Congenital esophageal stenosis

Congenital esophageal stenosis CES is an uncommon anomaly that rarely goes undiagnosed until adulthood. We report 2 cases of CES. The first was a one-month-old baby boy who was referred for work up of swallowing disorder and recurrent pneumonias. The diagnosis was confirmed by a continuous fluoroscopic esophagogram, and endoscopic exploration. Simple dilatation resolved his symptoms completely. The second was an 18-month-old boy, who was referred with a feeding gastrostomy due to complete esophageal obstruction. Resection and end-to-end anastomosis was performed with uneventful postoperative course

Pleural flap for delayed presentation of intrathoracic esophageal perforation

The authors report 2 cases of large intrathoracic esophageal perforation, as a complication of foreign body in 2 boys, 4 and 9-years-old. The delay in diagnosis was more than 36 hours in both cases that were treated successfully by a large pleural flap. Postoperatively, solid oral feeding was initiated after 2 weeks. Although gastrostomy was not performed on both patients, in cases of large esophageal perforation, it is recommended to establish early feeding and prevent aggressive vomiting

Laparoscopic colectomy where do we stand?

Laparoscopy has changed our approach to surgery, instrumentation and training. The techniques are evolving for a wide range of surgical procedures outside the biliary tree. Currently available data suggests that laparoscopic colectomy can be completed safely in most cases. It is feasible and offers patient-related benefits similar to those described for other laparoscopic procedures. The advisability of performing laparoscopy for cure of colorectal malignancy has been challenged because the recurrence rates and overall cure rates remain unknown. Until prospective randomized trials resolve these issues neoplastic colon laparoscopic surgery must be the prerogative of selected and specialized centers