Ureteric Clipping for the Treatment of Urinary Incontinence in Girls With Ectopic Ureters: Predicting Who Is Going to Dilate and Does It Matter?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and midterm follow-up of laparoscopic upper pole ectopic ureteral clipping to treat urinary incontinence in girls with duplex kidneys and non/poorly functioning upper pole moieties. To see if preoperative characteristics increased the likelihood of significant postoperative dilatation and whether this dilation has clinical significance. METHODS: A database review identified children who had undergone ureteric clipping at our institution. Patient details assessed included: age at presentation, age at procedure, significant past medical history, preoperative investigations, operative time, length of stay, postoperative symptoms, postoperative renal tract ultrasound findings and the need for subsequent intervention. RESULTS: Six girls underwent clipping between March 2018 and May 2021. The mean age at presentation and surgery were 77months (39-186) and 86months (44-193), respectively. The mean operative time was 94 minutes (range 66-128 minutes). The median length of stay was 1 day (range 0-3days). All the girls were dry immediately after the procedure. During a mean follow-up of 51months (29-66) all children have remained symptom-free and required no further intervention. Two children have developed significant (>30 mm) but stable ureteric dilatation after clipping but have remained asymptomatic and therefore are continuing on conservative follow-up. Both these children had dilated ureters (>10 mm) preoperatively. CONCLUSION: Ureteric clipping is quick, safe, and effective option in dealing with incontinence due to ectopic upper pole ureters in girls. Children with preoperative ureteric dilation seem to be at increased risk of postoperative dilation. However, as they remain asymptomatic, the clinical significance of this dilatation is unclear.

Frequency and types of haemoglobinopathies in children with microcytic anaemia.

OBJECTIVE: To study the frequency and types of haemoglobinopathies in children with microcytic anaemia. METHODS: The prospective study was conducted at the Paediatric Out-patient Department of Shifa Falahi Community Health Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan, from July to December, 2018, and comprised patients aged from 3 months to 14 years who had haemoglobin <10mg/dl and mean corpuscular volume <70fL. Serum ferritin and haemoglobin electrophoresis were done to check for iron deficiency anaemia and haemoglobinopathies. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. RESULTS: Of 175 subjects, 33(18.9%) had haemoglobinopathies and 142(81.1%) had iron deficiency anaemia. Thalassemia trait 18(10.3%) was the leading cause amongst haemoglobinopathies, followed by thalassemia major 8(4.6 %) and intermedia 5(2.9%). There were 2(1.1%) patients with haemoglobin D. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of haemoglobinopathies was high. Identification of haemoglobinopathies is important for proper treatment, antenatal screening and future genetic counselling.

Sexual Knowledge in Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Adequate sexual knowledge is a key component of cardiac rehabilitation. Sexual knowledge in post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients is unknown. Thus, we conducted this study to investigate the sexual knowledge of post-myocardial infarction patients and their accessibility to sexual counseling. Methodology Between July and September 2018, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in 6six major hospitals in Karachi. The non-probability convenient sampling technique was used to include all patients meeting the inclusion criteria. To reduce biases, face-to-face interviews were conducted by investigators who were trained prior to the start of data collection. Knowledge was assessed using the Swedish version of the "Sex after MI Knowledge Test" questionnaire, where a higher score meant higher knowledge. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) The t-test was applied to compare the knowledge score between males and females. Results There was a total of 278 MI patients with a mean age of 54 years, of which 60% were men. The "Sex After MI Knowledge Test" scores varied between 37 and 67 (mean score 51 ± 5). None of the participants obtained the maximum possible test score of 75. The most frequently occurring score was 49 (16%). Around half of the participants (48%) incorrectly believed that sex cannot be safely resumed within a few weeks after the heart attack. Limited knowledge was found in questions pertaining to alcohol, viagra, and late evening being the best time to have sex. Medical knowledge was provided to only 27% (n=76) of the participants, of whom 77% (n=58) received it from the hospital staff itself. A significant difference existed in scores obtained by males and females, with males having a higher score and the mean difference in scores being 1.7 (p=0.015). Conclusion Lack of sexual knowledge in MI patients due to the inadequacy of healthcare providers and the social stigma surrounding the topic causes marital strain leading to low quality of life.

Comparison of the Clinical Outcomes of Guillain Barre Syndrome Based on Electrophysiological Subtypes in Pakistani Children.

Objective Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune-mediated, acute, symmetrical, flaccid paralysis. Guillain Barre syndrome has different electrophysiological types that carry prognostic significance and tend to differ between adults and children. This study aims to compare the clinical outcome of Guillain Barre syndrome in Pakistani children based on their electrophysiological types to help in understanding and predicting the prognosis. Study design Observational comparative study Place & duration The pediatric department, Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad; all patients with Guillain Barre syndrome seen between 2012 and 2019 Method All children aged one to 16 years in whom Guillain Barre syndrome was diagnosed based on clinical history, examination, and electrophysiological findings. Institutional review board (IRB) approval was taken and data entered on the designed questionnaire. Chi-square and non-parametric tests were applied for significant association. Results Twenty-three children were included in the study. Of these, 14 were males (60.9%) while the mean age was 5.8 (+4.5) years. Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) was found to be the predominant type (9; 39.1%) followed by acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN) (6; 26.1%), Acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) was diagnosed in four (17.4%) patients. Six (26.1%) patients needed mechanical ventilation and 10 patients (43.5%) required intensive care unit (ICU) care. The majority of the patients (18; 78.3%) received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Conclusion The study highlights varied electrophysiological types of GBS in Pakistani children, which differ in predominance from previous studies. However, various indicators of poor outcomes that are highlighted in adults, including the older age group, need for mechanical ventilation, and electrophysiological evidence of axonal degeneration, were not significant predictors of outcome in children.

Bifurcated rib with vertebral defects - A rare anatomical variant: Case report with literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Bifurcated ribs are a neuroskeletal anomaly which are incidentally discovered on chest X-ray. It is a developmental disorder where sternal end of a rib is split into two, commonly found in males, on the right side and unilaterally not associated with a vertebral defect. PRESENTATION OF CASE: In this report we discuss a case of a 17-year-old girl with a left bifid rib alongside a segmental defect of the vertebra. DISCUSSION: Bifurcated ribs usually occur in isolation or with other rib abnormalities associated with vertebral defects. Most cases are asymptomatic or found at post-mortem. Gorlin Syndrome is a condition where both these anatomical defects form a part of its criteria. CONCLUSION: With barely any data on significance of bifid rib with vertebral defects and no conclusive exclusion of Gorlin Syndrome, close monitoring coupled with regular follow-ups in such patients is the likely plan of treatment. In addition, genetic testing for susceptible genes should be strongly considered.

Blood transfusion and high-order cesarean delivery; Report from a developing country.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Blood loss in cesarean deliveries has already been established in previous researches but a detailed insight into the correlates has not been done. This study examined whether the number of previous Cesarean sections is related to the need for blood transfusion, and risk factors for blood transfusion. METHODS: A retrospective review of 239 females who had undergone two or more Cesarean sections during the time period of 2015-2018 was done. Data collected included type of surgery (elective or emergency), age, parity, body mass index, estimated blood loss, operating time, level of surgeon, presence or absence of adhesions and number of transfused packed cell volume. RESULTS: About 9.2% patients received blood transfusion with an estimated average blood loss of 618.18 ml. Patients with adhesions from previous surgery, presence of placenta previa, multiparity were significantly likely to receive blood transfusion. It was found that women with more than two caesarian sections had high proportion of blood transfusion as compared to women who had two caesarian sections. However non-significant difference was observed in numbers of caesarean sections with blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: Women undergoing Cesarean sections combined with any of the risk factors like increased body mass index, dense adhesions, uterine atony, hypertension and presence of placenta previa, were found to be at increased risk for a need for blood transfusions.