Neonatal Gastric Perforation: Our Experience and Important Preoperative and Intraoperative Caveats to Prognosticate and Improve Survival.

AIM: Neonatal gastric perforation (NGP) is a rare, perplexing, life-threatening entity affecting neonates. We share our experience of operating upon cases of NGP s and highlight important points observed which may aid in further improving care of neonates, diagnosed with this entity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients with NGP operated by the author, at various centers between January 2015 and December 2018, was carried out. We analyzed different variables for these and reached logical conclusions. RESULTS: Between January 2015 and December 2018, we treated ten patients with gastric perforation. All the neonates were preterm, except one. Mean birth weight in our series was 1745 g (range 1300-2400 g). Deterioration in activity, worsening of sepsis, metabolic acidosis, increased ventilator requirements, and abdominal distension were prominent clinical features identified in all patients. All patients subsequently had massive pneumoperitoneum before surgery. Six patients had perforation along the greater curvature, two had perforation at the posterior wall, and two had near total gastric necrosis. We had four mortalities out of ten patients operated. CONCLUSION: NGP is associated with high mortality, especially in premature and low birth weight neonates. Severity of contributing factors in a premature predisposed neonate determines the severity of gastric necrosis, which in turn is an important prognostic factor. Certain preoperative signs can be useful and can aid in initiating preventive measures to curtail severity of the pathology.

Intussusception in children aged under two years in India: Retrospective surveillance at nineteen tertiary care hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: Intussusception has been linked with rotavirus vaccine (RVV) as a rare adverse reaction. In view of limited background data on intussusception in India and in preparation for RVV introduction, a surveillance network was established to document the epidemiology of intussusception cases in Indian children. METHODS: Intussusception in children 2-23 months were documented at 19 nationally representative sentinel hospitals through a retrospective surveillance for 69 months (July 2010 to March 2016). For each case clinical, hospital course, treatment and outcome data were collected. RESULTS: Among the 1588 intussusception cases, 54.5% were from South India and 66.3% were boys. The median age was 8 months (IQR 6, 12) with 34.6% aged 2-6 months. Seasonal variation with higher cases were documented during March-June period. The most common symptoms and signs were vomiting (63.4%), bloody stool (49.1%), abdominal pain (46.9%) and excessive crying (42.8%). The classical triad (vomiting, abdominal pain, and blood in stools) was observed in 25.6% cases. 96.4% cases were diagnosed by ultrasound with ileocolic location as the commonest (85.3%). Management was done by reduction (50.8%) and surgery (41.1%) and only 1% of the patients' died. 91.1% cases met Brighton criteria level 1 and 3.3% Level 2. Between 2010 and 2015, the case load and case ratio increased across all regions. CONCLUSION: Intussusception cases have occurred in children across all parts of the country, with low case fatality in the settings studied. The progressive rise cases could indicate an increasing awareness and availability of diagnostic facilities.

Mesonephric Remnant (Paroophoron) Presenting as a Congenital Lumbar Sinus in a Child.

Presence of symptomatic mesonephric duct remnants is rare in pediatric age group. These can be present in dormant physiological or symptomatic pathological states. Pathologies can vary from benign cysts to malignant tumors. We here report a rare presentation in a 2-year-old female, of a mesonephric remnant in the form of a sinus above the iliac crest.

Surgery in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Indian Scenario: Should It be "The New State of the Art" or Just "The Need of the Hour"?

INTRODUCTION: Critically ill surgical neonates are physiologically challenged and delicately poised on ventilator and inotropic support systems. They experience significant stress in the event of surgery. Shifting them poise further addition to this stress. We here share our experience of operating such surgical neonates for certain conditions in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of operated patients in the NICU. We collected the demographic data, diagnosis, and preoperative stability of the patient, ventilator and inotropic requirements, need for extra anesthetic drugs, procedures performed, complications, and outcome. Operations were performed at bedside in the NICU in critically ill, unstable neonates who needed emergency surgery, neonates of very low birth weight (<1000 g), and neonates on special equipment such as high-frequency ventilators. We excluded minor routine procedures such as drain placement, central line placement, ventricular taps, incision and drainage, and intercostal drainage procedures. RESULTS: We performed seven surgical procedures in the NICU. These included bowel resections and stoma creation, fistula ligation, lung biopsies, and ventricular reservoir placement. Gestational age ranged between 24 and 34 weeks (mean, 28 weeks). Birth weights ranged between 800 and 2500 g (mean, 1357 g). Age at surgery was between 2 and 18 days (mean, 10.2 days). All our patients were on inotropic support and were intubated and mechanically ventilated. CONCLUSION: Doing surgery for critically ill neonates in the NICU definitely has a place. It was the need of the hour based on the condition of the neonates; however, we feel that neonatal surgery in the NICU should be the norm as it can improve survival. Surgery in the NICU can give a fighting chance to these patients; however, operation theaters in the NICU would be an ideal setting.

Scrotal Migration of Tubing: An Unusual Complication after Ventriculo-peritoneal Shunt.

Scrotal migration of peritoneal end of ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt into the patent processus vaginalis (PPV) is a rare complication. Its exact incidence is not mentioned in the literature till date. This may be because of the rarity of this complication, and also because all previous articles related to the complication were case reports. We, in our series, had an incidence of 0.9%. This prospective study has been conducted on 437 patients in the age group of 1 month-3 years who underwent VP shunt for hydrocephalus over a period of 5 years from 2007 to 2011. The incidence of a hernia manifesting after shunt insertion has been reported to be around 16.8%. The average age of patients at the time of insertion of the shunt was 27.25 months (3-48 months). All our patients presented with swollen right sided scrotum after an average of 4 months (3-5 months) after shunt insertion. Shunt migration was more common on the right which is consistent with the incidence of hernias in children. The proper management of such cases includes repositioning of the catheter with the proper closure of the PPV. Usually, shunt revision is not required. We discuss the etiology, treatment and preventive measures of this rare entity.

A Case of Occipital Rudimentary Cephalocoele.

We report a case of a 1-month-old boy with a cystic swelling in the occipital region without intracranial communication, called atretic cephalocoele. We discuss clues to the diagnosis of atretic cephalocoeles. We also discuss common clinical findings and a possible mechanism by which these lesions develop.

Early Thoracoscopic Plication of Diaphragm in a Newborn with Brachial Plexus Palsy and Concurrent Phrenic Nerve Palsy.

Phrenic nerve palsy is a rare cause of respiratory distress in a newborn. When conservative measures fail to achieve adequate ventilation, then early surgical plication has been found to be associated with good outcome. We report a case of neonate with phrenic nerve palsy in whom an early thoracoscopic diaphragmatic plication was done.

Role of feeding jejunostomy in major anastomotic disruptions in esophageal atresia: A pilot study.

AIMS: To investigate the role of feeding jejunostomy (FJ) in patients of esophageal atresia with anastomotic leak (AL) to decrease the degree of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and its effect on anastomotic healing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty neonates, with major AL and severe GER after primary repair were managed with decompressing gastrostomy and transgastric FJ and analyzed prospectively. RESULTS: Male to female ratio was 1.7:1. Mean birth weight was 2.2 kg. Anastomotic gap ranged from 0 to 4 cm. The amount of leak was more than 20% of nasogastric feeds. Gastrostomy and FJ was done on an average of the 12(th) postoperative day, after observing the general condition, chest tube output, lung expansion, and ventilatory requirement. There was a drastic reduction in chest tube output and lung expanded in all patients. Average hospital stay was 36 days (8-80 days). Sixty percentage patients were discharged successfully on FJ. Esophagogram demonstrated healing and leak free patency after an average of 1.5 months. GER was noted in seven patients, four developed stricture, and one had pseudodiverticulum in follow-up. CONCLUSION: Decompressing gastrostomy and FJ can be an alternative to managing major ALs. It helps in healing of anastomotic dehiscence and in preserving the native esophagus.

Concealed Epispadias: Report of Two Cases and Review of Literature.

OBJECTIVE: To present an overview of the clinical presentation and pathological anatomy of epispadias with intact prepuce--a rare condition that has only occasionally been reported in literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present two cases of concealed epispadias. We also review the available literature with regard to this rare condition. We found 14 cases in 7 studies that were reviewed. Relevant variables were reviewed and are discussed. RESULTS: There were 13 of 16 cases presented with complaints of buried or webbed penis. In 11 of 16 cases, epispadias was suspected or diagnosed at first presentation and could be surgically corrected in the first intervention. Epispadias repair was successful with regard to cosmesis and erectile function in all cases, including ours. CONCLUSION: Proper preoperative diagnosis and preoperative counseling of parents are essential for the successful treatment of this rare entity. Fewer complications, less additional interventions, and better continence rates seem to be noted for the boys with epispadias and intact prepuce.

Herlyn-Weber-Wunderlich syndrome with ectopic ureter in prepubertal female.

We report a rare case of uterovaginal duplication in a prepubertal female. The patient also had a permeable ureter (ureter with urine passing through it) subtending a poorly functioning kidney with ectopic insertion in the obstructed hemivagina.

Hepatic duct confluence injury in blunt abdominal trauma - a diagnostic dilemma.

Isolated hepatic duct confluence injury due to trauma is unusual. Two cases of isolated bile duct injury are presented, which were diagnosed and managed successfully at our institution.

The role of preoperative CT scan in patients with tracheoesophageal fistula: a review.

PURPOSE: The morbidity and mortality associated with esophageal atresia with or without a fistula make it a challenging congenital abnormality for the pediatric surgeon. Anatomic factors like inter-pouch gap and origin of fistula are not taken into consideration in various prognostic classifications. The preoperative evaluation of these cases with computerized tomography (CT) has been used by various investigators to delineate these factors. We reviewed these studies to evaluate the usefulness of this investigation in the intra operative and post operative period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was done on all peer-reviewed articles published on preoperative computed tomography (CT) in cases of tracheoesophageal fistula using the PUBMED and MEDLINE search engines. Key words included tracheoesophageal fistula, computerized tomography, virtual bronchoscopy, and 3D computerized tomography reconstruction. Further, additional articles were selected from the list of references obtained from the retrieved publications. A total of 8 articles were selected for analysis. RESULTS: In most of the studies, comprising 96 patients, observations noted in preoperative CT were confirmed during surgery. In a study by Mahalik et al [Mahalik SK, Sodhi KS, Narasimhan KL, Rao KL. Role of preoperative 3D CT reconstruction for evaluation of patients with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula. Pediatr Surg Int. 2012 Jun 22. [Epub ahead of print]], in 6 patients the fistula could not be identified pre-operatively by CT. One study found a difference of 0.43 cm in the intraoperative gap length compared to that given by CT when compared to +/- 2 mm shown by another [1. Mahalik SK, Sodhi KS, Narasimhan KL, Rao KL. Role of preoperative 3D CT reconstruction for evaluation of patients with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula. Pediatr Surg Int. 2012 Jun 22. [Epub ahead of print], 3. Ratan SK, Varshney A, Mullick S, Saxena NC, Kakkar S, Sodhi PK. Evaluation of neonates with esophageal atresia using chest CT scan. Pediatr Surg Int. 2004 Oct; 20(10):757-61.]. Only three studies showed surgical utility of pre-operative CT, and the surgical plan changed based on the CT findings. CONCLUSION: The usefulness of pre-operative computerized tomography in cases of tracheoesophageal fistula is controversial. The safety of this technique is questionable due to limited facilities and associated radiation hazards. Further, limited information obtained which may help in changing the surgical plan can easily be managed intra-operatively by careful and meticulous surgery. Overall, the safety concerns outweigh its efficacy. Thus, the use of pre-operative CT scan cannot be generalized and protocolized as a standard of care in the management of tracheoesophageal atresia.

Traumatic renal artery occlusion in the pediatric age group: a case and review of the literature.

Blunt trauma represents a major cause of death in children. The incidence of renal arterial injuries in these cases is less than 1%. Traumatic renal artery occlusion is a rare occurrence in the pediatric age group. However, there is lack of information on the exact incidence and results of the management of these rare cases in the pediatric age group. We report herein a case and we review the available literature of this severe injury in the pediatric age group.

A rare case of isolated Cushing syndrome in a 3-month-old boy.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy in children. Most of these are endocrinologically active tumors, with virilizing features being typically dominant. Its presentation with isolated Cushing syndrome is rare. We report a 3-month-old infant with Cushing syndrome without the clinical features of androgen or mineralocorticoid excess consequently diagnosed with ACC. We discuss the different presentations, diagnosis, and management of this rare tumor with a rarer presentation.

Vesicoureteral reflux: Endoscopic therapy and impact on health related quality of life.

AIM: To evaluate the health related quality of life (HRQOL) after endoscopic injection treatment for vesico ureteral reflux (VUR) in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty four children received treatment and were prospectively evaluated for their quality of life scores, according to resolution of reflux on cystograms and status of renal scars. RESULTS: Of the 81 refluxing units, 72 (89%) had resolution of reflux whereas 9 (11%) did not resolve. The total average QOL was higher for the patients in the resolved group as compared to the non resolved group. Comparison of pre and post procedure renal DMSA scans in 44 patients showed status quo in 26, regression of scars in six, progression in two and formation of new scars in 6. The total increase in HRQOL was highest in regression group (67.91), and lowest in progression group (36.45). CONCLUSIONS: Successful endoscopic treatment of VUR is associated with improved quality of life, as indicated by higher HRQOL scores in the resolved group.

Duplicated gall bladder with duodenal duplication cyst.

A four year old boy with a duplicated gall bladder communicating with a duplication cyst of the duodenum is reported for the first time in the literature. It is also reported for the absence of any connection with the biliary system.

An unusual variant of urethral duplication: an addition to the Effman classification.

A rare association of horseshoe kidney with pyelic fusion with crossed single ureter along with a rare unusual variant of complete urethral duplication is described. We review the available literature on this rare association and present its management.

Rare association in a female DSD case of phallus, accessory phallic urethra, perineal lipoma and anterior ectopic anus.

Disorders of sex differentiation (DSD) are a heterogeneous and broad spectrum group of diseases with a varied appearance. Presence of an accessory phallus with a phallic urethra in association with a normal vagina in a female is an extremely uncommon anomaly. We present a rare case of a genotypically female child with a normal urethra and vagina in association with a phallus, accessory phallic urethra, perineal lipoma and anterior ectopic anus.