Neonatal gastric volvulus: another cause of “Mucousy Baby” with gasless abdomen.

Neonatal acute gastric volvulus is rare and often associated with diaphragmatic anomalies. Patients usually present with vomiting and respiratory distress, but excessive salivation, failure to pass a nasogastric tube beyond 20 cms and the presence of a space occupying thoracic lesion should also prompt a search for the entity. The authors describe a case presenting with these atypical findings and stress the importance of the plain radiograph chest to make a diagnosis.

Spontaneous fecal fistula in a neonate.

A 19-day-old male neonate was brought to us with a left upper quadrant abdominal wall defect through which bowel was prolapsing, with a double intussusception appearance typical of a patent omphalomesenteric duct. However, the history showed that the defect was not congenital, the child had a normal umbilicus, and at surgery the lesion was shown to be a mid jejunal perforation with prolapse of bowel along both the ascending and descending limbs. Histology revealed presence of inflammation and no heterotopic tissue. We believe this is the first ever report of such a fecal fistula and we speculate on the cause of this entity.

Lingual thyroid gland: clinical evaluation and management.

The authors present three illustrative cases of lingual thyroid gland in paediatric age group with a protocol for diagnosis and management of the condition. Elements in the diagnostic and therapeutic evaluation are outlined with attention to the clinical findings, laboratory tests and radiographic imaging studies employed in confirming the diagnosis and planning appropriate treatment. Presentations varied from swelling noticed on routine evaluation for upper respiratory tract infection in one, to dysphagia in the next and sore throat in the third patient. On examination they had swelling on the tongue just behind the circumvallate line. 99mTc thyroid scan confirmed the swelling as lingual thyroid with no thyroid tissue in the normal location. All three children had raised TSH levels and were put on suppressive L-thyroxine. At follow up patients are asymptomatic.

Osteosarcoma of the rib.

Primary osteosarcomas arising from the rib are very rare. The authors report an 11-year-old boy with a primary fibroblastic osteosarcoma of the rib, who underwent wide excision and reconstruction of the chest wall followed by chemotherapy. He is disease free after a follow up of 24 months. The relevant literature is reviewed briefly.

Surgical implications of snakebites.

OBJECTIVE: Snakebites are a common problem in the pediatric age group. Local complications such as necrosis and compartment syndrome threaten limb survival even after control of systemic manifestations. Few recommendations exist about the nature and timing of surgical treatment. METHODS: A retrospective review of all children with snakebites presenting to the hospital was undertaken over a 6-year period. Records were reviewed with special emphasis on the type of surgical lesions seen and the treatment offered and their results. RESULTS: 44 of the 58 children required some form of local therapy. In the majority conservative treatment was successful. 28% of the patients needed debridement for local necrosis, and only 5 needed a skin graft, with good functional results over a period of 1 to 45 days. One child underwent an above knee amputation. Patients who required surgical intervention received significantly more vials of antivenin. CONCLUSION: Local complications of snakebite are frequent, but can be managed conservatively. Delayed excision of the resultant local necrosis is associated with good outcomes. The need for fasciotomy is rare.

Oral tumors in newborn.

Tumors arising from the oral cavity in the newborn are rare. Congenital epulis and epignathus are the two lesions usually seen. They cause problems because of their position and size and have the potential to cause respiratory obstruction. These lesions must be diagnosed and excised early, as they have an excellent prognosis if treated properly. We describe two such patients, and provide a brief review of the literature to highlight the management strategy for these rare tumors.

Parahiatal hernia with gastric obstruction in a child.

Parahiatal hernia refers to herniation of abdominal viscera into the chest adjacent to an intact hiatus. Spontaneously occurring parahiatal herniae are extremely rare. We report a 4-year-old boy who presented with intermittent vomiting and had such a hernia, where the herniated stomach had undergone partial volvulus. He was symptom-free after surgical repair.

Spontaneous duodenal perforation in a newborn.

A full-term 4-day-old male baby presented with spontaneous duodenal perforation into the lesser sac. Exploration revealed a perforation in the posteromedial wall of the second portion of the duodenum. The perforation was closed and the baby recovered uneventfully.