to reduction was higher in the saline hydrostatic reduction group (15.4 ± 5.1 min versus 10.8 ± 4.1 min; p = 0.003). There was no statistically significant difference in the perforation and recurrence rates between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Saline hydrostatic reduction and pneumatic reduction of uncomplicated intussusception under ultrasound guidance in infants might have comparable outcomes. However, pneumatic reduction may be faster. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Ileocolic intussusception is the most common cause of intestinal obstruction in infants. • Ultrasonography is useful in the diagnosis and non-operative treatment of ileocolic intussusception. WHAT IS NEW: • Ultrasound-guided hydrostatic enema and ultrasound-guided pneumatic enema are similarly effective and safe techniques in the reduction of ileocolic intussusception. • Reduction of ileocolic intussusception under ultrasound guidance is a great technique that may prove useful in the developing world due to lower cost of required equipment.

Clinical profile and management challenges of disorders of sex development in Africa: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To review the published literature regarding disorders of sex development (DSD) in Africa which will highlight clinical characteristics, and challenges of evaluation and treatment of DSD. CONTENT: We performed systematic review of articles published on DSD in Africa between January 2001 and December 2020. SUMMARY: Eighteen studies involving 1980 patients from nine countries were analyzed. Overall mean age at presentation was 9.3 years (range 1 day-33 years) with 52.5 and 45.1% reared as females and males, respectively, prior to presentation. Following evaluation however, 64% were assigned female sex, 32.1% were assigned male sex, and 21.8% of the cases required sex reassignment. Only 7 (38.9%) of the publications reported medical treatment of DSD, 4 (22.2%) reported on psychosocial management and 5 (27.8%) documented multidisciplinary team management. Barring regional variations, the documented challenges of management include delayed presentation, loss to follow up, financial challenges, and lack of facilities for care of DSD. Comparison of the cases managed in the last decade (2011-2020) with those managed in the earlier decade (2001-2010) showed a trend towards earlier presentation and reduced rate of sex reassignment in the last decade. However, the challenges persisted. OUTLOOK: Barring regional differences, a high proportion of DSD in Africa may have delayed presentation with inappropriate sex of rearing, inadequate evaluation and need for sex reassignment. Specific efforts to improve time to diagnosis, patient evaluation, improvement of healthcare funding, and collaboration with more developed countries may improve the care of patients with DSD in Africa.

Congenital obstructive bowel anomalies presenting after neonatal age.

Background: Delayed presentation might affect the ultimate management of children with congenital bowel obstructive bowel anomalies (CBA). We evaluated the profile, challenges of treatment and outcome of CBA presenting after neonatal age. Methods: We did a retrospective analysis of data of children with CBA presenting after neonatal age from January 2013 to November 2017. We used the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for data entry and analysis. Results: There were 57 cases in total comprising of Hirschsprung's disease (HD; 37 cases), anorectal malformation (ARM; 15 cases), and duodeno-jejunal web (5 cases), with median age of 9 months (IQR 4 months - 2 years) on presentation. Overall, 52 (91.2%) patients had one or more complications on presentation. Definitive procedure did not differ from established operations, but only 9 (15.8%) had primary procedures and 48 (84.2%) cases required multi-stage treatment. After an average follow up period of 19.5 months (range: 1-45 months), 18 (31.6%) cases developed procedure-related complications and 3 (5.3%) had residual bowel dysfunction, but there was no mortality. The morbidity was limited to cases with HD and ARM. Conclusion: In our setting, HD is the commonest bowel anomaly that presents after the neonatal age. The delayed presentation may predispose to complications and preclude single-stage treatment in some cases. Training of healthcare providers to improve recognition and early referral of these anomalies may lead to early diagnosis and minimize morbidity.

Continuing barriers to care of Wilms tumor in a low-income country.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the outcome of Wilms tumor (WT) following introduction of multidisciplinary team management and patient treatment stratification by tumor histology in two referral centers in southeastern Nigeria. METHODS: We analyzed histologically confirmed WT cases managed from January 2008 to June 2017. RESULTS: There were 45 patients, peak age incidence of 2 to 5 years who presented after mean symptom duration of 4.9 months (range, 1-12 months), with mean tumor weight of 1040 g (range, 350-4200 g). Overall, 14 (31.1%) had unfavorable histology of WT. A total of 22 (48.9%) patients received preoperative chemotherapy, 43 (95.6%) received postoperative chemotherapy based on stage of disease and histopathology, but none received adequate radiotherapy. Of these, 19 (44.2%) patients complied with chemotherapy regimen, 15 (33.3%) were lost to follow-up and 12 (26.7%) cases relapsed. With 30 cases available for evaluation and mean follow-up duration of 23 months (range, 6-80 months), the overall 5-year survival is 53.3% (16 cases). Survival in children who complied with postoperative chemotherapy was 73.7%, and abandonment-sensitive survival was 35.6%. Persisting challenges were late presentation, poor compliance to treatment, and lack of radiotherapy treatment. CONCLUSION: Multidisciplinary team management and chemotherapy based on tumor histology might have resulted in slight improvement of outcome since our last report. However, to ensure survival that may approach global benchmarks, there is need for public health measures to improve time to diagnosis, and improvement of facilities and healthcare funding to ensure compliance to all phases of standard therapy.

Testicular Schistosomiasis Mimicking Malignancy in a Child: A Case Report.

Schistosomiasis is an important communicable disease in the developing world. However, testicular schistosomiasis is an extremely rare condition. We report a case of testicular schistosomiasis mimicking testicular tumour in a 13 year old who presented with huge unilateral testicular mass. The dilemma encountered in the diagnosis and treatment of this child is presented to highlight the need for high index of suspicion of this pathology in children with testicular mass presenting from schistosomiasis-endemic areas.

Complications of neonatal circumcision requiring surgical intervention in a developing country.

OBJECTIVE: The recent scale-up in neonatal circumcision (NC) may require strategies to reduce complications. This study evaluated complications of NC requiring surgery. METHODS: A prospective analysis of 64 patients with complications of NC managed by surgery between June 2006 and May 2012 at the University of Nigeria Teaching hospital Enugu was conducted. RESULTS: Circumcision was performed by nurse in 54 (84.4%) patients, traditional practitioner in 5 (7.8%) and doctor in 5 (7.8%), at a median age of 9 days (range: 2-21 days). Complications noticed 1 day to 7 years (mean: 7.8 months) after circumcision were glanular adhesion in 27 (42.2%) children, meatal stenosis in 14 (21.9%), urethrocutaneous fistula in 11 (17.2%), trapped penis in 5 (7.8%), implantation dermoid in 4 (6.2%) and glans amputation in 3 (4.7%). After treatment, outcome was good in 59 (92.2%) patients, whereas 5 (7.8%) had residual defect. CONCLUSION: NC may be associated with serious complications in our setting. Adequate training of providers on safe procedure may minimize complications.