A Structured Training for Trans Anal Irrigation in Pediatric Patients Improves Outcomes and Reduce Failures: Results of an Interventional Multicenter Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Continence issues due to organic causes including previous colorectal surgery or neurological issues might benefit from Transanal irrigation (TAI) that proved to be highly effective but with a number of limitations including a relatively high discontinuation rates. Our study was aimed at evaluating the efficacy of an advanced protocol tailored to each patient to prevent dropout and increase satisfaction, independence, and quality of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, interventional, multicenter, nonrandomized study involving children aged 4-18 years with bowel dysfunction unresponsive to conventional treatments who required TAI. TAI was performed in accordance to the best standards of care with a total irrigation volume that was determined based on low emission X-Ray barium enemas performed at the very beginning of the study. All patients underwent training and assessments of continence, patients' perspectives and quality of life were performed at different timepoints from enrollment (T0) up to 6 months since TAI was introduced (T3). RESULTS: A total of 78 patients were enrolled. Male to female ratio was 1.4:1. Mean age at enrollment was 106.1 ± 42.8 months. Discontinuation was reported by 3 patients (3.8 %). Continence, satisfaction and a number of other outcome measures increased from baseline (T0) to the last visit (T3). In particular, mean Rintala total score increased linearly from 7.8 to 14.8 during the study period (T0 to T3 timepoints). On a multivariate analysis, the only parameter that proved to be inversely associated with continence as well as with other outcome measures was the use of laxatives at enrollment and during the study. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated the high efficacy of this innovative patient-tailored TAI protocol across all assessed scores. Of note, given the negative impact of laxatives, our findings suggest limiting their use in this patient population to further increase the efficacy of the procedure.

[Bouveret's syndrome; a case report]. / Síndrome de Bouveret: reporte de un caso.

OBJECTIVE: To present a rare case of duodenal obstruction caused by an impacted gallstone(Bouveret s syndrome) and discusses the best therapeutic option for its resolution. BACKGROUND: Bouveret's syndrome is the less common presentation of a gallstone ileus. This syndrome is rare and predominates in elderly women; the main symptoms are nausea, vomiting, and epigastric pain, and sometimes hematoemesis, mimicking a pyloric stenosis. Diagnosis is made by endoscopy. Endoscopic lithotripsy must be the first-line treatment however surgery is indicated in case of failure or complication during the procedure. Morbidity and mortality rates are high. CASE REPORT: We present a 75 years old, female patient, with history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension. With 15 days of nausea, vomiting,loss of appetite and abdominal pain, with secondary dehydration and bad general conditions. She was subjected to an endoscopy and a duodenal obstruction by a large gallstone was founded,the endoscopic attempts to extract the gallstone were unsuccessful and surgery was performed with a dudenotomy and two layer closure with good outcome. The patient was discharged on the 8th postoperative day. CONCLUSIONS: Bouveret's syndrome is a rare variety of a gallstone ileus and must be considered like differential diagnosis in cases of gastric outlet obstruction.

[Anal malignant melanoma. Case report and literature review]. / Melanoma maligno anal. Reporte de casos y revisión de la literatura.

OBJECTIVE: To present two cases of anorectal malignant melanoma as due to its non specific presentation and rarity they are often misdiagnosed like hemorrhoids. BACKGROUND: Anal melanomas are rare tumors that constitute less than 1% of the malignant colorectal tumors and represent both a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to physicians. They are generally pigmented but could be amelanotic in 29% of the cases and they are associated with poor prognosis, regardless of the surgical procedure used. Melanomas are often misdiagnosed by a lot of anorectal conditions and diagnosis must be suspected in patients with an anal mass. CASE REPORT: We present two anorectal cases of malignant melanoma treated by wide local excision, the principal complain in both patients was the presence of an anal mass and bleeding. Both patients were treated by local excision since survival rates are comparable to those of patients treated by abdomino perineal resections (with a high morbility and mortality rates) and a better quality of life is achieved with control of the symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Anal melanoma is a rare entity with a poor prognosis. The overall treatment goal should be to optimize the quality of life.

[Long-term evolution of achalasia of the lower esophageal sphincter and intestinal paraneoplasic pseudo-obstruction revealing small cell lung carcinoma]. / Evolution à long terme d'une achalasie du sphincter inférieur de l'esophage et d'une pseudo-obstruction intestinale paranéoplasiques révélatrices d'un carcinome pulmonaire à petites cellules.

We report a case of a small cell carcinoma of the lung revealed by chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction associated with achalasia of the lower esophageal sphincter. Tumoral remission was achieved for more than 21 months after chemoradiotherapy but this did not prevent the paraneoplasic syndrome from persisting and medical treatment was not successful in treating the intestinal pseudo-obstruction or the dysphagia, which was not improved by esophageal dilation.

[Colonic duplication. A case report and literature review]. / Duplicación colónica. Informe de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

INTRODUCTION: Colonic duplication is an uncommon congenital anomaly. Bowel obstruction, presence of an abdominal mass, and sometimes bleeding and perforation may be the clinical manifestations. OBJECTIVE: To report a patient with colonic duplication who underwent to surgical treatment due to acute abdominal pain. REPORT OF THE CASE: 17 year-old, female patient admitted to the emergency room due to acute abdominal pain and signs of intestinal obstruction, at her initial evaluation she was tachycardic, hyperthermic with 38 degrees C, dehydration, abdominal distention, acute abdominal pain, absent peristalsis and peritoneal signs. Laboratories with Hb 14.2 g/dL, leucocytosis of 16,000 mm3, plain abdominal films showed dilation of intestinal loops and air-fluid levels. A laparotomy for intestinal obstruction was performed; operative findings were a tubular colonic duplication that demands a complete resection of the duplicated segment. CONCLUSION: Colonic duplication is a rare congenital anomaly, the onset of the symptoms can occur during infancy or early childhood. It must be consider as differential diagnoses in patients with intestinal obstruction and palpable abdominal mass in this rank of ages.

[Association of tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica and ozène]. / Association trachéobronchopathie chondro-ostéoplastique et ozène.

INTRODUCTION: We report a case of tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica associated with Ozena (atrophic rhinitis). OBSERVATION: Fibreoptic bonchoscopy showed irregular tracheal stenosis and histopathological examination displayed zones of bone metaplasia in the tracheal submucosa. We isolated the bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae sp ozaenae from bronchial aspirate. CONCLUSION: This organism is frequently isolated in both conditions suggesting some link between the two diseases.

A basic peroxidase from wheat kernel with antifungal activity.

A basic heme-peroxidase (WP1) was purified to homogeneity from wheat (Triticum aestivum) kernels. The protein was not glycosylated and exhibited a molecular mass of 36 kDa and a pI of 8.0. The N-terminal amino acid sequence revealed a very high similarity with a wheat flour peroxidase allergen associated with baker's asthma. WPI showed indole-3-acetic acid oxidase activity in the presence of Mn2+ and phenolic cofactors. Antifungal assays performed in vitro towards phytopathogenic fungi indicated that WP1 was active in inhibiting germ tube elongation. This first report on antifungal properties of a heme-peroxidase gives experimental support to the idea that peroxidases play a defensive role against invading pathogens.

Testicular function in men treated in childhood for undescended testes.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate testicular hormones and sperm counts of young men treated in childhood for cryptorchidism METHODS: Testicular volume, serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone as well as semen specimens were evaluated in 57 men (mean age, 19 years; range, 18 to 27 years) treated in childhood for unilateral (n = 47) and bilateral (n = 10) cryptorchidism. In 3 unilateral cases monorchidism was found. Thirty-seven patients underwent orchiopexy after hormonal treatment (luteinizing hormone releasing factor, 1.2 mg/d for 28 days followed by human chorionic gonadotropin, 500 IU intramuscularly 3 times a week for 3 weeks). The remainder underwent surgery. Mean age at surgical treatment was 5.4 years (range, 2 to 12 years). These patients were examinated again after a mean period of 13.3 years (range, 10 to 19 years). RESULTS: Reduced testicular volume (<12 mL) was found in 6 of 64 testes (9.3%). LH, FSH, and testosterone levels were found within the normal range in all patients. With linear regression, inverse relations were found between FSH and, respectively, testicular volume (P =.002), sperm concentration (P =.013), sperm motility (P =.023), and normally shaped sperms (P =.019). There were direct relations between testicular volume and sperm concentration (P =.02), sperm motility (P =.000), and normally shaped sperms (P =.001). We did not find any statistical correlation between age at surgery and semen quality. Significantly better results in terms of sperm counts were found in patients directly operated on in comparison to those treated with hormones before orchiopexy. CONCLUSIONS: Presented data indicate tubular impairment in young men operated on in childhood for cryptorchidism; FSH values increase and testicular volume decrease are related to sperm deterioration. Studies on children treated in the first 2 years of life are required to clarify the usefulness of early treatment of cryptorchidism.

[Transmesenteric intestinal plication for intestinal occlusion secondary to disseminated adhesions. A 12-year experience]. / Plicatura intestinal transmesentérica para la oclusión intestinal secundaria a adherencias diseminadas. Experiencia de 12 años.

OBJECTIVE: To report the experience with intestinal plication in patients with adhesive intestinal obstruction that was followed up to 12 years. BACKGROUND: To diminish the high recurrence rate of adhesive intestinal obstruction, there are surgical techniques of intestinal plication. In 1977 Blanco modified a pre-existing transmesenteric technique that is the used in our institution. METHOD: We studied the medical records of 32 patients who underwent intestinal plication using the transmesenteric technique. The postoperative evaluation was based in recurrence and mortality. RESULTS: There were 32 patients, 56% women and 44% men, with a mean age of 50 years. All patients had a history of intraabdominal surgical procedures. The postoperative evaluation was satisfactory. The success rate was over 90%. The recurrence rate was 9.3% and we had no mortality. The mean follow-up was 3.5 years (median 3 [range 1-12] years). There were no significant differences between this technique and the Noble and Childs-Phillips plication techniques. CONCLUSIONS: This technique of intestinal plication is useful in the surgical management of patients with adhesive intestinal obstruction.

[Toxic megacolon secondary to pseudomembranous colitis]. / Megacolon tóxico secundario a colitis pseudomembranosa.

BACKGROUND: Toxic megacolon is a rare complication of pseudomembranous colitis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to present a rare case of toxic megacolon secondary to pseudomembranous colitis. METHODS: The chart of a 75-year-old male, who developed a toxic megacolon secondary to pseudomembranous colitis no was reviewed. RESULTS: The clinical features and outcome of a 75-year-old male with pseudomembranous colitis are depicted. The main symptoms were no ever, abdominal distention, bloody and diarrhea; the man suddenly developed a toxic megacolon and taken was to surgery. Total colectomy with proximal rectal closure was performed. The patient died within 24 hours of the abdominal procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Toxic megacolon is a rare complication of pseudomembranous colitis. Its presence should be suspected when these patients develop no colonic dilatation with associated systemic toxicity. Aggressive surgical intervention is indicated.

[An unusual case of macroscopic hematuria in pediatric age]. / Un caso insolito di ematuria macroscopica in età pediatrica.

An unusual case of macroscopic hematuria in a 14 year old boy is presented. At the time of the first hospital admission, no urinary tract infection could be demonstrated, in spite of the associated symptoms of stranguria and dysuria. At ultrasound examination, only a mild thickening of the upper bladder wall was detected, and cystoscopy showed a huge oedema and inflammation of the mucosal layer. The biopsy of the bladder was characterized by a definite eosinophilic infiltration; due to this particular hystologic pattern, the diagnosis of eosinophilic cystitis was made. In the following months, the boy did not improve. Recurrent hematuria occurred, and a pseudo-polypoid mass in the inner bladder wall was detected at ultrasonography. A limited resection of the vesical dome was performed, to remove completely the mass. The hystologic examination showed Schistosoma Haematobium eggs in the bladder wall, with a typical granulomatous reaction. The post-operative course was uneventful, and the child was completely cured after Praziquantel treatment. The Authors underline the need to take into account Schistosomiasis in cases of hematuria, particularly when this symptom affects boys coming from countries where Bilharziasis is endemic.