Primary Omental Torsion in Children in the Laparoscopy Era: What Have we Learned so far?

BACKGROUND/AIM: Primary omental torsion is uncommon, mimicking appendicitis and other acute abdominal pathologies. It often escapes diagnosis on imaging investigation or conventional open laparotomy. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of laparoscopy on the various parameters of this entity, including incidence, diagnosis, and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review was performed, including PubMed and Scopus databases, without a time limit, following the PRISMA principles. A total of 16 articles from January 2000 to December 2023, corresponding to 56 children with primary omental torsion, complied with the research criteria. RESULTS: Primary omental torsion was associated with obesity. Symptoms were right abdomen oriented, often compared to those of acute appendicitis. Preoperative ultrasound displayed low diagnostic accuracy, whereas computerized tomography diagnosed only two thirds of cases. In all patients, the vermiform appendix was normal. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopy affected both diagnosis and treatment of primary omental torsion in children. Easy peritoneal cavity access rendered possible the diagnosis of cases previously discharged as abdominal pain of unknown etiology. Combined with the increased pediatric obesity, it also affected primary omental torsion incidence. The recent pathogenetic theories may be better supported today, as laparoscopy provides a detailed view in situ, and facilitates harvesting of fat tissue from the omentum for molecular investigation. The diagnostic efficiency of laparoscopy is superior to ultrasonography and computerized tomography. Finally, the removal of the ischemic omentum is technically easier compared to the open laparotomy alternative with all the technical difficulties of traction of a vulnerable hemorrhagic tissue through a small incision.

Association of the Bacteria of the Vermiform Appendix and the Peritoneal Cavity with Complicated Acute Appendicitis in Children.

BACKGROUND: Primary infection has been questioned as the pathogenetic cause of acute appendicitis. We attempted to identify the bacteria involved and to investigate if their species, types, or combinations affected the severity of acute appendicitis in children. METHODS: Samples from both the appendiceal lumen and the peritoneal cavity of 72 children who underwent appendectomy were collected to perform bacterial culture analysis. The outcomes were studied to identify if and how they were associated with the severity of the disease. Regression analysis was performed to identify any risk factors associated with complicated appendicitis. RESULTS: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus species were the most common pathogens found in the study population. The same microorganisms, either combined or separate, were the most common in the appendiceal lumen and the peritoneal cavity of patients with complicated appendicitis. Gram-negative bacteria and polymicrobial cultures in the peritoneal fluid and in the appendiceal lumen were associated with complicated appendicitis. Polymicrobial cultures in the peritoneal cavity presented a four times higher risk of complicated appendicitis. CONCLUSIONS: Polymicrobial presentation and Gram-negative bacteria are associated with complicated appendicitis. Antibiotic regimens should target the combinations of the most frequently identified pathogens, speculating the value of early antipseudomonal intervention.

Prognostic factors for failed Pavlik harness treatment in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip: a retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Pavlik harness treatment is the most common treatment in newborns diagnosed with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The success rates and predictors for failure have been debated over the last decade. In this study, we explored our treatment failure rate and potential prognostic factors that could predict the failure of Pavlik harness (PH) treatment in patients with DDH. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty-five patients were treated with PH based on the Graf hip types of classification. Age, gender, first born status, family history, foot deformity, plagiocephaly, breech presentation, hip abduction, hip stability, Graf hip type, Galeazzi sign, bilateralism, and femoral nerve palsy were tested as predictors for failure in multivariate logistic regression mode. Success and failure were determined by the normalization of the hip based on the Graf hip classification. RESULTS: The failure rate of patients treated with Pavlik harness was 16.6% which is within the reported range of failure rate. The mean age of patients who were successfully treated was 6.73 weeks in comparison to 8.84 weeks for those who failed. Age, plagiocephaly, hip instability, Graf classification, and the development of femoral nerve palsy were found to be predictors for failure of PH treatment upon univariate analysis only. However, only the presence of Galeazzi sign, hip instability, high grades of Graf hip classification, and the development of femoral nerve palsy proved to be independent predictors for failed PH treatment upon multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Pavlik harness treatment is a successful treatment with an average success of 83.4%. Several independent predictors for failure of PH treatment have been identified. These include a positive Galeazzi sign, a frankly dislocated hip, Graf types III and IV, and the development of femoral nerve palsy.

Predictive model of heterotopy in Meckel's diverticulum in children.

BACKGROUND: The presence of heterotopic tissue in Meckel's diverticulum (MD) increases the incidence of future complications. Based on this concept, this study aimed to detect clinical and morphological parameters able to predict the probability of heterotopy in incidentally discovered uncomplicated MD and to develop a risk-based classification tool. METHODS: The clinical records of 146 patients who underwent MD resection were reviewed. MD complications (bleeding, inflammation, perforation or involvement in pathological processes such as intussusception) and MD dimensions (width, length and the product width × length) were evaluated in association with heterotopy. Regression analysis was used to explore the discrete effect of clinically relevant parameters, which were subsequently combined in a Classification and Regression Tree. RESULTS: The probability of heterotopy was higher in complicated MDs. The width of the base of the MD and the product width × length were also significant predictors of heterotopy. A stepwise combination (Classification and Regression Tree model) of (i) uncomplicated macroscopic presentation, (ii) width <2.5 cm, (iii) age <10 years and (iv) product width × length <4 cm2 resulted in a null probability of heterotopy in our study group. CONCLUSION: The combination of MD-related clinical and morphological parameters using advanced statistical tools may assist in estimating the probability of heterotopy. This may be applied in incidentally discovered uncomplicated MDs during abdominal surgery for other morbidities. Prospective studies are required to confirm our findings and test the practical usefulness of the classification tool developed here.

Double Jejunoileal Fistula after Ingestion of Magnets.

A double jejunoileal fistula was diagnosed intraoperatively 10 months since a 4-year-old boy had swallowed an object consisted of multiple magnetic items. Magnet ingestion presents characteristics that are misdiagnosing, critical time-consuming, dangerous, and occasionally fatal. The particularities and pitfalls of ingested magnetic items are outlined.

Neonatal perforated Amyand's hernia presenting as an enterocutaneous scrotal fistula.

Perforation of the vermiform appendix in a septic neonate with an Amyand's hernia resulted in the formation of a scrotal enterocutaneous fistula. In conclusion from this exceptional complication, active parental awareness for any neonatal scrotal swelling is required, and an early operative policy for the neonatal inguinal hernia is significant.

Laparoscopic vs. open abdominal surgery in male pigs: marked differences in cortisol and catecholamine response depending on the size of surgical incision.

OBJECTIVE: Minimally invasive operations, such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy and adrenalectomy, result in a more rapid recovery of normal function, less physiological disturbances and less stress to the organism than similar open operations. The purpose of this study was to determine the stress response associated with minimally invasive abdominal surgery compared to conventional small or large incision laparotomy. METHODS: We compared the responses of the stress hormones cortisol and the catecholamines adrenaline and noradrenaline to elective conventional and laparoscopic cholecystectomy and unilateral adrenalectomy in male pigs. Blood samples were taken from all animals at the same time, one day before surgery, at the beginning of the operation, every 15 minutes during surgery and on the first postoperative morning. RESULTS: Plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations were significantly lower in both cholecystectomies (p<0.05) and adrenalectomies (p<0.01) during laparoscopic than during open surgery. Plasma cortisol levels were significantly lower in laparoscopic than in open adrenalectomies both during surgery and on postoperative day one (p<0.05), while no major differences in cortisol levels were observed between laparoscopic and open cholecystectomies. Thus, the stress-related benefit of laparoscopic surgery depended on the size of the surgical incision in the conventional operation. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic surgery was associated with less surgical stress than open surgery and this difference was accentuated as the surgical abdominal wall trauma increased.

Omentum in the pediatric umbilical hernia: is it a potential alarm for the appearance of complications?

Umbilical hernia is a common benign condition which resolves spontaneously during the first five years of life. However, in certain cases there are some characteristics which may be indicative of a different prognostic approach, as they increase the possibility of complications. The two cases of umbilical hernia that we describe here were treated operatively and revealed the presence of strangulated and adhered omentum, respectively. Reflecting on the adhesive properties of the omentum, we hypothesized that this may occur more often than it is believed, especially in those cases that are described as recurrent symptomatic herniations. In such cases, there should be increased alert for the possibility of complications during the period of the conservative expectance for resolution.

Congenital midline cervical cleft: diagnosis, pathologic findings, and early stage treatment.

Congenital midline cervical cleft is a very uncommon malformation of the anterior neck, with less than 100 cases reported in medical literature. Herein we present a case of a female neonate with this anomaly. A detailed description of the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics is performed. As it is derived from the natural history of the lesion, prompt clinical diagnosis, and operative treatment during early infancy predispose to a better aesthetic and functional prognosis.

Internet impact on the insertion of genitourinary tract foreign bodies in childhood.

Foreign body self-insertion into the urethra is an uncommon paraphilia. Variety in object form, motivation, clinical presentation, complications, and treatment options is a rule. In childhood it is very rare, and it is attributed to curiosity or mental disorders so far. However, the internet impact on daily life of all age groups has created a new category of sexual behavior in childhood and adolescence, the "internet induced paraphilia." Such is the case of an electrical cable inserted in the urethra of a 12-year-old boy reported here, which is representative of this kind of impact.