Postnatal surgical treatment and complications following intrauterine vesicoamniotic shunting with the SOMATEX® intrauterine shunt. A single center experience.

INTRODUCTION: Intrauterine vesicoamniotic shunting (VAS) using a Somatex® shunt was shown to significantly affect survival of male fetuses with megacystis in suspected lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO) [Figure 1]. Data on postnatal surgical management and complications are largely lacking. OBJECTIVE: To describe the postnatal management of patients with prenatal VAS for megacystitis in suspected severe LUTO. STUDY DESIGN: All male newborns with previous intrauterine VAS using a Somatex® shunt treated in our institution were retrospectively analyzed. We evaluated the spectrum of urethral pathologies and postnatal surgical management, especially focusing on shunt removal. RESULTS: Between 2016 and 2022, 17 patients (all male) were treated postnatally in our institution after VAS for suspected severe LUTO. Five fetuses with dislocated shunts underwent re-implantation in utero. Overall, premature birth before the 38th week of gestation was observed in eight patients (8/17). Seven shunts could be removed without further anesthesia as a bedside procedure. Ten patients required surgical shunt removal under general anesthesia due to migration (59%). Laparoscopic shunt extraction was performed in 8/10 cases. Most frequently, dislocated shunts were located incorporated in the detrusor in eight cases and the removal required a bladder suture in 2/8 patients. In one case, the shunt was removed from the abdominal wall and in one case from the intestine wall [Figure 2]. Posterior urethral valves were found in 8/17 patients, 6/17 patients showed a urethral atresia and one patient had urethral duplication. In two patients, we identified a high grade bilateral vesicoureteral reflux without LUTO. CONCLUSION: In our observation, more than half of the newborns with megacystis in suspected LUTO require a shunt removal surgery after early VAS using a Somatex® shunt. Urethral atresia may be found more frequently in these patients. These data should be taken into consideration for prenatal counselling of parents and planning of postnatal management.

Single-port laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure of femoral hernia in children and adolescents: case series.

BACKGROUND: Femoral hernias are an often unexpected groin pathology during childhood. However, the pediatric surgeon has to be aware to diagnose femoral hernia and to repair this condition. This is the first report on laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure of femoral hernia (LPEF) in children and adolescents. METHODS: Over a 6-year period in a bi-institutional clinical study, we retrospectively identified six children and one young adult who underwent LPEF repair. RESULTS: Femoral hernia was laparoscopically confirmed in seven patients. Ages at surgery were 3, 5, 7, 7, 8, 8.5, and 18 years, respectively. In the first case, we combined laparoscopic diagnosis with open repair. In the consecutive six cases, hernias were repaired minimally invasively with the percutaneous extraperitoneal technique described below. During a follow-up between 6 years and 6 months, no recurrence was observed. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: For LPEF, we percutaneously placed a peritoneal U-shape suture with integrated transfixation of the hernia sac, closed with an epifascial knot. We performed LPEF using two graspers. The peritoneum was percutaneously punctured with a venous cannula through which the suture was inserted. One grasper was inserted through the working channel of the laparoscope to invert the hernia sac into the abdominal cavity. A mini-grasping forceps inserted through the cannula retrieved the thread and completed LPEF. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that single-port laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure of femoral hernia is successful and quick in children and in adolescents.

Isolated tracheoesophageal fistula versus esophageal atresia - Early morbidity and short-term outcome. A single institution series.

PURPOSE: We compared the postnatal course, morbidity and early results after repair for cases of isolated or "pure" TEF with those for cases of esophageal atresia (EA) with distal tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF). METHODS: Twenty-four consecutive infants were divided into two groups: isolated TEF [TEF group] (n = 5) and EA with distal TEF [EA group] (n = 19). RESULTS: A high rate of prematurity (29%) and major cardiac and other surgically-relevant malformations (0.8 vs. 0.7 per infant) was found in both groups. The median age at surgery was 8 days for the TEF group vs. 1 day for the EA group (p < 0.01). Most infants of both cohorts had stable acid-base and respiratory parameters at admission. Generally, tracheoscopy provided valuable information regarding the position of the TEF. Surgery for isolated TEF was performed via right cervicotomy in 4 cases and via thoracotomy in one. Postoperative thoracostomy tubes were inserted in 3 cases and one emergency gastrostomy was created for acute gastric overextension (exclusively in patients with EA). The duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation (49 vs. 113 h, p = 0.045) and the median length of stay in the pediatric surgery unit (10 vs. 20.5 days, p = 0.003) were shorter for the isolated TEF group. Four EA patients experienced severe events. Total mortality was 8% (0 out of 5 with TEF vs. 2 out of 19 with EA). CONCLUSION: Developmental delay and a high rate of morbidity were found in both groups. More complex surgery increased perioperative morbidity in cases of EA. With early recognition of isolated TEF, a less complicated course can be expected in comparison with esophageal atresia.

Chondroepitrochlearis Muscle--A Phylogenetic Remnant with Clinical Importance.

We report on an infant, presenting with a cord-like accessory muscle crossing the anterior axillary fold. The accessory structure appeared as an axillary web and caused tethering of the humerus together with an abnormal shape of the shoulder. The chondroepitrochlearis muscle is thought to be of phylogenetic origin. In our patient the tendinous sling was resected at the age of 7 month with normalization of function and cosmetics.

Congenital oesophageal atresia discordant for tracheo-oesophageal fistula occurring in a set of dizygotic twins.

The authors present a set of female diamnionic and dichorionic twins with different blood types and congenital oesophageal atresia (EA) in both. Surgical management was successful. It can be assumed that EA with tracheo-oesophageal fistula in twin B occurred during an early embryological stage whereas the isolated EA in twin A was the result of a later event. To our knowledge, this is the first published set of dizygotic twins with different types of EA.

A primary tumor promotes dormancy of solitary tumor cells before inhibiting angiogenesis.

Mechanisms that regulate the transition of micrometastases from clinically undetectable and dormant to progressively growing are critically important but poorly understood in cancer biology. Here we examined the effect of a primary tumor on the growth of solitary tumor cells in the mouse liver, as well as on the development of tumor angiogenesis in a dorsal skin-fold chamber. s.c. placement of a CT-26 (BALB/c-derived mouse colon carcinoma) primary tumor markedly inhibited development of liver metastasis in BALB/c mice after subsequent intraportal injection of tumor cells. Dorsal skin-fold chamber experiments showed that this growth inhibition paralleled a strong antiangiogenic effect by the primary tumor. Furthermore, intravital microscopy of the liver after intraportal injection of green fluorescent protein-expressing tumor cells showed that primary tumors promoted dormancy of single tumor cells for up to 7 days. Immunohistological staining for Ki-67 confirmed that these solitary cells were indeed dormant. In contrast, in the absence of a primary tumor, GFP-expressing tumor cells quickly developed into micrometastases. Thus, primary CT-26 tumor implants nearly abrogated tumor metastasis by inhibition of angiogenesis and by promoting a state of single-cell dormancy. Knowledge of the mechanism underlying this dormancy state could result in the development of new therapeutic tools to fight cancer.

Effect of bradykinin B2-receptor antagonism on post-ischemic coronary reperfusion.

Isolated rabbit hearts in a modified Langendorff preparation were used to study the role of bradykinin B2-receptor antagonism on recovery from cardiac ischemia. The experiments were performed to clarify a potential risk of administrating BK-receptor antagonists in patients with coronary heart disease and patients undergoing heart surgery. The hearts were perfused in an open system at a constant pressure of 70 mm Hg and at a constant temperature of 37 degrees C with Krebs-Henseleit-buffer solution containing 6.5% HAES (hydroxyethyl-amylopectin) and 10 mmol Na-pyruvate/l. The perfusate was equilibrated to a PO2 of about 500-600 mm Hg. After a steady state period of 30 min, coronary perfusion was stopped for 30 min and the hearts were subsequently reperfused for further 30 min. Pretreatment with the B2-receptor antagonist, CP-0127, significantly increased (p < 0.001) the coronary vascular resistance during reperfusion from 31.9 +/- 2.1 to 59.0 +/- 6.5 mm Hg/ml/min/10 g wt and decreased the left ventricular pressure amplitude to 44.0 +/- 15.2% (p < 0.005) of it's baseline. When ischemia was combined with hyperkalaemic cardioplegia, CP-0127 did not influence coronary vascular resistance, but depressed, only to a minor degree, left ventricular pressure amplitude to 65.1 +/- 15.4% (p < 0.005) during reperfusion. Arrhythmias during reperfusion with cardiac arrest occurred only in 2 hearts with B2-receptor inhibition when ischemia was not combined with cardioplegia. Dependent on the initial functional status of the heart B2-receptor inhibition impaired recovery from acute coronary ischemia by increasing the coronary vascular resistance and depressing the myocardial function and therefore may constitute a risk in patients undergoing heart surgery and extracorporeal circulation.

Value of GCDFP-15 (BRST-2) as a specific immunocytochemical marker for breast carcinoma in cytologic specimens.

OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of metastatic mammary carcinoma by morphologic criteria alone can be difficult, depending on the site of metastasis and state of cell differentiation. Numerous histopathologic studies have shown GCDFP-15 (BRST-2) to be a specific marker for breast cancer in surgical specimens. To date, no studies have been done to evaluate its utility in cytologic preparations. STUDY DESIGN: To evaluate the usefulness of GCDFP-15 as a marker in the cytologic diagnosis of breast carcinoma, we studied 23 cases of mammary carcinoma and compared them with 20 cases of tumors of nonmammary origin (lung, ovary, liver, colon, stomach and bladder). "Bench top" fine needle aspirates from unfixed surgical specimens of breast carcinoma, cytocentrifuge samples from body cavity fluids and cerebrospinal fluids with morphologically proven metastatic carcinoma were studied. RESULTS: Expression of BRST-2 was found in 56.5% of primary and recurrent or metastatic breast carcinomas. All the nonmammary carcinomas studied were negative. Staining was found to be strongly dependent on the means of cell fixation. Slides fixed in 10% formalin and Bouin's solution gave optimal results. Except in two cases, which showed focal immunostaining, all specimens fixed in alcohol were negative. CONCLUSION: Our results support the diagnostic value of GCDFP-15 in recognizing tumors of breast origin and suggest that in clinical situations in which metastatic breast carcinoma is suspected, a portion of the cytologic specimen should be fixed with an optimal fixative for BRST-2 detection.