Endoscopic findings in children born with oesophageal atresia in an academic unit in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Oesophageal atresia (OA) is one of the most common congenital gastrointestinal (GI) abnormalities. Due to advances in multidisciplinary care, early prognosis has improved with emphasis shifting to the long-term impact of this disease. Literature suggests a higher incidence of Barrett's and eosinophilic oesophagitis in these children, with an increased risk of oesophageal carcinoma. Guidelines for adults born with OA include routine endoscopy and lifelong screening of the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Despite this, uncertainty remains regarding the necessity and frequency of endoscopic surveillance for children born with OA. We describe our endoscopic findings in children born with OA. METHODS: A prospective analytic cohort study was undertaken, which included all children born with OA, that were followed-up in our unit between 2020 and 2022. History regarding feeding and GI symptoms were documented after which an endoscopy was performed. RESULTS: During the study period, 37 endoscopies were performed in patients born with OA at a median age of 25 months. The most common clinical appearance on endoscopy was anastomotic strictures followed by oesophagitis. Twelve patients had biopsies taken, with abnormal histology in all but one patient. The most common histological finding was oesophagitis with lymphocytes and chronic gastritis. Two patients had Helicobacter Pylori infection, and one had findings suggestive of eosinophilic oesophagitis. CONCLUSION: All patients with a clinical indication for an endoscopy had abnormal clinical or histological findings, thus concurring with the literature in highlighting the need for regular endoscopy. We recommend regular clinical follow-up and endoscopic surveillance if clinically indicated for children born with OA.

Histopathology and immunophenotype of the spleen during acute antibody-mediated rejection.

Splenectomy has been reported to have a beneficial effect in treating Acute antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR). This reason for this often rapid and profound beneficial effect is not readily apparent from what is known about normal splenic immunoarchitecture. While the spleen is rich in mature B cells, it has not been noted to be a repository for direct antibody-secreting cells. We present a case of a Native American female who received a renal transplant and developed a severe episode of ABMR. The patient was initially refractory to both plasmapheresis and IVIG. The patient underwent an emergent splenectomy with almost immediate improvement in her renal function and a rapid drop in her DR51 antibodies. Immunohistochemical stains of the spleen demonstrated abundant clusters of CD138+ plasma cells (>10% CD138 cells as opposed to 1% CD138 cells as seen in traumatic controls). Though this is a single case, these findings offer a rationale for the rapid ameliorative effect of splenectomy in cases of antibody rejection. It is possible that the spleen during times of excessive antigenic stress may rapidly turn over B cells to active antibody-secreting cells or serve as a reservoir for these cells produced at other sites.

Remote superficial femoral artery endarterectomy.

The advent of minimally invasive procedures such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with or without stent, laser-assisted balloon angioplasty, and atherectomy, whose results have proven disappointing in the treatment of long-segment (> more than 15 cm) superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusive disease, stimulated a reassessment of SFA endarterectomy. With the evolution of remote superficial femoral artery endarterectomy (RSFAE) a minimally invasive technique became available which could be performed through a single incision, allowed, debulking of the arterial plaque, and placement of an endovascular stent. We report results of RSFAE in an initial trial, results of RSFAE in concert with the aSpire Covered Stent which is a flexible ePTFE covered Nitinol stent with significant radial strength to withstand torsional stresses at the knee joint, and RSFAE and distal vein bypass for limb salvage.

Remote superficial femoral artery endarterectomy: Multicenter medium-term results.

OBJECTIVE: The results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, atherectomy, and laser angioplasty for the treatment of long-segment (>10 cm) superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusive disease have proved disappointing. Remote superficial femoral artery endarterectomy (RSFAE) is a minimally invasive procedure, performed through a single limited groin incision that may offer patency rates comparable with those of above-knee femoropopliteal (AKFP) bypass graft. In this retrospective multicenter study the medium-term results of RSFAE are examined. METHODS: Sixty patients were included in this study. Indications for the procedure were claudication in 52 patients and limb salvage in eight patients. RSFAE was performed with the MollRing Cutter device through a femoral arteriotomy. The distal "flap" of atheroma was anchored by balloon/stent angioplasty through the femoral arteriotomy. All patients underwent a follow-up examination with serial color flow ultrasound scanning. RESULTS: Ten patients with heavily calcified SFAs failed as "intentions to treat"; these patients underwent AKFP bypass grafting. The mean length of the endarterectomized SFAs was 22.3 cm (range, 8-37 cm). The primary cumulative patency rate by means of life-table analysis was 61.4% +/- 9% (SE), (mean, 12.9 months; range, 3-36 months). During follow-up, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty was necessary in 14 patients, for a primary-assisted patency rate of 82.6% +/- 8%. The locations of the restenoses after RSFAE were evenly distributed along the endarterectomized SFAs. There were no deaths and one wound complication (hematoma), and the mean hospital length of stay was 1.4 days +/- 0.8 days. CONCLUSIONS: RSFAE is a safe and moderately durable procedure. If long-term patency rates are similar to those of AKFP bypass graft, RSFAE may prove to be a minimally invasive adjunct for the treatment of SFA occlusive disease that will lower operative morbidity, reduce hospital LOS, and shorten recuperation.

[Continuous profile perimetry]. / Kontinuierliche Profil-Perimetrie.

The present paper describes a modified form of profile perimetry. The brightness of a test mark moved at varying speed is increased, and as soon as it is supraliminal the examinee can press a button to reduce the brightness to subliminal again. The accuracy with which the threshold is determined is in the range of a few dB in 1-degree steps in the respective meridian. The reproducibility of the examination makes follow-up possible. A moderate loss of sensitivity can be recognized directly from the record, as can an increased short-term fluctuation of the light difference threshold. Results in subjects with healthy eyes and persons with ocular pathology are described. Possibilities for improvement, in particular to save more time, are discussed.

Assessment of pressure gradient by Doppler ultrasound: experimental and clinical observations.

Three methods for estimating peripheral artery pressure gradients from ultrasound data were assessed by means of an acute canine aortic coarctation with a variable stenosis and retrospective data from 18 patients with iliac stenoses who had duplex scanning studies and pressure measurements at the time of angiography. The measured pressure difference was correlated with end-diastolic velocity, the presence or absence of reverse flow in diastole, and a pressure difference calculated with the modified Bernoulli equation. Although the calculated pressure gradients correlated well with measured values in animal studies (11 animals, r = 0.78, n = 224, SD = 8.1), they did not in the clinical studies (r = 0.54, n = 33, SD = 28). In both cases, pressure gradients were consistently overestimated for mild stenoses. There was a strong correlation between end-diastolic velocity and pressure gradient (r = 0.71, n = 94, SD = 5.2 for animal studies; r = 0.81, n = 36, SD = 23 for clinical studies), but the data were too variable to provide useful pressure estimates. In clinical studies the absence of reverse flow in diastole at the site of the stenosis was the best indicator of a resting pressure gradient of greater than 15 mm Hg. We conclude that the modified Bernoulli equation and end-diastolic velocity correlate highly with the pressure gradient but are not clinically useful because the variability is too great. The absence of reverse flow in diastole is a more reliable indicator of hemodynamically significant stenosis.

Supraceliac aortofemoral bypass.

Increasing numbers of patients with aortoiliac disease are seen with contraindications to standard infrarenal aortofemoral reconstruction. Although axillofemoral bypass is possible in these patients, the decreased patency rate associated with this operation makes alternate procedures desirable. This report details our experience with prosthetic bypass from the supraceliac aorta to the femoral arteries in seven patients with limb-threatening ischemia of the lower extremity, all of whom had undergone multiple previous aortic operations. The operations were performed through thoracoabdominal or flank incision, and the preferred graft configuration consisted of a single Dacron tube from the aorta to the left groin with a standard subcutaneous femorofemoral graft to the right groin. No surgical deaths occurred. At 3 1/2 years' mean follow-up, there has been one graft limb occlusion that resulted in amputation for an overall life table patency and limb salvage rate of 93%. We conclude that supraceliac to femoral artery bypass is a useful procedure for the treatment of patients who have had multiple previous aortic reconstructions fail.

Intermittent subclavian venous obstruction: utility of venous pressure gradients.

A 22-year-old-man with intermittent obstruction of the subclavian vein at the thoracic outlet was evaluated by a pullback venous pressure gradient measurement and phlebography. The use of venous pressure gradient measurement allowed precise definition of the site of venous obstruction in the thoracic outlet and guided appropriate surgical therapy. The gradient information is of potential importance as many normal individuals have positional phlebographic venous compression at the thoracic outlet. Early identification of subclavian compression syndromes may avoid venous thrombosis with its attendant morbidity.

[Eye involvement in botulism]. / Augenbeteiligung bei Botulismus.

The present paper reports on ophthalmological symptoms of type B botulism which occurred in 21 cases after they had eaten bacon. The absence of severe complications indicated that the intoxication was only slight. The suspected diagnosis was made by the ophthalmologist on the basis of the inevitable symptom of hyposalivation in combination with a deficit in accommodation.

The significance of hydronephrosis after aortofemoral reconstruction.

Hydronephrosis due to ureteral obstruction is a rarely reported complication of aortic bypass grafting. Patients who had undergone aortic reconstruction were screened using serial real-time ultrasound examination to detect ureteral obstruction. The clinical course and incidence of graft complications, renal impairment, amputation, and death were determined for hydronephrotic patients and compared with the incidence of similar complications in a control group. Hydronephrotic patients had an extremely high incidence of graft infection, anastomotic aneurysm, graft thrombosis, and amputation. Obstructed ureters were at high risk for intraoperative injury during removal of infected aortic grafts. A subgroup of hydronephrotic patients who developed multiple anastomotic aneurysms without graft infection was identified. Hydronephrosis was frequently silent, and detection required active investigation. After aortic reconstruction, routine screening with real-time ultrasound examination appears warranted to identify a high-risk subset of patients.