Thoracotomy in Children: Review from a Low-Income Country.

Background: Thoracotomy is indicated for several congenital and acquired disorders in children. It is among the surgical procedures which require a well-trained and dedicated surgical, anesthesia and critical care team which can be difficult to assemble in a low-income country setup. As the pattern and outcome of thoracotomy in children remained unreported from such setting, this study aims to shed light on this matter. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional review was conducted. Children who have undergone thoracotomy for non-cardiac pathologies were included in the study. Demographic and clinical data were collected by chart review. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe categorical variables while mean, median, standard deviation and interquartile range were calculated for continuous variables. Results: A total of 68 patients were operated on in the study period, out of which 44 (64.7%) were males. The mean ages of the children at the time of diagnosis and procedure were 4.05 ± 3.9 years and 4.14 ± 4.03 years, respectively. The most common indication for thoracotomy was pulmonary hydatid cyst (17; 25%) followed by congenital lobar emphysema (11; 16.2%). Muscle sparing posterolateral thoracotomy was the most common approach in 66 (97.1%) patients. The analgesic medications that were used in the post-operative period were paracetamol, diclofenac, ibuprofen, tramadol and morphine. Combined analgesics were administered in two-thirds of the patients while a single analgesic was used in the rest of the children. No regional blocks were administered post operatively as pediatric size catheters were not available. The morbidity and mortality rates were found to be 11.8% and 8.8%, respectively. Conclusion: The most common indication for thoracotomy in this study was pulmonary hydatid cyst. The provision of post-thoracotomy analgesia in our institution is suboptimal as evidenced by no use of regional blocks and poor practice of administering multimodal analgesia. Thoracotomy was associated with fairly high morbidity and mortality.

Bilateral Large Pulmonary Hydatid Cyst: A Rare Presentation in a Young Child from Ethiopia.

Hydatidosis is a parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus, which is endemic in many parts of the world. Hydatid cysts can occur in any organ of the human body and the lung is the most common site in children, primarily related to higher lung tissue elasticity. Bilateral pulmonary hydatid cyst is a rare clinical phenomenon in young children. Here, we report on a 3-year-old boy diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary hydatid cyst after he came with four months history of dry cough and progressive worsening of shortness of breath. Computed tomography of the chest revealed large bilateral thick-walled pulmonary cystic mass lesions, with bilateral perihilar extension and pressure effect on the diaphragm with surrounding atelectatic changes. The patient underwent left posterolateral thoracotomy and cyst excision was done for the left hydatid cyst. Two months after the first surgical cyst excision, right posterolateral thoracotomy and cystectomy was done for the right lung hydatid cyst. He recovered well post-operatively.

Outcomes of Tubularized Incised Plate Urethroplasty (TIPU) for Hypospadias at Tikur Anbesa Specialized and Menelik II Referral Hospitals: One-year Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the results and related factors of tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty at two institutions. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort analytical study conducted over a period of 12 months. All patients who underwent TIP urethroplasty in the specified period were studied. Quantitative and qualitative data of the intrinsic parameters of the penis were obtained and patients were followed for an average period of 14.72 ± 3.67 months (range 9-21months) after surgery. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-nine patients (N = 129) were included in the study. The mean age at surgery was 50.93 months. The mean glans size and pre-incised urethral plate width were 14.34 mm and 8.38mm respectively. The post-operative results were satisfactory with the meatus in a glanular position in 122(94.6%) patients. Overall, 49 patients (38%) developed complications. Eighteen patients (14%) developed early complications whereas forty-two (32.6%) patients had late complications. UCF and Meatal stenosis occurred in 27 (20.9%) & 14 (10.9%) patients respectively. Seven patients developed recurrent hypospadias and dehiscence of glans occurred in eight patients (6.2%). CONCLUSION: TIP can be used to repair for all types of hypospadias in the absence of severe penile curvature. It has more complication rate in proximal than distal hypospadias. Distal hypospadias were the most common type of hypospadias corrected with TIP. UCF and meatal stenosis were the most common complication followed by glans dehiscence and recurrent hypospadias. Glans size, age at surgery, plate width, location of meatus and stretched penile length were the most determinant factors for the outcome.

Esophageal atresia type C with overlapping long upper pouch: A rare variant.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal atresia is one of the most common pediatric surgical conditions with a high mortality in developing countries. The esophagus and trachea have a complex embryologic development leading to a wide spectrum of esophageal atresia anomalies. Long upper esophageal pouch with distal tracheoesophageal fistula is one of these rare varieties. Only a handful of case reports exist on the subject thus far. Most reports are from low income countries. CASE PRESENTATION: A neonate referred to our hospital after 2 weeks of life for excessive secretions, persistent respiratory distress and vomiting. Diagnosis of esophageal atresia was overlooked because nasogastric tube was advanced a considerable length. After repeat x-ray and esophagogram, we confirmed the diagnosis of type C esophageal atresia with a long upper esophageal pouch. Due to the dilemma in diagnosis, surgery was delayed after the 3rd week of life. Luckily the child survived even with extremely delayed intervention. CONCLUSION: Esophageal atresia can have an uncommon presentation which causes confusion in the diagnosis. Physicians need to be aware of its existence to avoid unnecessary delays in the management. Fortunately, this variant generally seems to have a good prognosis.