Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound of Congenital and Infantile Hemangiomas: Preliminary Results From a Case Series.

OBJECTIVE. The contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging features of hepatic vascular tumors in infants, including infantile hemangioma (IH) and congenital hemangioma (CH), are not well reported. Frequent inaccurate use of lesion terminology in the literature has created diagnostic confusion. The purpose of this study is to describe the CEUS features of IH and CH. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Ten patients, ranging in age from 8 days to 16 months, with hepatic vascular tumors were included for retrospective analysis. Gray-scale ultrasound, color Doppler ultrasound, and CEUS features were reviewed, and interobserver kappa coefficients were calculated. Final diagnoses were clinically determined by a pediatrician with expertise in vascular anomalies except in one patient who underwent surgical excision. RESULTS. Of the 10 patients, five had CHs and five had IHs. All 10 lesions were hyperenhancing in the early arterial phase. In the portal venous phase, four of five (80%) CHs showed hyperenhancement relative to normal liver parenchyma, whereas four of five (80%) IHs showed isoenhancement. In the late phase, washout of contrast material was seen in three of five (60%) IHs, whereas one IH remained isoenhancing and one IH was hyperenhancing. None of the CHs showed late washout. Interobserver kappa coefficients for CEUS features ranged from 0.60 to 1.00. CONCLUSION. Except for the CEUS feature portal venous phase enhancement (κ = 0.60), good to excellent (κ = 0.74-1.00) agreement about CEUS features of IHs and CHs was observed. A significant proportion of IHs (60%) showed washout at delayed phase imaging, which has also been reported with malignancies. Recognition of the overlap in imaging appearance of these two entities is vital to preventing misdiagnosis of malignancy.

ERAS protocol for pediatric laparoscopic cholecystectomy promotes safe and early discharge.

PURPOSE: Elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) pediatric patients in our institution have historically been admitted for an overnight hospital stay (OHS). The purpose of this study was to implement an ERAS protocol for elective LC in pediatric patients to promote same-day discharge (SDD) while maintaining excellent outcomes. METHODS: An ERAS protocol for elective LC was implemented encompassing pre-, peri-, and postoperative management. A retrospective review of prospectively collected data from patients before (BI) and after implementation (AI) of the protocol was performed. RESULTS: A total of 250 patients (BI 105, AI 145) were included in the study. The AI group had significantly higher rate of SDD compared to BI (77.2% vs. 1.9%, p < <0.01) and significantly decreased opioid use (morphine equivalents mg/kg AI 0.36 vs. BI 0.46, p < <0.001). There were also no significant differences in the rate of total 30-day emergency department visits (BI 11.4% vs. AI 9.7%, p = 0.52) or surgery-related 30-day emergency department visits (BI 7.6% vs. AI 8.3%, p = 0.53). Factors that predisposed patients to an OHS after LC included higher ASA, later surgery start times, and longer operative times. CONCLUSIONS: The ERAS protocol significantly increased the rate of SDD after elective LC in pediatric patients without an associated increase in emergency department visits or readmissions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Laparoscopic-guided abdominal wall nerve blocks in the pediatric population: a novel technique with comparison to ultrasound-guided blocks and local wound infiltration alone.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal wall nerve blocks have been gaining popularity for the treatment of perioperative pain in children. Our aim was to compare a technique of surgeon-performed, laparoscopic abdominal wall nerve blocks to anesthesia-placed, ultrasound-guided abdominal wall nerve blocks and the current standard of local wound infiltration. METHODS: After institutional review board approval was obtained, a retrospective chart review was performed of pediatric patients treated at a single institution during a 2-year period. Statistics were calculated using analysis of variance with post-hoc Bonferonni t tests for pair-wise comparisons. RESULTS: Included in this study were 380 patients who received ultrasound-guided abdominal wall nerve blocks (n = 125), laparoscopic-guided abdominal wall nerve blocks (n = 88), and local wound infiltration (n = 117). Groups were well matched for age, sex, and weight. There was no significant difference in pain scores within the first 8 hours or narcotic usage between groups. Local wound infiltration demonstrated the shortest overall time required to perform (P < .0001). Patients who received a surgeon-performed abdominal wall nerve block demonstrated a shorter duration of hospital stay when compared to the other groups (P = .02). CONCLUSION: Our study has demonstrated that laparoscopic-guided abdominal wall nerve blocks show similar efficacy to ultrasound-guided nerve blocks performed by pain management physicians without increasing time in the operating room.