Obstructive sleep apnea in obese adolescents referred for bariatric surgery: association with metabolic and cardiovascular variables.

BACKGROUND: obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is a well-described disease entity in adults, with a higher prevalence in severely obese individuals, while at the same time associated with several comorbidities independently of BMI. Literature regarding OSA in severely obese adolescents is qualitatively and quantitatively limited, possibly resulting in suboptimal diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: polysomnographic, demographic, anthropometric, and comorbidity-related data were prospectively collected in 56 adolescents with morbid obesity refractory to conservative treatment who presented for surgical therapy. Differences between adolescents with no/mild (apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) 0-4.9) and moderate/severe OSA (AHI ≥ 5.0) were evaluated using independent-samples t, chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association of several variables with AHI, corrected for BMI z-score. RESULTS: of the 53 included subjects, 48 (90.6%) showed some degree of sleep disordered breathing and 20 (37.7%) had moderate/severe OSA. Patients with moderate/severe OSA had on average a higher neck circumference (42.4 versus 40.1 cm, p = 0.008), higher BMI z-score (3.7 versus 3.4, p = 0.003), higher plasma triglyceride level (2.2 versus 1.5 mmol/L, p = 0.012), and lower IGF (29.6 versus 40.2 mmol/L, p = 0.010) than those with no/mild OSA. BMI z-score and plasma triglyceride levels were independently related to AHI. CONCLUSIONS: OSA is highly prevalent amongst morbidly obese adolescents and is strongly associated with BMI z-score. Elevated plasma triglyceride levels are associated with AHI, independent of BMI z-score.

Sternocostal instability after Ravitch repair in adolescents; 3 case-reports and a review of surgical techniques in the literature.

Ravitch repair is a common surgical procedure to correct chest wall deformities. In this procedure, a subperichondreal cartilage resection of the deformed parasternal cartilage, and if necessary a repositioning of the sternum, is performed. Insufficient regeneration of the resected cartilage may result in sternocostal instability or even floating sternum. This rare complication presents with symptoms of pain and exercise intolerance. METHODS: We describe sternocostal instability in 3 adolescent patients after the Ravitch procedure for pectus carinatum and reviewed the literature on this topic. RESULTS: Our patients suffered different degrees of instability. In all cases, we eventually achieved a satisfactory outcome. There is little literature on sternocostal instability. It is a rare complication, mainly occurring after reoperation by damaging the perichondrium. CONCLUSIONS: Malunion of costal cartilage is a rare complication of open pectus repair. To achieve the best regeneration and stability of the sternum, less extended resection of cartilage should be performed and the number of cartilages resected should be limited. The perichondrium must be kept intact. Autologous grafts, growth-enhancing materials, and metal or bioabsorbable struts may contribute to stabilization and regeneration of the cartilage.

Early cost-utility estimation of the surgical correction of pectus excavatum with the Nuss bar.

OBJECTIVES: The surgical correction of pectus excavatum (PE) with a Nuss bar provides satisfactory outcomes, but its cost-effectiveness is yet unproven. We prospectively analysed early outcomes and costs for Nuss bar placement. METHODS: Fifty-four patients aged 16 years or older (6 females and 48 males; mean age, 17.9 years; range 16.0-29.4 years) with a PE filled out a Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-6D) preoperatively and 1 year after a Nuss procedure. Costs included professional fees and fees for the operating room, materials and hospital care. Changes in the responses to the SF-36 or its domains were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and the utility test results were calculated preoperatively and postoperatively from the SF-6D. The quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were calculated from the results of these tests. RESULTS: Significant improvements in physical functioning, social functioning, mental health and health transition (all P < 0.05) were noted. The other SF-36 subgroups showed improvement; however, the improvement was not significant. The SF-6D utility showed improvement from 0.76 preoperatively to 0.79 at the 1-year follow-up (P = 0.096). The mean direct costs were €8805. The 1-year discounted QALY gain was 0.03. The estimated cost-utility ratio was €293 500 per QALY gained. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a significant improvement in many domains of the SF-36, the results of the SF-6D cost-utility analysis showed only a small improvement in cost-effectiveness (> €80 000/QALY) for patients with PE 1 year after Nuss bar placement. Based on this discrepancy, general health outcome measurements as the basis for cost-utility analysis in patients with PE may not be the best way forward.

Clinical recovery in children with uncomplicated appendicitis undergoing non-operative treatment: secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study.

Non-operative treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis in children is gaining ground. Pending definitive evidence regarding its effectiveness, there is a call to evaluate clinical recovery after non-operative treatment. In this study, we analyzed data collected during initial admission of a multicenter prospective cohort in which children, 7-17 year, were treated non-operatively for uncomplicated appendicitis. During admission clinical parameters (pain and gastro-intestinal symptoms), inflammation parameters and sequential abdominal ultrasound were recorded. In total, 45 children were included, 42(93%) were discharged without the need for appendectomy; median [IQR] pain scores on admission were 5 [4-7], decreasing to 2 [0-3] after 1 day of treatment. Initially, 28/42 (67%) reported nausea and 19/42 (45%) vomiting; after 1 day, this was 3/42 (7%) and 1/42 (2%), respectively. White blood cell count declined from a median [IQR] of 12.9 [10.7-16.7] 10E9/L on admission to 7.0 [5.8-9.9] 10E9/L on day 1. Median [IQR] C-reactive protein levels increased from 27.5 [9-69] mg/L on admission to 48 [22-80] mg/L on day 1, declining to 21.5 [11-42] mg/L on day 2. Follow-up ultrasound showed no signs of complicated appendicitis in any of the patients.Conclusion: Clinical symptoms resolved in most children after 1 day of non-operative treatment. This suggests that non-operative treatment is a viable alternative to appendectomy regarding clinical recovery.Trail registration: NCT01356641 What is Known: • Non-operative treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis in children is safe and its use around the world is gaining ground, however high quality evidence from adequately designed randomized trials is still lacking. • Concerns have been raised regarding the potentially prolonged clinical recovery associated with non-operative treatment. What is New: • Most clinical symptoms resolve after 1 day of non-operative treatment in the majority of children.

The Dynamic Compression Brace for Pectus Carinatum: Intermediate Results in 286 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Dynamic brace compression is a novel treatment for patients with pectus carinatum. The dynamic compression system contains a device to measure the flexibility of the thoracic wall and regulate the pressure of the brace. METHODS: Patients referred to our pediatric surgical center were screened for treatment with the dynamic compression brace. Patients with a pressure of initial correction (PIC) of 10.0 pounds per square inch or less were offered treatment with the brace. Patients with a PIC above 10.0 pounds per square inch were offered surgical correction. Between March 2013 and April 2016, 286 patients were treated with the brace; 260 were male (91%) and 26 were female (9%). Their mean age was 14 years (range, 4 to 21 years). RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients completed brace treatment; the mean treatment time was 14 months. Twenty-seven patients abandoned treatment because of lack of motivation, loss to follow-up, persistent protrusion of the sternal bone or flaring that required surgical correction, failure of treatment because of a bifid rib, fear of locking the brace, and delayed correction. One hundred eighty-one patients are still wearing the brace, either in the active or in the retainer phase. Patients with a high PIC also showed improvement when they were compliant. Adverse events were minor and included skin lesions (n = 4, 1%) and vasovagal reactions at the start of therapy (n = 3, 1%). CONCLUSIONS: These data show that brace therapy can be considered a valuable treatment option to correct pectus carinatum in patients with a flexible thorax.

Structural Endoscopic Techniques to Treat Obesity: A Review.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased significantly during the past decades, affecting now approximately 30% of people worldwide. Bariatric surgery has proven to be the most effective treatment modality for obesity in the long term. However, current surgical procedures are accompanied by a substantial risk of complications. Several endoluminal techniques have been developed to achieve weight loss in obese patients and claim to be as effective as surgery but safer. The aim of this review is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic bariatric procedures that provide structural changes in anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal tract. A comprehensive search was conducted using online databases and the references of the selected articles. All studies included in this review show excess weight loss in the short-term to medium-term, which ranges from 24% to 58%. Seven serious adverse events were reported. Therefore, we conclude that endoscopic bariatric procedures providing structural changes show relatively low complication rates and promising short-term weight loss and effect on obesity-related comorbidities. Long-term results in large study populations are necessary before these techniques can be incorporated in the standard treatment of obesity.

Early loss of peritubular capillaries after kidney transplantation.

Inflammation, interstitial fibrosis (IF), and tubular atrophy (TA) precede chronic transplant dysfunction, which is a major cause of renal allograft loss. There is an association between IF/TA and loss of peritubular capillaries (PTCs) in advanced renal disease, but whether PTC loss occurs in an early stage of chronic transplant dysfunction is unknown. Here, we studied PTC number, IF/TA, inflammation, and renal function in 48 patients who underwent protocol biopsies. Compared with before transplantation, there was a statistically significant loss of PTCs by 3 months after transplantation. Fewer PTCs in the 3-month biopsy correlated with high IF/TA and inflammation scores and predicted lower renal function at 1 year. Predictors of PTC loss during the first 3 months after transplantation included donor type, rejection, donor age, and the number of PTCs at the time of implantation. In conclusion, PTC loss occurs during the first 3 months after renal transplantation, associates with increased IF and TA, and predicts reduced renal function.