Gastroschisis: A Successful, Prospectively Evaluated Treatment Model in a Middle-Income Country.

BACKGROUND: This research adopted a care protocol from high-income countries in a level II/III hospital in a middle-income country to decrease morbidity and mortality associated with gastroschisis. METHODS: We established a multidisciplinary protocol to treat patients with gastroschisis prospectively from November 2012 to November 2018. This included prenatal diagnosis, presence of a neonatologist and pediatric surgeon at birth, and either performing primary closure on the patients with an Apgar score of 8/9, mild serositis, and no breathing difficulty or placing a preformed silo, when unable to fulfill these criteria, under sedation and analgesia (no intubation) in the operating room or at the patients' bedside. The subsequent management took place in the neonatal intensive care unit. The data were analyzed through the Mann-Whitney and Student's t-distribution for the two independent samples; the categorical variables were analyzed through a chi-square distribution or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: In total, 55 patients were included in the study: 33 patients (60%) were managed with a preformed silo, whereas 22 patients (40%) underwent primary closure. Prenatal diagnosis (P = 0.02), birth at the main hospital (P = 0.02), and the presence of a pediatric surgeon at birth (P = 0.04) were associated with successful primary closure. The primary closure group had fewer fasting days (P < 0.001) and a shorter neonatal intensive care unit length of stay (P = 0.025). The survival rate was 92.7% (51 patients). CONCLUSION: The treatment model modified to fit the means of our hospital proved successful.

Intussusception risk and health benefits of rotavirus vaccination in Mexico and Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Because postlicensure surveillance determined that a previous rotavirus vaccine, RotaShield, caused intussusception in 1 of every 10,000 recipients, we assessed the association of the new monovalent rotavirus vaccine (RV1) with intussusception after routine immunization of infants in Mexico and Brazil. METHODS: We used case-series and case-control methods to assess the association between RV1 and intussusception. Infants with intussusception were identified through active surveillance at 69 hospitals (16 in Mexico and 53 in Brazil), and age-matched infants from the same neighborhood were enrolled as controls. Vaccination dates were verified by a review of vaccination cards or clinic records. RESULTS: We enrolled 615 case patients (285 in Mexico and 330 in Brazil) and 2050 controls. An increased risk of intussusception 1 to 7 days after the first dose of RV1 was identified among infants in Mexico with the use of both the case-series method (incidence ratio, 5.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.0 to 9.3) and the case-control method (odds ratio, 5.8; 95% CI, 2.6 to 13.0). No significant risk was found after the first dose among infants in Brazil, but an increased risk, albeit smaller than that seen after the first dose in Mexico--an increase by a factor of 1.9 to 2.6 - was seen 1 to 7 days after the second dose. A combined annual excess of 96 cases of intussusception in Mexico (approximately 1 per 51,000 infants) and in Brazil (approximately 1 per 68,000 infants) and of 5 deaths due to intussusception was attributable to RV1. However, RV1 prevented approximately 80,000 hospitalizations and 1300 deaths from diarrhea each year in these two countries. CONCLUSIONS: RV1 was associated with a short-term risk of intussusception in approximately 1 of every 51,000 to 68,000 vaccinated infants. The absolute number of deaths and hospitalizations averted because of vaccination far exceeded the number of intussusception cases that may have been associated with vaccination. (Funded in part by the GAVI Alliance and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.).

Trichobezoar can be treated laparoscopically.

Various therapeutic modalities have been proposed to treat trichobezoar and Rapunzel syndrome. The treatment options were modified with the advent of laparoscopy. We reported two 7- and 12-year-old female patients with Rapunzel syndrome and thrichobezoar, respectively, who were successfully operated by laparoscopy.

Infarto segmentario idiopático del epiplón mayor, resuelto por cirugía endoscópica: Reporte de un caso / Idiopathic segmentary infarction of the great omentum treatment by laparoscopy: A case report

Introducción. El infarto segmentario idiopático primario del epiplón mayor se presenta de manera ocasional en la etapa pediátrica, predomina en niños con sobrepeso y se confunde con apendicitis aguda. Caso clínico. Paciente masculino de 6 años de edad con dolor abdominal y febrícula de 36 horas de evolución. Peso de 25 kg (p-90), talla 115 cm (p-50), discreta deshidratación, dolor importante en fosa iliaca y flanco derechos así como irritación peritoneal localizada. La biometría hemática mostró leve leucocitosis, y la radiografía simple de abdomen reacción peritoneal. Durante la cirugía endoscópica se encontró un segmento del epiplón infartado, el cual se ligó, se resecó y se extrajo. La evolución fue satisfactoria. Conclusión. La cirugía endoscópica proporciona una excelente exposición para el diagnóstico y tratamiento del infarto del epiplón mayor.

Introduction. The primary idiopathic segmentary infarction of the great omentum is rarely found in the pediatric age group; it is predominant in overweight children and it is mistaken for acute appendicitis. Case report. Six year old masculine patient presented abdominal pain for 36 hours associated with low grade fever; he weighed 25 kg (p-90), his height was 115 cm (p-50), on physical examination he showed slightly dried oral mucosa, pain on lower right quadrant with peritoneal irritation signs. The white blood count showed slight leukocitocys and the abdomen radiograph showed inflammation and peritoneal irritation. Endoscopic surgery was done and an infarcted segment of greater omentum was found, it was ligated, resected and extracted. Clinical evolution was satisfactory. Conclusion. Endoscopic surgery gives us an excellent resource for diagnosis and treatment of this pathology.