Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes of Children With Wilms' Tumour: A 15-year Experience in a Single Centre in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Wilms' tumor (WT) is the most common paediatric renal tumor and is one of the most treatment-responsive solid tumours. Survival from Wilms tumour (WT) in sub-Saharan Africa remains dismal as a result of late presentation, treatment abandonment and infrastructure deficit. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical outcome of children with Wilms tumour managed in a Nigerian referral centre over a 15-year period. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of children with WT (nephroblastoma) who were treated at our institution between January 2006 and December 2020. Clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were identified. The median age at diagnosis was 36 months including 22 (62.9 %) females. Twenty-six (74.3 %) had advanced (stage III & IV) disease. Confirmatory histology was available for 16 patients ((45.7 %) among which 10 (62.5 %) were mixed type. The right kidney was affected in 18 patients (51.4 %), left in 15 (42.9 %) and 2 were not documented. Preoperative chemotherapy was given in 22 (62.9 %) patients and 13 (37.1) patients had primary nephrectomy. Eight (22.9 %) patients died during treatment (from disease or treatment related causes), and one abandoned treatment. A total of 26 patients completed treatment. Out of these, 8 (30.8 %) were lost to follow up, four patients died and 14 (53.8 %) patients survived at a median follow-up period of 18 months. The survival decreased with advancing stages of the disease, p = 0.002. CONCLUSIONS: Majority of children with Wilms tumour in our practice presented with advanced disease. Death during treatment, treatment abandonment and lost to follow up were common. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II. TYPE OF STUDY: Retrospective Study.

Paediatric Acute Appendicitis: A Comparison of Diagnostic Accuracy of Three Pre-operative Diagnostic Modalities.

Introduction: The diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA) is usually clear cut but sometimes there is atypical presentation of this condition in children. There is a need to determine and compare the diagnostic accuracy of these three pre-operative diagnostic modalities: Paediatric Appendicitis Score (PAS), abdominal ultrasonographic scan (USS) findings, and serum C-reactive proteins (CRPs). The objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the three diagnostic modalities and to compare each diagnostic test result with the histopathological results of the appendix specimens. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study that involved children aged 4-15 years with suspected AA who presented at the emergency paediatric unit of a tertiary health care hospital in North Central, Nigeria. The PAS, quantitative serum CRP, and abdominal USS were performed for all eligible patients. Results: A total of 43 patients were included in this study. Forty appendicectomy specimens (93%) were histologically confirmed to be AA and three appendicectomy specimens (7%) were normal appendix. The diagnostic accuracy values of PAS, abdominal USS, and CRP were 95.3%, 93.0%, and 90.7%, respectively. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that PAS, abdominal USS, and serum CRP provided useful diagnostic accuracy for AA in children.

Pediatric Groin Surgeries: A Comparison of Analgesic Effects of Caudal Block and Inguinal Field Block Using Plain Bupivacaine.

Introduction: There is a paucity of studies in the West African sub-region which have compared both the intraoperative and postoperative analgesic effects of caudal block and inguinal field block using plain bupivacaine in groin surgeries in children. The study aimed to compare the duration of analgesia and complications of caudal block and inguinal field block in pediatric groin surgeries. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective, double-blind randomized study conducted at a tertiary health institution in North Central, Nigeria, over a period of 6 months. A total of 74 children scheduled for day case groin surgeries for inguinal hernia, hydrocoele and palpable undescended testis were recruited into the study. The effectiveness of the analgesic effect was assessed by measuring serum cortisol levels before surgery (i.e. baseline at 8am), 5minutes after caudal block or inguinal field block, and 1-hour after surgery. Post-operative pain was determined using FLACC score (Face, Legs, Activity, Crying and Consolability) every 15 minutes till 6 hours after surgery when the patients were discharged home and the caregivers measured the patients' pain scores using the FLACC score every 1 hour to a maximum duration of 10 hours after surgery. Data obtained from the study was entered into the study proforma and analysed using IBM SPSS version 21.0. The P value was considered statistically significant at <0.05. Results: A total of 74 patients were recruited for this study, with 68 males (91.9%) and 6 females (8.1%). The children's age range was 6 months to 7 years, with a mean age of 3.35 ± 1.90 years. The mean basal serum cortisol levels of the caudal block group and inguinal block group were 11.15 ± 5.38 µg/dL and 10.79 ± 4.92µg/d respectively (p-value = 0.767). Five minutes after caudal block, the mean serum cortisol level was 10.50 ± 5.39µg/dL while inguinal field block was 10.63 ± 4.68µg/dL (p-value = 0.288). The mean serum cortisol level obtained one hour after each procedure was 9.34 ± 4.05 µg/dL for the caudal block group and 10.00 ± 3.56 µg/dL in the inguinal field block group with p-value = 0.275.Using the FLACC score, the mean duration of analgesia in caudal block group was 372.00 ± 71.55 minutes and was inguinal field block group was 387.43 ± 62.65 minutes with a p-value = 0.116. There was no anaesthetic technique related complications that was recorded in both caudal block group and inguinal group during the study period. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that caudal block and inguinal field block using plain bupivacaine provided comparable duration of analgesia in paediatric groin surgeries. Therefore, caudal block or inguinal field block using plain bupivacaine should be recommended for both intraoperative and postoperative analgesia in elective paediatric groin surgeries.

Short-Term Outcomes of Treatment of Boys with Posterior Urethral Valves.

BACKGROUND: Posterior urethral valve (PUV) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among male children resulting in renal failure in 25%-30% before adolescence irrespective of initial treatment. This study aimed at evaluating the early outcomes of children managed for PUV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study of all children who were treated for PUV between 2012 and 2016 at a single referral institution. Information reviewed included demographic and clinical data, imaging findings, pre- and post-operative serum electrolytes, and postoperative renal outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty-nine male children were managed for PUV at a median age of 6 months including 7 (24.1%) neonates. Two (6.9%) patients had antenatal diagnosis. Micturating cystourethrogram confirmed PUV in all patients. Fourteen (48.3%) patients had impaired renal function (IRF) at presentation and 8 (57%) had improved renal function (RF) after initial catheter drainage. The mean creatinine at presentation was 1.86 ± 1.69 mg/dl and the mean serum creatinine following initial catheter drainage was 0. 93 ± 0.49 mg/dl (P = 0.003). For those patients with normal RF, the mean creatinine at presentation was 0.81 ± 0.22 mg/dl versus 0.74 ± 0.21 mg/dl (P = 0.012), following initial catheter drainage. Children with IRF on admission had mean creatinine at presentation of 2.61 ± 2.00 mg/dl compared to 1.17 ± 0.53 mg/dl (P = 0.002) after initial catheter drainage. Valve ablation was achieved with Mohan's valvotome in 26 (96.3%) patients. All patients had good urine stream at a median follow-up of 5 months. Four (13.8%) patients developed IRF at follow-up. Renal outcomes of patients presenting before 1 year and those presenting after 1 year were similar. Two children died preoperative of urosepsis and one out of hospital death given an overall mortality of 10.3% (n = 3). CONCLUSION: There was significant improvement in RF after initial catheter drainage. The incidence of IRF at follow-up was 13.8%. Long-term follow-up is necessary to identify patients at risk of end-stage renal disease.

Analysis of Presentations and Outcomes of Care of Children with Disorders of Sexual Development in a Nigerian Hospital.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe the presentation, diagnosis, management, and short-term outcome of children with disorders of sexual development (DSD) in the context of multidisciplinary team care. DESIGN: Prospective descriptive study. SETTING: University Teaching Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: All children who presented with genital ambiguity. INTERVENTIONS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Records of all patients diagnosed and managed for DSD between January 2011 and December 2016 were reviewed. The care pathway included clinical, laboratory, internal genitalia evaluation, and panel (including parents) meeting. RESULTS: Fifteen children presented with DSD at a median age of 20 months. Only 5/15 (33.3%) presented in the neonatal period. Ten of fifteen patients (66.7%) presented with genital ambiguity. Ovotesticular DSD was the most common diagnosis (9/15; 60%). Seven of the patients were genetically female (46, XX), 1 was genetically male (46, XY) and 1 without genetic diagnosis. Six patients were assigned male gender and they underwent male genitoplasty. Five of them had excision of Müllerian structures with gonadectomy. Three of fifteen patients (20%) were diagnosed as 46, XX DSD, at a median age of 7 years. All of them were due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia and underwent female genitoplasty. Two patients were diagnosed as XY, DSD. They were both raised as female at presentation and were reassigned male sex. Both had urethroplasty done. Four patients had postoperative urethrocutaneous fistula and 1 had partial wound dehiscence. The median follow-up period was 21 months (interquartile range, 2-26 months). CONCLUSION: The frequency of ovotesticular DSD is high in our setting. The decision of sex assignment was finally made at a median age of 7.5 months in most of our patients with satisfactory short-term surgical outcome.

Anaesthetic outcomes in neonatal surgical care in a tertiary health facility in Nigeria

ABSTRACT: There is always a concern about the survival of new-borns undergoing corrective surgical procedure early in life. Perioperative care, especially in sick babies, is challenging, and this makes ascribing outcomes to care given difficult. This study was aimed at determining and evaluating factors associated with poor outcomes in new-borns undergoing surgery and anaesthesia. This was a retrospective case notes review of 37 neonates who received general anaesthesia during surgical care over a three-year period. After ethical approval for the study, the demographic data, indications for surgery, American Society of Anesthesiologists' (ASA) classifications, preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative challenges present in these neonates as well as their outcome were extracted. A total of 48 neonates were operated over a three-year period, and only 37(77.1%) case files were available for review. Male: Female ratio was about 2:1, the two most common procedures performed were bowel resection and anastomosis in 7(18.9%) and colostomy 7(18.9%). Overall mortality was 29.7%. Neonatal mortality was significantly higher in patients with postoperative sepsis (p=0.006) and respiratory challenge (p=0.035). The median time to death was 9 days. Only one (9.1%) patient died within 24hours postoperative. Mortality in neonates undergoing surgical procedure early in life is very high in this study. However, it is difficult to implicate anaesthesia in our study as the cause of mortality as most occurred very late after many days of surgery. Availability of postoperative elective ventilation for selected patients may improve outcome

Identification of paternal uniparental disomy on chromosome 22 and a de novo deletion on chromosome 18 in individuals with orofacial clefts.

BACKGROUND: Orofacial clefts are the most common malformations of the head and neck region. Genetic and environmental factors have been implicated in the etiology of these traits. METHODS: We recently conducted genotyping of individuals from the African population using the multiethnic genotyping array (MEGA) to identify common genetic variation associated with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts. The data cleaning of this dataset allowed for screening of annotated sex versus genetic sex, confirmation of identify by descent and identification of large chromosomal anomalies. RESULTS: We identified the first reported orofacial cleft case associated with paternal uniparental disomy (patUPD) on chromosome 22. We also identified a de novo deletion on chromosome 18. In addition to chromosomal anomalies, we identified cases with molecular karyotypes suggesting Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome and Triple X syndrome. CONCLUSION: Observations from our study support the need for genetic testing when clinically indicated in order to exclude chromosomal anomalies associated with clefting. The identification of these chromosomal anomalies and sex aneuploidies is important in genetic counseling for families that are at risk. Clinicians should share any identified genetic findings and place them in context for the families during routine clinical visits and evaluations.

Novel GREM1 Variations in Sub-Saharan African Patients With Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate.

OBJECTIVE: Cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P) are congenital anomalies of the face and have multifactorial etiology, with both environmental and genetic risk factors playing crucial roles. Though at least 40 loci have attained genomewide significant association with nonsyndromic CL/P, these loci largely reside in noncoding regions of the human genome, and subsequent resequencing studies of neighboring candidate genes have revealed only a limited number of etiologic coding variants. The present study was conducted to identify etiologic coding variants in GREM1, a locus that has been shown to be largely associated with cleft of both lip and soft palate. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We resequenced DNA from 397 sub-Saharan Africans with CL/P and 192 controls using Sanger sequencing. Following analyses of the sequence data, we observed 2 novel coding variants in GREM1. These variants were not found in the 192 African controls and have never been previously reported in any public genetic variant database that includes more than 5000 combined African and African American controls or from the CL/P literature. RESULTS: The novel variants include p.Pro164Ser in an individual with soft palate cleft only and p.Gly61Asp in an individual with bilateral cleft lip and palate. The proband with the p.Gly61Asp GREM1 variant is a van der Woude (VWS) case who also has an etiologic variant in IRF6 gene. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that there is low number of etiologic coding variants in GREM1, confirming earlier suggestions that variants in regulatory elements may largely account for the association between this locus and CL/P.

International Study of the Epidemiology of Paediatric Trauma: PAPSA Research Study.

OBJECTIVES: Trauma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The literature on paediatric trauma epidemiology in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited. This study aims to gather epidemiological data on paediatric trauma. METHODS: This is a multicentre prospective cohort study of paediatric trauma admissions, over 1 month, from 15 paediatric surgery centres in 11 countries. Epidemiology, mechanism of injury, injuries sustained, management, morbidity and mortality data were recorded. Statistical analysis compared LMICs and high-income countries (HICs). RESULTS: There were 1377 paediatric trauma admissions over 31 days; 1295 admissions across ten LMIC centres and 84 admissions across five HIC centres. Median number of admissions per centre was 15 in HICs and 43 in LMICs. Mean age was 7 years, and 62% were boys. Common mechanisms included road traffic accidents (41%), falls (41%) and interpersonal violence (11%). Frequent injuries were lacerations, fractures, head injuries and burns. Intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic injuries accounted for 3 and 2% of injuries. The mechanisms and injuries sustained differed significantly between HICs and LMICs. Median length of stay was 1 day and 19% required an operative intervention; this did not differ significantly between HICs and LMICs. No mortality and morbidity was reported from HICs. In LMICs, in-hospital morbidity was 4.0% and mortality was 0.8%. CONCLUSION: The spectrum of paediatric trauma varies significantly, with different injury mechanisms and patterns in LMICs. Healthcare structure, access to paediatric surgery and trauma prevention strategies may account for these differences. Trauma registries are needed in LMICs for future research and to inform local policy.

Efficacy of bleomycin for non-operative treatment of cervical lymphangioma in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Background: Lymphangiomas are the developmental defects of the lymphatic channels, and they are most commonly found in the head and neck regions. Late presentation, rejection of surgery, and traditional scarification result in fatal complications. Surgical excision often thought to give immediate relief and aesthetic results is associated with damage to contiguous structures and recurrence, hence, the need for less invasive treatment modality. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of bleomycin sclerotherapy of cervical lymphangiomas. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study of patients with cervical lymphangioma treated with sclerosant injection between January 2008 and December 2016. Preinjection ultrasound scan and initial ultrasound-guided aspiration of the fluid in the swelling (which many times is multiloculated) using a 20G cannula into a 10 ml syringe were performed. The cannula tip is retained in the space and intralesional injection of double-diluted bleomycin 0.5 i.u./kg body weight was given as outpatient at 2­4-weekly interval. Postinjection events were documented. The clinical assessment of the pre- and postinjection of sclerosant was performed. Result: A total of 23 patients were recruited, and six were females and 17 were males. All swellings were noticed at birth but median time at presentation was 17 days. All patients but one (95.8%) had complete clinical resolution after 1­4 courses of sclerotherapy for 4­16 weeks. Only one patient had residual nodule that required surgical excision. Redundant skin and hyperpigmentation from skin wrinkle were the early effects noticed in three patients; however, these were cosmetically acceptable to the parents. No recurrence was recorded. Conclusion: The treatment of cervical lymphangiomas with intralesional bleomycin injection is shown to be effective. It is safe and associated with no complication. This treatment modality and outcome was found to be acceptable to the parents of these children

Multidisciplinary approach to genomics research in Africa: the AfriCRAN model.

This article is an outcome of the African Craniofacial Anomalies Research Network (AfriCRAN) Human Hereditary and Health (H3A) grant planning meeting in 2012 in Lagos, Nigeria. It describes the strengths of a multidisciplinary team approach to solving complex genetic traits in the craniofacial region. It also highlights the different components and argues for the composition of similar teams to fast track the discovery of disease genes, diagnostic tools, improved clinical treatment and ultimately prevention of diseases.

Medical students' perception of objective structured clinical examination: a feedback for process improvement.

BACKGROUND: Medical educators have always been desirous of the best methods for formative and summative evaluation of trainees. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is an approach for student assessment in which aspects of clinical competence are evaluated in a comprehensive, consistent, and structured manner with close attention to the objectivity of the process. Though popular in most medical schools globally, its use in Nigeria medical schools appears limited. OBJECTIVES: This study was conceived to explore students' perception about the acceptability of OSCE process and to provide feedback to be used to improve the assessment technique. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on final-year medical students, who participated in the final MBBS surgery examination in June 2011. A 19-item self-administered structured questionnaire was employed to obtain relevant data on demographics of respondents and questions evaluating the OSCE stations in terms of the quality of instructions and organization, learning opportunities, authenticity and transparency of the process, and usefulness of the OSCE as an assessment instrument compared with other formats. Students' responses were based on a 5-point Likert scales ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The data were analyzed using SPSS, version 15 (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, IL). SETTING: The study took place at the University of Ilorin, College of Health Science. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 187 final-year medical students were enrolled in to the survey. RESULTS: Of 187 eligible students, 151 completed the self-administered questionnaire representing 80.7% response rate. A total of 61 (40.4%) students felt that it was easy to understand written instructions at the OSCE stations. In total, 106 (70.2%) students felt that the time allocated to each station was adequate. A total of 89 (58.9%) students agreed that the OSCE accurately measured their knowledge and skill, and 85 (56.3%) reported that OSCE enhanced their communication skill. Of the respondents, 80 (53%) felt that OSCE caused them to be nervous, and 73 (48.3%) expressed their concern about the interevaluator variability at manned stations. OSCE was perceived to be the second most fair test format by 53 (35.1%) respondents, and 56 (37.1%) also suggested that OSCE needs to be used much more than the other assessment formats. CONCLUSION: The findings in this survey appear reassuring regarding students' perception about the validity, objectivity, comprehensiveness, and overall organization of OSCE in the department of surgery. The need to introduce OSCE early in the surgical curriculum is also underscored. The overall feedback was very useful and will facilitate a critical review of the process.

Do geography and resources influence the need for colostomy in Hirschsprung's disease and anorectal malformations? A Canadian association of paediatric surgeons: association of paediatric surgeons of Nigeria survey.

BACKGROUND: This survey compared surgical management of Hirschsprung's disease (HD) and anorectal malformations (ARM) in high and low resource settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey was sent to 208 members of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Surgeons (CAPS) and the Association of Paediatric Surgeons of Nigeria (APSON). RESULTS: The response rate was 76.8% with 127 complete surveys (APSON 34, CAPS 97). Only 29.5% of APSON surgeons had frozen section available for diagnosis of HD. They were more likely to choose full thickness rectal biopsy (APSON 70.6% vs. CAPS 9.4%, P < 0.05) and do an initial colostomy for HD (APSON 23.5% vs. CAPS 0%, P < 0.05). Experience with trans-anal pull-through for HD was similar in both groups (APSON 76.5%, CAPS 66.7%). CAPS members practising in the United States were more likely to perform a one-stage pull-through for HD during the initial hospitalization (USA 65.4% vs. Canada 28.3%, P < 0.05). The frequency of colostomy in females with vestibular fistula varied widely independent of geography. APSON surgeons were less likely to have enterostomal therapists and patient education resources. CONCLUSIONS: Local resources which vary by geographic location affect the management of HD and ARM including colostomy. Collaboration between CAPS and APSON members could address resource and educational needs to improve patient care.

Host, vehicular and environmental factors responsible for road traffic crashes in a Nigerian city: identifiable issues for road traffic injury control.

INTRODUCTION: Road traffic injury (RTI) has assumed major public health importance world-wide and the burden is heavier on the health-care infrastructure of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, RTI is the leading cause of trauma related morbidity and mortality. While there are some published epidemiological reports on RTI in the region, studies on the mechanism of causation of road traffic crashes (RTC) are not available. METHODS: Over a 9-month period, we prospectively captured the 571 victims of RTC presenting to a single tertiary health care center in Nigeria. Data collected include demographic data, Mechanism of causation of RTC, Injuries sustained and outcomes. RESULTS: Over three-quarters of the victims are young people and half were either traders (27.5%) or students (20%). Pedestrians, motorcycle riders and open truck occupants (people sitting at the rear loading compartment of trucks) often had fatal injuries. Analysis of collision patterns showed that lone crashes were the most frequent though car-to-motorcycle crashes caused a quarter of the deaths. Host factors (over-speeding driver, driver misjudgment, sleeping driver etc.) were responsible for four-fifths of the crashes while vehicular and environmental factors accounted for the remaining. On binary regression analysis, head injured victims had higher odds of dying than the non-head injured (Odds ratio = 6.5). CONCLUSION: This paper elucidates the mechanisms of causation of and types of injuries sustained following RTC in Nigeria and thus provide opportunities for prevention and control of this unacceptable situation.

Is non-operative management still justified in the treatment of adhesive small bowel obstruction in children?

BACKGROUND: Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) is a feared complication after abdominal operations in both children and adults. The optimal management of ASBO in the pediatric population is debated. The aim of the present study was to examine the safety and effectiveness of non-operative management in ASBO. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 33 patients who were admitted for ASBO over a 5-year period was carried out. Follow-up data were available for 29 patients. Demographic, clinical, and operative details and outcomes were collected for these patients. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 15.0. P ≤ 0.05 was regarded as significant. RESULTS: Out of 618 abdominal surgeries within the 5-year period, 34 admissions were recorded from 29 patients at the follow-up period of 1-28 months. There were 19 boys (65.5%). The median age of patients was 4.5 years. Typhoid intestinal perforation (n = 7), intussusception (n = 6), intestinal malrotation (n = 5), and appendicitis (n = 4) were the major indications for a prior abdominal surgery leading to ASBO. Twenty-five patients (73.5%) developed SBO due to adhesions within the first year of the primary procedure. Of the 34 patients admitted with ASBO, 18 (53%) underwent operative intervention and 16 (47%) were successfully managed non-operatively. There were no differences in sex (P = 0.24), initial procedure (P = 0.12), age, duration of symptoms, and time to re-admission between the patients who responded to non-operative management and those who underwent operative intervention. However, the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the non-operative group (P < 0.0001). Five (14.7%) patients had small bowel resection. A 43-day-old child who initially underwent Ladd's procedure died within 15 h of re-admission while being prepared for surgery, accounting for the only mortality (3.4%). CONCLUSION: Non-operative management is still a safe and preferred approach in selected patients with ASBO. However, 53% eventually required surgery.

Congenital prepubic sinus: a variant of epispadiac dorsal urethral duplication.

Congenital prepubic sinus is a tract originating in the skin overlying the base of the penis. Its embryologic basis is still debated. We present a 9-month-old boy with a recurrent muco-purulent discharge from a tiny opening in the midline prepubic area on the base of the penis. Examination revealed a ventrally hooded prepuce, dorsal chordee, penile torsion to the left, and a 3-mm-diameter prepubic sinus 1 cm from the base of the penis. Histology of the excised tract showed a transitional epithelium. We believe our case is an epispadiac variant of dorsal urethral duplication.

Complicated childhood inguinal hernias in UITH, Ilorin.

BACKGROUND: Complicated inguinal hernias pose a threat to the life of the child as well as increase the morbidity associated with management of an otherwise straightforward condition. The aim of this study was to determine the presentation, treatment and management outcome of complicated inguinal hernias in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of all children 15 years and less managed for complicated inguinal hernia between 2002 and 2010. Data obtained included demographic characteristics, presentation, operative findings and outcome. RESULTS: Complicated hernia rate was 13.9%.There were 41 children, 38 boys (92.7%) and 3 girls. Ages ranged between 4 days and 15 years (Median = 90days). Most were infants (48.8%, n = 20) and neonates accounted for 19.5% (n = 8). Median duration of symptoms prior to presentation was 18 h (range = 2-96 h). Seven patients had been scheduled for elective surgery. Hernia was right sided in 68.3% (n = 28). Symptoms included vomiting (68.3%), abdominal distension (34.1%) and constipation (4.9%); one patient presented with seizures. In 19 (46.3%) patients hernia was reducible while 22(53.7%) had emergency surgery. Associated anomalies included undescended testis (12.2%), umbilical hernia (14.6%). Intestinal resection rate was 7.3% and testicular gangrene occurred in 14.6%. Mean duration of surgery was 60.3 ± 26.7 min. Wound infection occurred in six patients (14.6%). Overall complication rate was 24.4%, 30% in infants. The mortality rate was 2.4% (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Morbidity associated with complicated inguinal hernia is high in neonates and infants. Delayed presentation is common in our setting. Educating the parents as well as primary care physicians on the need for early presentation is necessary.

Genitourinary plexiform neurofibroma mimicking sacrococcygeal teratoma.

Neurofibromatosis is a common inherited autosomal dominant disease, but genitourinary neurofibroma is rare. The unpredictable nature of neurofibromas has a serious impact on the quality of life of patients, and their management is challenging for clinicians. We present a 9-year-old girl with plexiform neurofibroma of genitourinary system associated with pulmonary hypertension, masquerading as sacrococcygeal teratoma. Intraoperative finding and histological examination of the resected tumor confirmed the diagnosis.