[Value of elective cholecystectomy in children with homozygote sickle cell anemia. Apropos of 3 recent cases]. / Intérêt de la cholécystectomie réglée chez l'enfant drépanocytaire homozygote. A propos de trois observations récentes.

Homozygous SS sickle cell anemia affects 0.25% of the population of the West Indies. Gallstones are frequently found in this blood disease and are the cause of recurrent abdominal pain, cholecystitis and dangerous infectious complications in these patients. These complications are difficult to distinguish from very frequent episodes of vaso-occlusive abdominal pain. Three cases in childhood sickle cell disease are reported. The authors believe that elective cholecystectomy is to be recommended (emergency cholecystectomy is associated with a high morbidity) as the children operated were improved by surgery, with resolution of abdominal pain.

[Retroperitoneal lipomas in children. Apropos of a new case. Review of the literature]. / Lipomes rétro-péritonéaux de l'enfant. A propos d'un nouveau cas. Revue de la littérature.

Retroperitoneal lipoma is a rare tumor in children and is usually benign. A case in a 29 month old girl is reported together with a review of the 18 previously documented cases. The patients ranged in age from 1 to 8 years. Girls are affected three times as often as boys. The majority had a enlarged abdomen of long duration. Most lipomata were large. However, the tumor was easily removed. There have been no known recurrences following operative resection. A child with such a tumor should be followed until more clinical experience has been acquired. The possibility of these tumors being congenital in children cannot be excluded.

[Alcoholic pancreatitis and pseudocysts. Prospective study of 20 cases in Réunion Island]. / Pancréatites alcooliques et faux-kystes. Etude prospective de 20 cas réunionnais.

In the french indian ocean's island whose name is Reunion, between 1984 and 1986, 20 pancreatic pseudocysts, exclusively encountered in alcoholic patients, were submitted to a prospective study. Most of the lesion were very symptomatic, large and extrapancreatic. Accordingly to Marseille's classification, most of the patients were suffering from acute or chronic relapsing pancreatitis. 18 patients were submitted to a therapeutic procedure. Internal drainage was performed in 9 patients, and external drainage was performed in 5. In addition, pancreatic resection was carried out in 2 patients, and needle aspiration in 2. Comments concern potential specificities of the population which was studied. Special emphasis concern the necessity of preoperative computerized tomographic scanning, the indications of percutaneous external drainage and the long-term survival of patients.

[Urethral mucosal prolapse in girls. Apropos of 24 cases]. / Le prolapsus muqueux urétral chez la fille. A propos de 24 cas.

We performed surgery in twenty-four cases of urethral prolapse between 1973 and 1989 at the hospital of Fort-de-France. Urethral prolapse is a benign lesion of the terminal urethra and is predominant in young, 3 to 6 year-old black females. Vulvar hemorrhagic is the most usual initial symptom, and diagnosis is readily made by examination and urethral catheterization. Excision of the prolapsed mucosa followed by immediate muco-mucous suture permits a generally uneventful recovery without prolonged hospitalization.

[The epiphyseal defect in children (author's transl)]. / Les lacunes épiphysaires de l'enfant.

The authors produced four cases which all show at first almost the same radiographical espect: an epiphysal defect of the knee. The first case developed in an inflammatory context and proved to be an osteomyelitis. The second case showed a begnin tumour on X-Ray examination a chondroblastoma. Then an epiphysal tuberculosis was produced which at first led to a rather unsettled diagnosis. The last case was a rare observation of chondrome. The diagnostic problems are frequent and besides possible infections localisations, the diagnosis of chondrablastome seems to be the most likely. Surgical approach of such epiphysal lesions is justified not only to corroborate etiology but also in order to avoid an increase in the volume that could impair the epiphysal plate endanger the growth.

[The limy bile syndrome in newborn infants. Apropos of a case]. / Le syndrome de la bile calcique chez le nourrisson. A propos d'un cas.

This is a report of a limy bile syndrome in a little girl aged 21 months, whose gall-bladder is spontaneously visible on the abdominal X Ray, with a biliary stone inside. The limy bile syndrome is very rare in infancy and childhood and is found more exceptionally in new-born. Only 12 cases were found out in medical literature among children aged from 3 to 15. The pathogenesis of the disease is unknown, but its diagnosis is very easy. The treatment is surgical and consists in cholecystectomy with per-operative cholangiography although drainage of the biliary mould can happen.

[Hypotrophic and duplicated appendix. A case in a child]. / Appendice hypotrophique et dupliqué. Un cas chez l'enfant.

A case of hypotrophic double appendix with inflammation is reported. Duplication of the appendix is rare, and fewer than 80 cases have been reported in the literature. The classification of these cases and possible aetiology are discussed.

[Biliary ascariasis. A case of massive infestation; the importance of the peroperative choledoscopy]. / Ascaridiose biliaire. Un cas d'infestation massive; intérêt de la cholédocoscopie per-opératoire.

Ascariasis of the biliary tract is rare in France, but not infrequent in French Guyana and West Indies. The case reported shows a massive infestation of the biliary tract in a 14 years old child and demonstrated the interest of per-operative choledocoscopy for diagnosis and treatment. Ascariasis of the biliary tract is a threatening disease in relation with the associated complications.