Evaluation of Rex Shunt on Cavernous Transformation of the Portal Vein in Children.

BACKGROUND: Children with cavernous transformation of the portal vein (CTPV) develop severe complications from prehepatic portal hypertension, such as recurrent variceal bleeding and thrombocytopenia. In this study, we reported the results of 30 children with symptomatic CTPV that were treated by a Rex shunt. The effectiveness of this surgical approach was evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of 30 children aged between 3 and 18 years with CTPV, who underwent a Rex shunt between 2008 and 2015. All children were evaluated based on symptoms, complete blood count, portal system color-flow Doppler ultrasound or computed tomography angiography portography and gastroscopy for gastroesophageal varices pre- and postoperatively. Children were also evaluated during follow-up. Intraoperative evaluations included liver biopsy, portography and portal pressure. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients demonstrated intermittent bleeding from gastroesophageal varices, 3 patients showed hypersplenism with varying degrees of leucopenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia, and in 6 patients both bleeding and hypersplenism were observed. Rex was successful in 28 patients (93.3%). The portal pressure immediately decreased significantly after placing of the shunt (P < 0.01). During the clinical follow-up period within 2-82 months, transaminase levels were maintained in the normal range. Blood flow velocity and diameter of the left portal vein significantly increased after surgery (P < 0.01). In addition, leukocyte and platelet counts increased postoperatively and anemia improved significantly (P < 0.01). Gastroscopy results indicated that the degree of gastroesophageal varices significantly alleviated postoperatively within 3 months and 1 year (P < 0.01). In 2 patients who demonstrated nodular cirrhosis and chronic active hepatitis, success of the Rex shunt was not achieved after operation. We found that for Rex effectiveness hepatic pathology and patient age were major determinants. CONCLUSION: Rex shunt is an effective approach for the treatment of children suffering from CTPV at an early stage that do not show additional liver lesions.

Outcomes of seromuscular bladder augmentation compared with standard bladder augmentation in the treatment of children with neurogenic bladder.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal seromuscular bladder augmentation (SMBA) surgery has produced no mucosal-related complications, but its outcomes need to be studied. AIM: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of SMBA in the treatment of children with neurogenic bladder. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of children with SMBA was performed from March 2008 to February 2018, and the data were compared with those of children receiving standard cystoplasty (SC). RESULTS: In a cohort of 67 children who underwent bladder augmentation, the 46 children in the SC group had an average age of 10.6 years and a follow-up time of 36 mo, and the 21 children in the SMBA group had an average age of 7.6 years and a follow-up time of 29.7 mo. The preoperative and postoperative bladder volumes in the SMBA group were 151.7 mL and 200.4 mL, respectively, and those in the SC group were 173.9 mL and 387.0 mL, respectively. No significant difference in preoperative urinary dynamic parameters was found between the two groups, but the difference after operation was statistically significant. The main complications after SMBA were residual ureteral reflux and failed bladder augmentation, with incidences of 33.3% and 28.6%, respectively. In all 6 patients with failed augmentation in the SMBA group, ileum seromuscular patches were used for augmentation, and SC was chosen for reaugmentation. During reoperation, patch contracture and fibrosis were observed. CONCLUSION: The improvement of urinary dynamic parameters in the SMBA group was significantly lower than that in the SC group. Children with SMBA had a higher probability of patch contracture and reaugmentation, which might be related to impaired blood supply and urine stimulation, and the sigmoid colon patch should be the priority.

Surgical outcomes of bladder augmentation: A comparison of three different augmentation procedures.

BACKGROUND: Augmentation cystoplasty is indispensable in many pediatric diseases, especially neurogenic bladder. Various methods and materials are used to augment the bladder, and these methods are associated with different shortcomings and complications. AIM: The present study reported the mid-term outcomes of patients undergoing various bladder augmentation procedures in a single institution, and assessed whether seromuscular cystoplasty lined with urothelium (SCLU) provided better urodynamic results than auto-augmentation (AA). METHODS: A retrospective review of 96 patients undergoing various augmentation methods between 2003 and 2018 was performed. The patients were divided into three groups according to the type of augmentation, and their outcomes were compared. All patients developed neurogenic bladder due to myelomeningocele or sacrococcygeal teratoma. The clinical data of all patients were collected. RESULTS: The mean ages at surgery in the three groups (standard cystoplasty [SC], SCLU, AA) were 10.8, 7.5, and 4.8 years, respectively, with mean follow-ups of 36, 61, and 36 mo, respectively. The mean preoperative and postoperative bladder capacities of the SC, SCLU, and AA groups were 174 ± 11.7 vs. 387 ± 13.7 (P < 0.0001), 165 ± 12.2 vs. 240 ± 14.7 (P = 0.0002), and 138 ± 16.7 vs. 181 ± 9.9 (P = 0.0360), respectively. Compared with the AA group, the SCLU procedure did not have better postoperative urodynamic parameters. Incontinence was reduced in most patients. The mean times of clean intermittent catheterization per day in the SC, SCLU, and AA groups were 5.6, 7.8, and 8.2, respectively. The main complications of the SC group were recurrent urinary tract infections (8%) and bladder calculi (6%). Re-augmentation was done in patients in the SCLU (8) and AA (3) groups. CONCLUSION: SC provided sufficient bladder capacity and improved compliance with acceptable complications. After AA and SCLU, the patients acquired limited increases in bladder capacity and compliance with a high rate of re-augmentation. Compared with AA, SCLU did not yield better postoperative urodynamic parameters.

Combined Rex-bypass shunt with pericardial devascularization alleviated prehepatic portal hypertension caused by cavernomatous transformation of portal vein.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of combined Rex-bypass shunt and pericardial devascularization on prehepatic portal hypertension secondary to cavernomatous transformation of portal vein (CTPV). METHODS: Forty-two patients aged from 3 years to 49 years (divided into 3 groups), 26 cases male and 16 female, with prehepatic vascular hepertention were treated with Rex-bypass shunt combined with pericardial devascularization. In each patient, preoperative assessment included ultrasound and computed tomographic angiography of the portal vein and blood analysis. The procedure was Rex-bypass shunt (with or without graft), and patients with moderate or severe gastroesophageal varices required additional paraesophagogastric devascularization. Splenectomy or subtotal splenectomy was performed if combined hypersplenism co-existed. All data were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: No intraoperative death occurred, blood routine analysis improved (P < 0.05), the blood flow velocity (P < 0.05) and diameter (P < 0.05) of the left portal vein (LPV) significantly increased, the esophageal and gastric varices significantly relieved in 34 patients (P < 0.05), and better effects of earlier operations were demonstrated than the delayed ones (P < 0.05). During the period of follow-up from 6 to 64 months, the overall patency rate was 85.7% and the younger the age the better of the effect. CONCLUSION: Rex-bypass shunt combined with pericardial devascularization is a safe and effective procedure for prehepatic portal hypertension caused by CTPV.