Anterior resection for megarectosigmoid in congenital anorectal malformations.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to review the effectiveness of resecting dilated distal bowel in children suffering unmanageable constipation or soiling who have been operated on previously for anorectal malformations. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of 9 children. Each child underwent excision of dilated bowel to leave normal caliber bowel anastomosed by hand to a rectal reservoir at the peritoneal reflection. The documented follow-up was reviewed. RESULTS: The 9 children had primary surgery for the following anomalies: high (n = 1), intermediate (n = 1), low (n = 3), rectal stenosis (n = 3), and anal stenosis (n = 3), Seven children had persistent fecalomas, and 7 had major problems with soiling. All were on large doses of laxatives, with 5 having regular rectal washouts and 4 having regular enemas. In all radiologic studies there was a prompt change from normal caliber bowel to dilated bowel at the upper limit of the dilatation. The mean age at operation for excision was 4 years, 11 months (range, 11 months to 9 years, 11 months). The mean period of follow-up was 4 years, 7 months (range, 2 years, 3 months to 10 years). Follow-up showed that all children improved. None had major complications. All were having between one and 3 bowel actions per day. Three continued to soil but improved. Of the remaining 6, only 2 required occasional laxatives and had regular spontaneous bowel actions without soiling. No child was having enemas or washouts. CONCLUSION: Anterior resection for the treatment of megarectosigmoid is a safe and effective procedure.

Cysts of the ejaculatory system--a treatable cause of recurrent epididymo-orchitis in children.

PURPOSE: The commonest causes of acutely painful scrotum are torsion (of appendix of the testis or the testis itself) and epididymo-orchitis. Exploration is the only way to prove the diagnosis and multiple such procedures are performed in patients with recurrent epididymo-orchitis. The purpose of our study was to investigate the cause of recurrent epididymo-orchitis in pre-pubertal children. Four children, aged three years or less, were investigated for recurrent left epididymo-orchitis. All four had cystic dilatation of the ejaculatory duct in the region of the prostatic utriculus, associated in two children with ectopic opening of the vas in the bladder. Initial ultrasound appeared to be normal in all four patients, a retrospective review of the sonographic films, however, revealed a retrovesical cyst in three of them. The diagnosis was established by a combination of urethroscopy with retrograde contrast study via the utriculus and open vasography. All four cases were treated operatively by a transtrigonal approach. The cyst was excised in each case. In one, a vasovasostomy was performed between the left and the normal right vas; in the other three the left vas was anastomosed to the blind end of the contralateral seminal vesicle. All four are symptom-free at one year follow-up. Cysts of the ejaculatory duct are a treatable cause of recurrent epididymo-orchitis. Pre-pubertal children with recurrent epididymo-orchitis and no obvious underlying cause should have a thorough sonographic examination of the retrovesical region for cystic lesions.

Postoperative pneumatosis intestinalis in infants does not automatically preclude enteral feeding.

BACKGROUND: A degree of feed intolerance after neonatal abdominal surgery is common but in an otherwise well baby enteral feeding usually is continued at the highest tolerated level. However, the presence of rectal bleeding, pneumatosis intestinalis, or portal vein gas seen on plain abdominal x-rays suggest the possibility of postoperative necrotising enterocolitis. When this happens feedings usually are stopped for 7 to 10 days, and intravenous antibiotics and total parental nutrition are commenced. METHODS: The authors report 12 episodes of rectal bleeding and 11 episodes of pneumatosis intestinalis in 3 infants who previously had undergone neonatal abdominal surgery for intestinal malformations. In 7 of these episodes, feedings were neither stopped nor were antibiotics given. At the time of these 7 episodes, the infants were more than 3 kg in weight, had no significant cardiac or respiratory pathology, were all clinically stable, had no evidence of peritonitis, had no thrombocytopenia, and were greater than 37 weeks postconception. RESULTS: The 3 infants were monitored closely. There were no early or late problems observed attributable to this management. CONCLUSION: Carefully selected clinically stable patients that have postoperative pneumatosis intestinalis or exhibit rectal bleeding may be successfully managed by reduced enteral feedings with no antibiotics. J Pediatr Surg 36:1820-1823.

Single-system ectopic ureter: a 15-year review.

Ectopic ureters present in childhood with symptoms related to an abnormal site or structure (refluxing, obstructed) of the ureteric orifice. The majority drain duplex kidneys. The diagnosis is relatively easy if the poles are functioning or hydronephrotic. Associated malformations are rarely seen and the results of surgery are gratifying. If an ectopic ureter drains a single kidney, it is called a single-system ectopic ureter (SSEU). We reviewed a 15-year experience (1980-1995) with 127 ectopic ureters from our hospital:11 SSEUs in ten consecutive children were managed during this period. Our data lead us to believe that SSEUs are a special subset of ectopic ureters. Diagnosis is often delayed because the ectopic ureter may be associated with a single small, dysplastic, poorly-functioning, non-visualised kidney and the child may be thought to have a contralateral normal "solitary kidney". Associated systemic malformations are common. Residual symptoms of wetting may persist in the early postoperative period. A high degree of suspicion must be maintained for this entity when a child presents with urinary symptoms of wetting or recurrent infection and a "solitary kidney". Early endoscopic examination of the genitourinary tract will clinch the diagnosis in the majority of cases. Residual symptoms of wetting in the postoperative period generally resolve with passage of time.

The primary management of testicular maldescent in gastroschisis.

Gastroschisis (GS) is the commonest abdominal-wall defect in the Western world. The conventional practice has been reduction of the viscera and closure of the abdominal wall as an emergency procedure. The testis is often a part of the prolapsed viscera along with the bowel loops, stomach, fallopian tube, etc. The primary management of prolapsed (PT) (3) and intra-abdominal (5) testes (IAT) in this condition was studied in 16 consecutive male babies with GS, each was managed by simple reposition of the testes and closure of the abdominal wall. The babies were followed up for spontaneous descent of the testes. At 18-month follow-up, all five IAT had descended into the scrotum spontaneously and were palpably normal. Of the three extra-abdominal PT, two had descended into the scrotum and were normal in size and on palpation. One was palpable in the superficial inguinal pouch. Simple reposition of the testes into the abdomen and closure of the abdominal defect is the correct approach for primary management of PT or IAT in a newborn with GS.

Central-venous access through the peripheral route in surgical neonates: an audit of 125 consecutive lines from a regional neonatal centre.

A long Percutaneous silastic IV line is frequently used in surgical neonates for infusion of hyperosmolar parenteral nutrition fluid into a central vein for several days without the need for operative insertion of a Broviac catheter or risks of direct puncture of a central vein. Our study was aimed at auditing the performance of 125 consecutive lines over a 2-year period. During this period, insertion was attempted in 125 babies; in 13 cases the line could not be inserted because of technical problems. The gestational ages varied between 25 and 41 weeks and weights between 630 g and 4.2 kg. Success did not appear to be related to the age or weight of the baby. The mean duration of complication-free performance was 22.4 days. There was a significant difference between the complication rate of lines inserted in the operating theatre versus those on the ward (P < 0.05). There was no significant increase in complications in lines used for over 4 weeks. The technique adopted by us for inserting these lines is likely to succeed in the majority of cases, including premature and small-for-dates babies. In our experience, lines inserted in the controlled theatre environment either before or after abdominal surgery performed better. The manufacturer's recommendation to electively change the line every 4 weeks needs further prospective evaluation.

Consensus scoring: A method for obtaining improved hit rates from docking databases of three-dimensional structures into proteins.

We present the results of an extensive computational study in which we show that combining scoring functions in an intersection-based consensus approach results in an enhancement in the ability to discriminate between active and inactive enzyme inhibitors. This is illustrated in the context of docking collections of three-dimensional structures into three different enzymes of pharmaceutical interest: p38 MAP kinase, inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, and HIV protease. An analysis of two different docking methods and thirteen scoring functions provides insights into which functions perform well, both singly and in combination. Our data shows that consensus scoring further provides a dramatic reduction in the number of false positives identified by individual scoring functions, thus leading to a significant enhancement in hit-rates.

Cisapride reduces neonatal postoperative ileus: randomised placebo controlled trial.

AIM: To assess the efficacy of cisapride in reducing ileus persisting to the tenth postoperative day after neonatal abdominal surgery. METHODS: A prospective, randomised, double blind trial comparing rectal cisapride (1.4-2.3 mg/kg/day) with placebo over seven days was undertaken in 33 neonates. RESULTS: Seven of 12 (58%) patients receiving placebo and eight of 11 (73%) receiving cisapride achieved a first sustained feed during treatment. Of those receiving cisapride, the first sustained feed occurred at 2.3 days (SEM 0.6) compared with 4.7 days (SEM 0.8) with placebo. By the seventh day the mean daily net enteral balance was 69 (SEM 18) ml/kg in the cisapride subgroup and 17 (SEM 8) ml/kg for those receiving placebo. Stool was passed on 6.3 (SEM 0.4) treatment days in the cisapride subgroup compared with 4.1 (SEM 1.0) treatment days in the placebo subgroup. CONCLUSION: Cisapride is effective in neonates with a prolonged ileus after abdominal surgery.

Parenteral nutrition-related cholestasis in postsurgical neonates: multivariate analysis of risk factors.

The medical records of 74 neonates dependent on parenteral nutrition for at least 21 days after emergency abdominal surgery (performed between 1988 and 1992) were reviewed respectively. The role of enteral starvation, prematurity, composition and duration of parenteral nutrition, and sepsis in the evolution of parenteral nutrition-related cholestasis was evaluated by multiple regression analysis. The most important factors for cholestasis were low gestational age (median, 34 weeks), early exposure to parenteral nutrition, and sepsis. Episodes of sepsis were associated with a 30% increase in the bilirubin level. Enteral starvation and composition and the duration of parenteral nutrition solutions did not correlate significantly with the development of cholestasis. Prevention of sepsis should be the priority in minimising cholestasis in postsurgical neonates who are dependent on parenteral nutrition.