A Comparison between Ilioinguinal and Iliohypogastric Nerve Block and Infiltration of Local Anesthetics for Postoperative Pain after Inguinal Herniorrhaphy in Children / 소아외과

The present study compared the postoperative analgesic effects of ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block with infiltration of local anesthetics (bupivacaine) into the wound in children after inguinal hernia repair. Ninety children below 7 years old who were scheduled elective inguinal hernia repair were randomly allocated into one of three groups. The patients in nerve block (NB) group, ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block was done with 0.5 mL/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine. The patients in infiltration of local anesthetics (LI) group, 0.5 mL/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine was infiltrated into the wound after surgery. The patients in control group were allocated as a Control group. Postoperative pain was assessed at 1, 3, 5, and 24 hours after operation with FLACC scale and additional analgesic consumption were counted. The three groups were not significantly different in age, sex, body weight, and duration of operation. Pain scores at 1 hour and 3 hours after operation were significantly higher in Control group than in NB group and LI group (p<0.01), whereas there were no difference between NB group and LI group. The rescue analgesics administration was significantly higher in Control group (n=11) than in NB group (n=6) and LI group (n=7) (p<0.05). There were 2 cases of transient femoral nerve palsy in NB group. Both of ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block and infiltration of local anesthetics into the wound provided effective postoperative analgesia in early postoperative period following inguinal hernia repair in children. But no difference between the two methods. Technically, infiltration of local anesthetics into the wound was easier and safer than ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block.

Obstructive uropathy after inguinal herniorrhaphy with a mesh in a renal transplant patient

A 67-year-old male renal transplant patient presented with a right inguinal bulging mass, and was diagnosed with a right indirect inguinal hernia. The day following inguinal herniorrhaphy, serum creatinine became elevated. The patient was oliguric and had abdominal pain on the first day after inguinal herniorrhaphy with a mesh. We diagnosed him with acute renal failure and subsequently performed acute hemodialysis. The kidney computed tomography showed hydronephroureter, with distal ureter obstruction. With urgent percutaneous nephrostomy, we were able to relieve the obstructive uropathy with distal ureteral stenosis. Subsequently, hernia repair was performed with removal of the mesh, followed by the antegrade ureteral stent insertion. Renal function was recovered after ureteral stent insertion. This case shows that acute renal failure can occur due to ureteral obstruction, complicated by an inguinal hernia repair, and this can be successfully treated with percutaneous nephrostomy and inguinal hernia repair with mesh removal.

Tailgut Cyst in a Neonate

Tailgut cysts are rare congenital lesions thought to arise from vestiges of the tailgut/postanal gut, which is a primitive gut temporarily present at the most caudal portion of the embryo. The lesions are usually multilocular cysts lined by various types of epithelium in the retrorectal space. We experienced a tailgut cyst in an 18-day-old girl initially presented as an epidermoid cyst like skin lesion in the coccygeal region. MRI showed a well-defined multiloculated cystic mass between the rectum and coccyx, measuring 12x23 mm and markedly hyperintense on T2 weighted images and hypointense on T1-weighted images. The cyst was surgically removed via a posterior sagittal approach and microscopically lined by ciliated columnar, transitional and squamous cells. Tailgut cysts are usually found in adult females, and extremely rarely in neonates. We report a tailgut cyst in a neonate with a review of the literature.

Comparison of Transanal One-stage Soave Procedure to Modified Duhamel Procedure in Hirschsprung's Disease

PURPOSE: Transanal one-stage Soave (TOS) procedure is the most recently reported procedure for Hirschsprung's disease. This study was performed to compare the surgical outcomes of TOS with those of modified Duhamel procedure. METHODS: The study populations were 17 consecutive patients who underwent TOS procedure between March, 2003 and February, 2008 (TOS group) and 19 consecutive patients who underwent modified Duhamel procedure between March, 1996 and February, 2001 (Duhamel group) by one pediatric surgeon. Age, gender, length of aganglionic segment, operating time, complications, duration of postoperative hospital stay, and functional results were retrospectively analyzed and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There was no difference in age, gender, and length of the aganglionic segment between the two groups. The operating time (195 versus 255 minutes, P<0.05) and the duration of postoperative hospital stay (7 versus 9 days, P<0.05) were significantly shorter in the TOS group. Postoperative complications occurred in 10 of 17 in the TOS group (4 perianal excoriation, 3 anastomotic stenosis, and 3 postoperative enterocolitis) and 10 of 19 in Duhamel group (2 wound infection, 1 perianal excoriation, 1 anastomotic leakage, 1 rectal bleeding, 2 intestinal obstruction, and 3 postoperative enterocolitis). Two cases in the Duhamel group required operation to treat postoperative complication, one for anastomotic leakage and one for intestinal obstruction. There was no significant difference in the functional results between both groups. CONCLUSION: TOS shows similar functional results and postoperative complications but has the advantage of a significantly shorter operating time and postoperative hospital stay compared with modified Duhamel procedure.

Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma: A Case Report / 영남의대학술지

Angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma is a rare soft tissue tumor that generally affects children and young adults. We report a case of angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma in an 11-year-old boy who complained of a back mass for 3 years. Surgical excision was performed. The excised specimen showed a 4.0 x 3.6 x 3.0 cm, well circumscribed, grayish white tumor, with multicystic changes. Histological examination showed proliferation of spindle or round shaped tumor cells. There was a dense fibrous pseudocapsule with prominent chronic inflammatory cell infiltrates.

Anal Extrusion of Distal V-P Shunt Catheter after Double Perforation of Large Intestine

We describe the extrusion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt catheter from the anus after double perforation of the large bowel in a 3-year-old girl with hydrocephalus. She was admitted because the tip of the peritoneal catheter protruded 10 cm from the anus and clear cerebrospinal fluid dripped from the tip. Emergency laparotomy was performed. The distal peritoneal catheter perforated and penetrated the sigmoid colon and re-perforated into the rectal cavity. The distal peritoneal catheter was removed, the proximal catheter was exposed for external drainage, and intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics were administered for 2 weeks. After control of infection, the shunt system was completely removed. Bowel perforation by a peritoneal catheter is a rare complication. Diagnosis is often difficult, delayed, and its incidence is likely underestimated. Most bowel perforation is the result of infection as opposed to technical errors.

Hirschsprung's Disease / 영남의대학술지

Hirschsprung's disease is one of the most common causes of intestinal obstruction in neonates and infants. The underlying pathology of this disease is the absence of the ganglion cells in both the myenteric (Auerbach's) plexus and the submucosal (Meissner's) plexus. Since Hirschsprung's report in 1886, there have been thousands of papers on Hirschsprung's disease but the cause of the absence of the ganglion cells has not been identified. Hirschsprung's disease can be successfully treated with the Swenson, the Duhamel, and the Soave operations even though the pathogenesis is unknown. With the recent progress of molecular biology and genetics, a more detailed approach to the pathogenesis of Hirschsprung's disease can be undertaken. In addition, there have been recent developments in the surgical approach. In this review, recent advances in surgery for Hirschsprung's disease are presented.

Prediction of Nonsentinel Lymph Node (NSLN) Metastasis in Breast Cancer Patients; The Usefulness of Isotope Counts for Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) Classification

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to identify a patient subgroup with a positive SLN where exposure to the morbidity and cost associated of an axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is not required. To achieve this goal, we subdivided SLNs according to their isotope counts, and then assessed whether the number of positive SLNs and subdivided status were related to the axillary NSLN status. METHODS: During SLN biopsies, the ex vivo isotope counts were measured for each SLN. Each SLN was labeled as S1, S2 or S3, and so on, in descending count order. An SLN biopsy was performed until the isotope counts of the axilla equaled that of the background. If SLNs were positive, a completion ALND (cALND) was performed. The pathological report was also reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: SLNs were successfully identified in 243 (99.6%) of 244 patients, with metastases in SLNs identified in 28.0% of patients. An SLN was the only positive lymph node in 52.9% (36/68) of patients, with a positive SLN followed by a cALND. NSLNs metastases were found in 32/68 cases (47.1%). The rate of NSLN metastasis was positively correlated with the number of positive SLN (P=0.017). In SLN positive patients, the NSLN metastasis rate was 60.9% (28/46) in patient with a tumor-harboring last-order SLN (SLN with least isotope counts), but only 18.2% (4/22) in patients with a tumor-free SLN (P=0.001). Similar results were found in patients with either two or more metastatic SLNs (P=0.023). CONCLUSION: In patients with a positive SLN, the number of metastatic SLNs and their isotope counts can be useful in the prediction of NSLNs metastasis. Further investigation will be necessary to confirm these results.

Trend (in 2005) of Repair of Inguinal Hernia in Children in Korea : A National Survey by the Korean Association of Pediatric Surgeons in 2005

Inguinal hernia is the most common disease treated by the pediatric surgeon. There are several controversial aspects of management 1)the optimal timing of surgical repair, especially for preterm babies, 2)contralateral groin exploration during repair of a clinically unilateral hernia, 3)use of laparoscope in contralateral groin exploration, 4)timing of surgical repair of cord hydrocele, 5)perioperative pain control, 6)perioperative management of anemia. In this survey, we attempted to determine the approach of members of KAPS to these aspects of hernia treatment. A questionnaire by e-mail or FAX was sent to all members. The content of the questionnaire were adapted from the "American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Surgery hernia survey revisited (J Pediatr Surg 40, 1009-1014, 2005)". For full-term male baby, most surgeons (85.7 %) perform an elective operation as soon as diagnosis was made. For reducible hernia found in ex-preterm infants already discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), 76.2 % of surgeons performed an elective repair under general anesthesia (85.8 %). 42.9 % of the surgeons performed the repair just before discharge. For same-day surgery for the ex-premature baby, the opinion was evenly divided. For an inguinal hernia with a contralateral undescended testis in a preterm baby, 61.9 % of surgeons choose to 'wait and see' until 12 month of age. The most important consideration in deciding the timing of surgery of inguinal hernia in preterm baby was the existence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (82.4 %), episode of apnea/bradycardia on home monitoring (70.6 %). Most surgeons do not explore the contralateral groin during unilateral hernia repair. Laparoscope has not been tried. Most surgeons do not give perioperative analgesics or blood transfusion.

Anorectal Malformations: Diagnosis and Management in Neonatal Period

Anorectal malformations comprise a spectrum of disease and the majority of patients have one or more abnormalities that affect other systems. In evaluating a newborn with anorectal malformation, the decision regarding the need for a colostomy and detection and management of any life threatening associated anomalies are thetwo most important considerations. Perineal inspection provides the clue to the surgical approach in about 80-90% of male and 90% of female newborn baby. The remaining patients who do not show any clinical evidence need radiologic evaluation to decide whether a colostomy should be performed. In most cases the decision to make a colostomy should not be made until the baby is 20 to 24 hours old and evaluation to rule out the presence of associated anomalies completed. A divided colostomy at the junction of the descending and sigmoid colon is recommended for anorectal malformations.

Effects of Naloxone on Morphine Analgesia and Spinal c-fos Expression in Rat Formalin Test / 대한통증학회지

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to evaluate the dose-related effects of naloxone on morphine analgesia in the rat formalin test, and observe the correlation of pain behavior and spinal c-fos expression induced by a formalin injection. METHODS: Fifty rats were divided into five groups; control, morphine (morphine pre-treated, intra-peritoneal injection of 0.1 mg of morphine 5 min prior to formalin injection), and three naloxone groups, which were divided according to the administered dose-ratio of naloxone to morphine; 20: 1 (5microgram), 10: 1 (10microgram), and 1: 1 (100microgram) representing the low-, medium-, and high-dose naloxone groups, respectively, were injected intra-peritoneally 16 min after a formalin. A fifty ul of 5% formalin was injected into the right hind paw. All rats were observed for their pain behavior according to the number of flinches during phases 1 (2-3, 5-6 min) and 2 (1 min per every 5 min from 10 to 61 min). The spinal c-fos expression was quantitatively analyzed at 1 and 2 hours after the formalin injection using a real-time PCR. RESULTS: The morphine pre-treated (morphine and three naloxone) groups during phase 1, and the morphine, low- and medium-dose naloxone groups during phase 2, showed significantly less flinches compared to those of the control (P < 0.05). In the three naloxone groups, the numbers of flinches were transiently reduced following the naloxone injection in the low- and medium-dose groups compared to those of the morphine group (P < 0.05). The duration of the reduced flinches was longer in the medium-dose group (P < 0.05). The high-dose group revealed immediate increases in flinches immediately after the naloxone injection compared to those of the morphine, low- and medium-dose groups (P < 0.05 for each). The spinal c-fos expression showed no significant patterns between the experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that relatively low-dose naloxone (1/20 to 1/10 dose-ratio of morphine) transiently potentiates morphine analgesia; whereas, high-dose (equal dose-ratio of morphine) reverses the analgesia, and the spinal c-fos expression does not always correlate with pain behavior in the rat formalin test.

Clinical review of bilateral breast cancer / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Bilateral breast cancer is categorized as synchronous or metachronous. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of synchronous and metachronous breast cancers. METHODS: Between 1989 and 2003, 1111 patients were treated for breast cancer at Yeung-Nam University Hospital. We retrospectively analyzed 27 women with bilateral breast cancer. RESULTS: Among the 27 cases (2.4% of the patients) of bilateral cancers, 7 (0.6%) were synchronous and 20 (1.8%) were metachronous. The mean age of the patient with synchronous and metachronous cancer was 46.9 and 41.1 years, respectively. Eighty percent (16/20) of the metachronous cases were under the age of 50. For the metachronous cancers, 65% of the cases (13/20) were down-staged, and 20% and 15% of the patients were up-staged and at same stage, respectively, compared to the primary cancer. The ER, PR, C-erbB2 and p53 positivity was 20% (4/20), 15%, 21.1% and 52.9% in metachronous cancers, respectively, compared to 65%, 60%, 31.6% and 41.2% in the primary cancers, respectively. During the mean follow up of 74.3 months, the recurrence rate and mortality rate was 42.9% and 28.6%, respectively, for the synchronous cancers, and 5% and 5%, respectively, for the metachronous cancers. CONCLUSION: The stage of the metachronous cancer was lower than that of the primary cancer, and this was probably due to careful follow-up. The lower proportion of ER and/or PR positive tumor in metachronous cancer might be associated with the effect of tamoxifen treatment. The prognosis was less favorable for the synchronous cases than for the metachronous second breast cancers in this study.

Treatment of Anogenital Condyloma Acuminata in Children

Condyloma acuminata, an uncommon disease in the pediatric patients, is being reported with increasing frequency in both adults and children. During the last 10 years, we had the opportunity to treat 11 children with condyloma acuminata in anogenital area. Patient age at presentation varied from 9 months to 11 years, and boys were outnumbered girls by a ratio of 2 : 1. The lesions were found in the perianal area in 9 patients, while the remaining had lesions localized to the genitalia. No history of sexual contact or abuse could be elicited. Although the exact mode of transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) couldn't be defined, maternal-infant transmission at birth and close nonsexual family contact were the main possible causes of HPV infection in our patients. Our experience suggest that fulguration of the warts and concomitant scissors excision for the larger ones are the satisfactory method of treatment in children. However, based on our data we feel that condyloma acuminata has a high recurrence rate despite treatment. Viral typing and careful epidemiological investigation on a larger series of patients may further clarify the causal factors and effective modalities of treatment in childhood anogenital condyloma acuminata.

Surgical Excision of Accessory Axillary Breast Tissues

BACKGROUND: Accessory axillary breast tissue is present in approximately 2% to 6% of women, but receives little attention in the surgical literature. Furthermore, a carcinoma, as well as other pathologic changes, can arise within accessory axillary breast tissue. METHODS: Between January 1990 and December 1997 at our clinic, 83 patients underwent surgical removal of accessory axillary breast tissue. All the patients were female, and the ages ranged from 14 to 57 years, with a median of 33.8. The clinical characteristics, indications, and techniques of surgical removal, pathologic findings, and postoperative results were analyzed. RESULTS: The major clinical manifestations were axillary mass (95.2%), pain and/or tenderness (41%), and cyclic change of size (21.7%). In most patients, these symptoms appeared first during puberty (25.3%) and pregnancy (43.4%). On examination, the mass was in the right axilla in 35 patients (42.2%), the left axilla in 19 patients (22.9%) and both axillae in 29 patients (34.9%), and 3 patients had rudimentary accessory nipples. Surgical removal was performed for cosmetic problems (61.5%), clinical symptoms (21.7%), and suspicion of pathologic lesions (9.6%). The excised breast tissue varied in size from 2.5 cm to 14 cm with a median of 6.2 cm. The pathological findings demonstrated ductal dilatation in 21 patients (25.3%), chronic inflammation in 4 patients (4.8%), fibrocystic changes in 3 patients (3.6%) and lactating adenosis in 2 patients (2.4%). Postoperative complications developed in 8 patients (8.3%), and seroma was the most common. In our study, none of the patients experienced recurrence of disease, and 96.4% of the patients enjoyed cosmetically satisfying outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, from our experience, the treatment of choice for accessory axillary breast tissue is surgical removal, which eliminates the clinical symptoms and the aesthetical deformity and provides tissue to rule out any pathologic changes including malignancy. For cosmetically satisfying outcomes, a scar hidden from sight and balanced shapes of both axillae should be kept in mind during the operation.

Treatment of Periductal Mastitis

Periductal mastitis is an inflammatory disease of uncertain etiology affecting the major breast ducts and has been given a variety of names by different authors. The treatment of this condition varies according to the clinical manifestations and the state of recurrence. Thirty-two cases of periductal mastitis during the period of 5 years from March 1991 to February 1996 were reviewed to investigate the clinical characteristics and to assess the results of different surgical procedures. The mean age of the patients was 41.2 years with a range of 26~64 years. The clinical manifestations included mastalgia (93.8%), abscess (43.8%), palpable mass (37.5%), nipple retraction (34.1%), and nipple discharge (21.9%). Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were isolated in nine of 16 cultures. Acute inflammatory indurations in 6 patients were treated with antibiotics(cephalosporine combined with metronidazole) alone, and abscesses in 14 were treated by incision and drainage plus antibiotics. Twelve patients with a discrete mass had primary excision of the mass and diseased major ducts under antibiotics cover. Recurrence rates after initial treatment for inflammatory indurations, abscesses, and discrete masses were 66.7%, 50%, and 16.7%, respectively, and the median recurrence rate was 31.3%. Thirteen patients with recurrent diseases were treated by excision of the entire major duct system following appropriate preoperative management including, antibiotics and/or incision and drainage; this resulted in satisfactory healing in all without recurrences. In conclusion, initial treatment for patients with inflammatory indurations or abscesses should be more conservative even though nearly half of such patients eventually may require further surgery. Also, there were several recurrences even after excision of the diseased major duct system. To avoid these recurrences, we suggest that a discrete inflammatory mass that does not respond to antibiotic therapy and any recurrent diseases be treated by excision of the entire major duct system rather than by excision of only the diseased ducts.

Changes in the alpha2-Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes Gene Expression in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglion and Spinal Cord in an Experimental Model of Neuropathic Pain / 대한해부학회지

While the pathophysiological mechanism by which sympathetic nervous system generates neuropathic pain is not clear, it is thought to involve an alpha-adrenergic receptor (AR). In the present experiment, we have elucidated the distribution of alpha2-AR subtypes mRNA in the DRG and spinal cord of normal rat with in situ hybridization (ISH) and analyzed changes in their expression in an experimental model of neuropathic pain with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results obtained were as follows; 1. The majority of small, medium and large DRG neurons of non-operated rats expressed alpha2C-AR mRNA. alpha2A-AR-expressing neurons were primarily medium-sized and large, comprising about 16% of the total neurons present. alpha2B-AR-expressing neurons were not identified. In the spinal cord, alpha2A-AR mRNA were localized in neurons of lamina II and III, and large motor neurons in the ventral horn. alpha2C-AR mRNA was found in large motor neurons. 2. In the ligated animals, RT-PCR results showed that alpha2A-AR mRNA levels in L5, 6 DRGs on the ipsilateral side significantly increased compared to those of the contralateral sides and also to those of sham-operated rats. alpha2C-AR mRNA levels showed a marked decrease in ipsilateral L5, 6 DRGs. In the spinal cord, there was no detectable changes in alpha2A- and alpha2C-AR mRNAs levels. The present results indicate that alpha2A- and alpha2C-ARs in the DRG may play an important role in generating sympathetically maintained neuropathic pain and that alpha2-AR in the spinal cord seems not to be involved.

Local Complications after Intramuscular Injections in the Buttock in Children

Intramuscular injection is a commonly used route of parenteral drug administration. Many types of complications following intramuscular injection into the gluteal muscles have been described. A retrospective review of 32 patients requiring surgical treatment for local compli-caations of the buttock injections in children was made at the Taegu Fatima Hospital from March 1990 to December 1997. Local complications consisted of acute inflammatory compli-cations including cellulitis and abscess (71.9%), fat necrosis (21.9%), and injection granu-loma (6.2%). Over the half of complications were situated in the upper outer quadrant of the buttock but the other 43.7% of them were in the upper inner or lower outer quadrant which were unsuitable sites for intramuscular injection. And the majority of complications were de-veloped within fat tissue (90.6%) rather than within muscle (9.4%). Two thirds of the patients were under 2 years of age, which suggested that there were some difficulties in accurate intra-muscular injection in small children who had smaller muscle masses compared with subcuta-neous fat and were irritable during injection. In patients with abscess, Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant organism, isolated in 84.6% of the patients. The treatment consisted of needle aspiration, incision and drainage or curettage, and surgical excision. In conclusion, we think that the major factor contributing development of complications following intramuscular injection in the buttock was inadvertent intrafat injection instead of intramuscular injection. In order to prevent those complications, it is necessary to inject accurately into the muscle with a knowledge of pelvic anatomy and complications associated with intramuscular injection.

Hypertension, Polydipsia, Polyuria, and Hypokalemia Associated with Renin-Secreting Wilms' Tumor in a Child

A 3-year-old boy with Wilms' tumor had unusual severe hypertension, polydipsia, polyuria, and hypokalemia. Physical examination on admission was unremarkable except for the presence of a smooth, firm mass in the right abdomen. Computerized tomography showed a tumor occupying upper two thirds of the right kidney. Plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentration were markedly elevated, 37.7 mg/ml/hour (normal supine 0.15-2.33 mg/ml/hour) and 120.1 ng/dl (normal supine 1 to 16 ng/dl), respectively. His hypertension, varied from 150/90 mmHg as high as 240/180 mmHg, was not effectively controlled by antihyperensive drugs. Because of concern for the complications of hypertension, a right nephrectomy was performed on the sixth hospital day. At laparotomy, there was no evidence of mechanical compression of the renal artery by the tumor. The tumor, about 8 cm in diameter, was confined within the renal capsule without involvement of the renal blood vessels at the hilum. Histopathologically, it was characteristic Wilms' tumor of favorable histology. On electron microscopy, the tumor cells contained many electron dense secreting granules in the cytoplasm, suggesting that the tumor itself was the source of the renin and cause the clinical manifestations. Shortly after nephrectomy, signs and symptoms were relieved dramatically, and plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentration were also decreased to normal.

Anatomical Variations of the Hymen and Congenital Anomalies of the External Genitalia in Female Newborns

The anatomical variations and shapes of the hymen with congenital anomalies of the external genitalia were investigated prospectively during the routine physical examination of 1,500 female infants born between March, 1992, and July, 1992, at the Taegu Fatima Hospital. All underwent a very careful inspection of external genitalia within the first 24 hours of life, and their external genitalia were photographed for confirmation. Abundant hymenal tissue that appeared redundant was observed in nearly all neonates. The annular hymen (89.1%) was the most common type. Of the annular hymens, 91.9% had a central orifice and the remainder had a ventral orifice. External ridges, intravaginal ridges, and clefts were the most frequent anatomical variations, representing 71.5%, 50.7%, and 40.5%, respectively. Congenital anomalies of the external genitalia were detected in 20 patients (1.4%). The anomalies were one case of imperforate hymen, one case of Skene's duct cyst, sixteen cases of hymenal cyst, and two cases of hymenal polyp. Imperforate hymen was incised and drained, and Skene's duct cyst was successfully treated with needle aspiration. Of 16 hymenal cysts, seven with a stalk were excised and the others without a stalk were managed with needle aspiration. Hymenal polyp, a larger form of tag with polypoid shape, was excised. All procedures were performed at the nursery without anesthesia. All the patients so treated were compeletely asymptomatic and had normal genitalia at follow-up. In conclusion, routine physical examination of the female newborn infant should include a careful inspection of the external genitalia with the knowledge of shapes and anatomical variations of the hymen. Longitudinal studies are necessary to understand developmental changes and the effects of estrogens.