[Typical liability damages of the upper extremities in childhood and their evaluation]. / Typische Haftpflichtschäden und ihre Bewertung an der oberen Extremität im Kindesalter.

Legal appraisals of possible treatment errors in childhood and adolescence are rare, often refer to the treatment of trauma of the upper limbs and are frequently recognized. From the activity of the first author as an expert witness 31 expert opinions (25%) referred to the upper limbs. Supracondylar humeral fractures, radius neck fractures, radial condyle fractures and distal radius fractures were predominant. A primary treatment error was determined in 14 patients and a secondary error in 7 patients. This corresponds to a recognition rate of 68%. The aim of this study was the reflection and the development of a prevention strategy. Insufficient recognition of instability (radial condyle), inadequate reduction and inadequate stabilization (radius neck, supracondylar) as well as untreated malalignments and secondary dislocations (wrist) were the main reproaches. Poor communication and deficient documentation often aggravate the situation. Working along clear algorithms can help to avoid legal proceedings and assignment of guilt.

[Apophyseal avulsion in the pelvic region in childhood and adolescence]. / Apophysenausrisse in der Beckenregion im Kindes- und Adoleszentenalter.

BACKGROUND: The importance of the apophyseal plates during growth is often underestimated. They act as a muscular insertion and influence the joint mechanics by the load-dependent change in shape. PATHOMECHANISMS: An anatomically functional adaptation occurs as protection from overloading. In special kinds of sports with highly dynamic movements, sudden changes of direction and eccentric/concentric muscle activities the resulting stress may exceed the strength of the apophyseal plate. In adolescence this results in a total or partial tearing of the apophysis in the sense of an avulsion injury. In the pelvic region the ischial tuberosity, the anterior superior and inferior iliac spine are mainly affected. DIAGNOSTICS: The medical history and clinical diagnostics are supplemented by conventional radiographic imaging. Sectional imaging diagnostics are usually unnecessary. TREATMENT: Conservative management by reduced (partial) weight bearing and physiotherapy represents the gold standard in treatment. In cases with a fragment displacement >1.5-2.0 cm and in competitive athletes an open reduction should be considered.

[What to do in cases of postoperative damage of the ulnar nerve after K­wire osteosynthesis of supracondylar humeral fractures in childhood?] / Was tun bei postoperativem Ulnarisschaden nach Kirschner-Draht-Osteosynthese der suprakondylären Humerusfraktur im Kindesalter?

INTRODUCTION: Iatrogenic damage to the ulnar nerve after crossed Kirschner wire osteosynthesis of supracondylar humeral fractures is a preventable complication in pediatric traumatology, which occurs in up to 10% of cases. There are strategies in the literature for avoiding this complication but no consistent suggestions for action in the presence of the damage. METHOD: Within the framework of a questionnaire survey with the support of the German Society for Trauma Surgery, 198 pediatric and trauma surgeons presented their treatment algorithm based on case examples. RESULTS: In preoperatively known accident-related sensorimotor failure, 76.3% perform revision surgery of the nerve as part of primary care. If the treatment-related nerve damage occurs immediately postoperatively, up to 84.3% do this immediately. The rate depends on the extent of nerve damage (sensory vs. sensorimotor) and the reduction method (open vs. closed). The later the nerve damage is diagnosed, the sooner the original course of treatment with timely metal removal is retained or neurophysiological examinations are included. CONCLUSION: Respondents used the clinical extent of the lesion, the timing of the diagnosis and the nature of primary care as criteria for the indications in postoperative ulnar nerve damage. Differences in outcome between invasive and waiting strategies cannot be derived from the study.

[Femoral shaft fractures in children under 3 years old. Current treatment standard]. / Femurschaftfrakturen bei Kindern unter 3 Jahren. Aktueller Behandlungsstandard.

INTRODUCTION: Femoral shaft fractures in children are a common injury. Operative treatment is recommended for children above 3 years of age. The question of this investigation was the current clinical standard for the treatment of femoral shaft fractures in children under 3 years old. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An e-mail questionnaire was sent to all clinics and hospital departments of the members of the German Society for Trauma Surgery and the German Society of Pediatric Surgery. RESULTS: Out of 775 clinics and departments, 121 participated in the survey (16 %). From 2011 to 2012 overall 756 femoral shaft fractures of children 3 years and younger were treated of which 375 (50 %) were stabilized with elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN), 183 (24 %) with an overhead extension, 178 (23 %) with a plaster cast and 9 (1 %) with external fixation. Finally, operative treatment was used in 51 % compared to 49 % with conservative treatment. DISCUSSION: Obviously, operative treatment of femoral shaft fractures in children younger than 3 years is routinely used despite the fact that there is no evidential basis for this approach. There are good arguments for and against operative and conservative forms of treatment. Indications for operative treatment include multiple trauma, open fractures, body weight over 20 kg, child already free walking and lack of stable fixation with conservative treatment. To achieve more evidence for the existing recommendation of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften (AWMF, Working Group of the Scientific Medical Specialist Societies), further investigations are needed.

Musculoskeletal pain: a new algorithm for differential diagnosis of a cardinal symptom in pediatrics.

Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is a common childhood complaint associated with multiple differential diagnoses, including cancer. Considering the expanding spectrum of diagnostics, evaluat-ing a young patient with MSP is a challenge today, particularly for non-specialists in a primary care setting. Since childhood cancer is rare and most cardinal symptoms mimic rather non-serious diseases, misdiagnosis is not uncommon, but of significant prognostic relevance. To build the appropriate bridge between primary and secon-dary care for a child presenting with MSP, thereby preventing treatment delay and longterm sequelae, initial evaluation should follow a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, systematic and stepwise approach, which unites the patient's individual anamnestic, psychosocial, and clinical charac-teristics. After a systematic review of the literature, we generated multidisciplinarily quality-assured recommendations for efficient, rational and cost-effective primary care assessment of pediatric MSP. The algorithm promotes the identification and structured interpretation of the patient's individual clinical clues. It should serve the primary care physician to recognize when further intervention, rather than reassurance and follow-up, is needed using the minimum amount of testing to make an appropriate, prompt diagnosis in the clinical situation "child presenting with MSP". A German version of this algorithm has been published in the Guideline-Portal of The Association of the Scientific Medical Societies ("Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften", AWMF) in November 2013.

[Strategies for paediatric spleen and liver injuries]. / Behandlungsstrategien bei Verletzungen von Milz und Leber im Kindesalter.

Traumatic injuries of the spleen and liver are typically caused by age-related falls or sports and traffic accidents. Today, the non-operative management for isolated injuries is established and evidence-based guidelines are available. The intact abdominal wall and the limited space within the peritoneum produce a compression which is the pathophysiological explanation for the limitation of the haemorrhage. Precondition for the non-operative therapy is the radiology-based classification of the injury (organ injury scale) and a haemodynamically stable patient. Haemodynamic stability is, if necessary maintained with blood transfusion, volume substitutes and the administration of catecholamines. In cases of hilar vascular injury and devascularisation or haemodynamic instability of the patient, despite utilisation of the measures mentioned above, urgent operative therapy needs to be performed. Organ sparing surgery is the therapy of choice for both liver and spleen. The spleen is required for the development of a competent immune system in the growing organism. Liver injuries can be further complicated by injury to the bile system, which might require operative reconstruction. If a patient suffers from multiple injuries and spleen or liver are involved, the decision on the management needs to be taken individually, no guidelines exist but the rate for operative therapy increases. Independent of the dimensions of injury, an experienced paediatric surgeon with his multidisciplinary team, considering the anatomic and age specific characteristics of a child, achieves the best therapeutic results.

[Fracture stabilization in polytraumatized children]. / Frakturversorgung beim Polytrauma im Kindesalter.

Polytrauma is a rare diagnosis in childhood. Even after high-energy accidents isolated injuries of the skull and brain or extremities are more common. Injury is still the most frequent cause of death in childhood in industrialized countries. The lethality of polytraumatized children is about 19%. Injuries of the extremities do not play such an important role for the survival of polytraumatized children but for the definitive outcome. The diagnostic algorithm for polytraumatized children is related to adults and includes spiral computed tomography in the emergency room. Plain radiographs are still the gold standard for the diagnostic workup of fractures. Generally therapeutic approaches in the treatment of fractures in children are often conservative. Because of the special situation in polytrauma with ICU care and the need for venous catheters, fast mobilization and positioning in bed, indications for operative treatment and definitive stabilization of fractures are required for polytraumatized children.

[Fractures of the upper limbs in childhood and adolescence]. / Frakturen der oberen Extremität im Kindes-/Wachstumsalter.

Fractures of the upper limbs are frequent and often need operative treatment in addition to a well-indicated conservative management. This depends on the maturity of the nearest growth plate and the local remodeling potential, which is dependent on age. Following conventional x­ray imaging an individual prognostic growth analysis leads to the therapeutic decision. Around the elbow and the shaft of the forearm, criteria are stricter than near the shoulder or wrist. Gilchrist or Desault bandages as well as braces are adequate for most subcapital and humeral shaft fractures. The short forearm cast is the method of choice at the wrist. In the case of osteosynthesis the elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) method is the first choice for subcapital humerus, radial neck and shaft fractures. Screw fixation is usually carried out for epicondylar and condylar fractures and for supracondylar and wrist fractures K­wires represent the standard procedure.

Mediastinal pancreatic pseudocyst.

Pseudocysts of the pancreas are a rare cause of a mediastinal mass. They are clinically characterized by the combination of thoracic symptoms (shortness of breath, dysphagia, pleural effusions) with complaints in the upper abdominal quadrants and weight loss. The diagnosis is usually made by CT scan or MRI including upper abdominal views. Internal drainage via an abdominal route performed either as cystogastrostomy or cystojejunostomy is the treatment of choice.

Treatment of congenital tracheoesophageal fistula by endoscopic laser coagulation: preliminary report of three cases.

Three newborns with congenital tracheoesophageal fistula were treated by endoscopic laser coagulation. After radiologic and endoscopic diagnosis, laser coagulation of the mucosal layer of the fistula followed using Nd:YAG laser light transferred through an uncovered quartz fiber of 600 microns diameter. The successful and uneventful course in two cases contrasts with the incomplete obliteration in one case caused by inadequate energy application and/or early localized instillation of contrast medium for radiologic control examination. The advantages of this method include elimination of an operative procedure, exclusion of operative complications, and the possibility of repetition in recurrent cases. Care must be taken to prevent esophageal and tracheal damage by use of this method.

Elastic stable intramedullary nailing for the treatment of complicated juvenile bone cysts of the humerus.

Juvenile bone cysts usually are asymptomatic and may manifest as pathological fractures. Since the new method of flexible intramedullary nailing (" Elastic Stable Intramedullary Nailing" - ESIN or " Embrochage Centro- Médullaire Elastique Stable" - ECMES) has demonstrated superb results in the treatment of non-pathologic fractures of the long bones in childhood, this method is rapidly gaining popularity for the treatment of spontaneous or pathological fractures. Given the self-limiting natural history of juvenile bone cysts with eventual spontaneous healing, our goal is to stabilise the pathological fracture and the biomechanically weakened humerus. We treated 15 patients with 16 pathological fractures (one re-fracture) due to juvenile bone cysts of the proximal humerus. All fractures healed completely without pseudarthrosis. Complications were a secondary fracture in otherwise correctly positioned nails. Five of the 15 implants remain in situ, in 6 cases a repeat osteosynthesis was necessary, in one case the nails had to be changed because of the re-fracture. Ten of the 15 juvenile bone cysts healed over a period of 3 years, the nails were removed and so far there have been no further fractures in this group. In the other 5 cases, the juvenile bone cysts have progressively filled with sclerotic bone, and the nails remain in situ.

Traumatic and non-traumatic pancreatitis in pediatric surgery.

Today pancreatitis is classified only as acute or chronic. In pediatric surgery it seems more practical to distinguish traumatic from non-traumatic cases. To show whether there is also a difference in the management of these two groups we analysed all patients treated between 1977 and 1991 for pancreatitis. It was most impressive that traumatic cases were operated on in 86% and the rate of pseudocysts reached 61.5% whereas non-traumatic pancreatitis required surgical intervention in 50% and developed pseudocysts in 17%. Following trauma elevation of serum enzyme concentration lasted longer in a significant number of patients but became normal without any hint of further complications. In non-traumatic pancreatitis it is recommended that surgery should be avoided and reserved for complications. Exceptions are obstructions of the pancreaticobiliary ducts which need early removal to prevent chronicity of the disease and functional loss of the organ.

Clinical long-term follow-up results in intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND).

Commonly available information on intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND) is sparse. Especially well documented long-term courses are lacking. The aim of this study was to correlate defecation as a clinical parameter of the long-term course in malformations of the enteric nervous system with the morphological diagnosis. 57 children with intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND) or aganglionosis with cranial intestinal dysganglionosis (agIND), diagnosed between 1983 and 1992, were analysed including histomorphological classification, collection of clinical data and evaluation of the defecation mode by questionnaire as a parameter of the long-term course. Of 29 dysganglionic (IND) patients, 9/29 cases (31 %) had been treated conservatively, 18/29 cases surgically (62.1%), in two children (6.9%) no therapy had been necessary. All 28 patients with Hirschsprung's disease and cranial IND (agIND) underwent resection. 46 of the children could be followed up 3.64 years after the end of the main therapeutic period and with a mean age of 6.7 years at the time of follow-up; 43.5% of the analysed children still showed severe constipation. 23.9% only were really cured; 15.2% had normal defecation still using conservative treatment and 17.4% had diarrhea. No significant difference was found between both groups, IND and agIND, and the results were independent of treatment modality. The results were much worse than in idiopathic constipation as reported in the literature and even worse in comparison to unselected Hirschsprung collectives. It has to be concluded that in IND with chronic constipation intensive long-term care is necessary and it is crucial that treatment algorithms should be outlined urgently together by pediatric gastroenterologists and pediatric surgeons. AgIND seems to need more extended resection following an exact histomorphological mapping by biopsies taken during enterostomy procedure.

Rectal suction biopsy: can it be sufficient to diagnose neuronal intestinal dysplasia?

Rectal suction biopsy is the diagnostic procedure of choice in aganglionosis even if only mucosal tissue is obtained. In neuronal intestinal dysplasia it is essential to include parts of the submucous layer. Therefore some biopsies are unsuitable because they lack submucous tissue. In a retrospective analysis (1991-1993) this occurred in 34.9% of our biopsies. These samples were taken without attention to the level of suction. Prospectively we compared suction biopsies taken by a standard suction level (250-300 cm water column) with excision biopsies taken by scissors under speculum exposure in ten consecutive patients. Submucosa was missed in only one biopsy each, but two excision biopsies were made useless by mechanical traumatization. We conclude a correctly practised rectal suction biopsy still remains the procedure of choice for diagnostic screening in malformations of the enteric nervous system.

Updated results on intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND B).

BACKGROUND: Intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND B) is still a subject of controversy. The aim of this paper is to review the present state of knowledge on IND B. A summary is given of the technical and diagnostic criteria which have to be considered in order to arrive at a reliable diagnosis. In addition, the available therapeutic interventions are discussed. METHODS: Between 1992 and 2001, 3984 colonic mucosal biopsies from 1328 children were investigated. Nerve cell staining was performed on native tissue sections: 15 microm thick cryostat sections, which, after spreading and drying on a microscopic slide, have a final thickness of 4-5 microm, with dehydrogenase reactions (lactic dehydrogenase, nitroxide synthase, succinic dehydrogenase). The biopsies were taken 8-10 cm above the dentate line (proximal to the ampulla recti, because of the caudo-cranial increase of giant ganglia proximal to the 4 cm biopsy) with a sufficient amount of submucosa. The criteria for IND is 15-20 % submucosal giant ganglia with more than eight nerve cells in 30 sections of a single biopsy (i.e. four to seven giant ganglia). RESULTS: The diagnosis of IND B is quantitative. A diagnosis of IND B was made over the past 10 years in 51 Hirschsprung resections (about 5 per year; 6 % of all Hirschsprung cases), and in 92 children with chronic constipation (about 9 children per year; 2.3 % incidence). Up to their fourth year of life, most children with isolated IND can be treated conservatively. This is due to the delayed maturation of the enteric nervous system which is characteristic of IND B. Only children who showed an additional hypoplastic hypoganglionosis were treated surgically. Children with Hirschsprung's disease (HD) and IND B proximal to the aganglionosis often showed, in those cases with a disseminated IND, postoperative disturbances in intestinal motility. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of IND B requires that biopsies are taken proximal to the ampulla recti (about 8-10 cm above the dentate line) with a sufficient amount of submucosa. The biopsies must be cut rectangular to the surface of the mucosa. A diagnosis of IND B can be made only if, in the submucosa of 30 serial sections, 15-20 % of all ganglia are giant ganglia with more than eight nerve cells. Ganglioneuromatosis (MEN2B) must be clearly differentiated from IND. The clinical course of IND B depends on the extent of disturbed bowel innervation, the severity of motility failure, and the coexistence of MH. The conservative management of isolated IND is possible in most children. In individual cases, however, a transient enterostomy or a segmental resection is unavoidable.

Long-term results of Rehbein's procedure: a retrospective study in German-speaking countries.

AIM: In contrast to other countries, no collective study of Rehbein's procedure in German-speaking nations has been performed. Therefore, our intention was, analogously to Goto and Ikeda's (10) Japanese study in 1984, Kleinhaus's (13) study on Swenson's procedure in 1979, Bourdelat's (2) French-Canadian investigation into Duhamel's technique in 1997 and Martuciello's (11) and Teitelbaum's (16) follow-up in the year 2000, to perform a follow-up study of Rehbein's technique of deep anterior resection. METHODS: The data of 200 patients from 22 German-speaking centers in Switzerland, Austria and Germany were collected. These data were gathered by questionnaire and the children were followed up in the individual participating hospitals for at least 3.5 years after the procedure. The procedure was performed between 1993 and 1997, over a 5-year period. The questionnaire contained 74 items including anamnestic data, diagnostic postoperative treatment and reoperations. RESULTS: Concerning the incidence of anastomotic leaks and resolving anastomotic strictures there was no significant difference between the results in our series and those of the collective analyses made by Hofmann von Kap-herr (7), Holschneider (9) and Sherman (18). In 6.6 % of the 191 patients an anastomotic leak and in 9.9 % a rectal stricture, which had to be dilated, was observed. Concerning late complications, 22.8 % of the children suffered from constipation, 4.3 % from encopresis, 10.6 % from enterocolitis and only 0.5 % from enuresis. The frequency of constipation diminishes over the years. A comparison of the different large series in the literature clearly shows that the incidence of constipation is higher after Rehbein's procedure and the frequency of urinary incontinence and encopresis higher following Swenson's, Soave's and Duhamel's techniques. The incidence of enterocolitis is less after Rehbein's procedure than after Swenson's, Soave's and Duhamel's techniques. CONCLUSIONS: The different results in the literature are due to the individual experience of the author, the very different follow-up methods and the date of follow-up. Therefore, the different results are hard to compare with our study. Nevertheless, Rehbein's anterior resection still could be presented as an adequate and important method to treat Hirschsprung's disease.

Elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) in the adolescent patient-perils, pearls, and pitfalls.

PURPOSE: Elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) has become the treatment of choice for diaphyseal long-bone fractures in children. This paper reviews the complications and limitations of this method which can occur when applying this osteosynthesis to patients within the adolescent age group. METHODS: Each topographic site where ESIN is used was analyzed individually and systematically. Technical errors, indicational problems, and mistakes during the rehabilitation process are pointed out and recommendations are given on how to avoid failure. RESULTS: ESIN can be safe and efficacious within certain limits also in the adolescent age group. Whenever errors and mistakes occur in combination, e.g., applying ESIN to a patient with a multi-fragmented fracture and a high body mass index (BMI), the adolescent age group is less forgiving to indicational "stretching" than the pediatric age group. CONCLUSIONS: The best prophylaxis for failure of ESIN is a stable and symmetric construct with correctly sized implants. This holds even more true for the adolescent patient. Using ESIN in difficult situations such as longitudinally unstable fractures, patients with a body weight >50 kg, or away from the diaphysis should be considered and followed up carefully. If possible, these patients should be treated in specialized pediatric trauma centers.

Implant removal in children.

PURPOSE: Implant removal in children is still a standard procedure. Implants may disturb function, and some theoretical long-term risks like growth disturbance, foreign body reaction, chronic infection and corrosion are used as arguments for removal. Implant migration or interference with any other orthopaedic treatment over the later course of life is also a matter of debate. On the other hand, the difficulty in removing single implants as well as possible perioperative complications has induced discussion about the retention of implants in childhood. METHODS: The current procedures are exposed and the available literature on implant removal in children reviewed. RESULTS: Actually, a clear recommendation does not exist. The current line of action still includes routine removal, as it is preferred by some authors, whereas others argue for a selective procedure. K-wires as well as intramedullary nails are usually removed because the ends may interfere with the surrounding tissue. Screws and plates can be retained if there are no local problems. The removal of external fixators is non-controversial. CONCLUSIONS: Benefits have to outweigh the risks and complications in the individual case and the procedure should not require a more extensive procedure than insertion. It has to be an individual decision in view of the lack of evidence to support routine removal as well as to refute it.