Removal of Ingested Magnetic Bodies via Laparoscopic Appendectomy.

Ingestion of a foreign body is a frequent diagnosis in the pediatric population. In a small percentage of cases, foreign bodies themselves are strong magnets, and swallowing of multiple magnetic bodies can lead to serious complications in the gastrointestinal tract. Two consecutive case reports of patients who swallowed two magnetic beads are presented. In both cases, the abdominal radiograph described two magnets in contact, one in the area of the left hypochondrium and one in the right hypogastrium. Attempts of endoscopic localization and removal were unsuccessful. Due to the failure of magnet progression, laparoscopic revision of the abdominal cavity was indicated in both patients on the 25th and 4th day after swallowing. Using the magnetic forces between the magnets and the laparoscopic instruments, the foreign bodies were localized in the appendix of the first patient and in the cecum of the other one. The magnets were extracted together with the removal of the appendix in both patients. This is one of the first articles describing the successful extraction of foreign magnetic bodies from the gastrointestinal tract via laparoscopic appendectomy.

Cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis in children; risk factors for development.

PURPOSE: To compare anthropometric data (body mass index [BMI]) in patients without lithiasis to patients with symptomatic simple cholelithiasis or choledocholithiasis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data from 147 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy between 2001-2015. Complete growth data from 98 patients was compared with anthropometric data from the population of the Czech Republic and a control group (BMI of 100 consecutive patients without biliary stones in abdominal ultrasound who were admitted to a surgical department for suspected appendicitis). RESULTS: The BMI of 75 children with simple cholelithiasis and 23 with choledocholithiasis was compared to the standard Czech pediatric population and to the control group. The median age (simple cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis) was 16 years, and 35 patients (24%) had a family history of gallstones. Types of lithiasis included multiple (n = 120), solitary (n = 11), and sludge (n = 10). Five cases had polyps and one had gallbladder dysplasia. Patients with simple cholelithiasis had significantly higher BMI compared to the control group without cholelithiasis (p<0.0001) and the standard Czech population (p = 0.03). Patients with choledocholithiasis had a mean BMI significantly higher than that of the general population (p = 0.001) and the control group (p = 0.0001). Patients with choledocholithiasis had significantly higher BMI than those with simple cholelithiasis (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Patients with cholelithiasis had significantly higher BMI than the general population, and patients with choledocholithiasis had significantly higher BMI than patients with simple lithiasis. Elevated BMI is a risk factor for developing choledocholithiasis. ERCP and early laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with choledocholithiasis offer equivalent outcomes in patients with simple cholelithiasis.

Urinary tract infections in pediatric renal transplant recipients--a two center risk factors study.

UTI are common in renal Tx recipients and may significantly impact on the graft function. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, and significance of UTI in Tx children. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of 76 Tx patients, median age at Tx was 13.4 yr. Twenty-one of 76 (28%) patients developed at least one UTI during the mean follow-up time of 3.3 +/- 2.0 yr post-Tx. The first UTI occurred at a median of 160 days post-Tx. The RR of having UTI was significantly higher in patients with the primary diagnosis of obstructive uropathy (RR = 2.6, 95th CI = 1.1-6.0, p = 0.032), history of PN pre Tx (RR = 2.7, 95th CI = 1.3-5.4, p = 0.009) and pre Tx VUR (RR = 2.2, 95th CI = 1.1-4.5, p = 0.045). These three factors also significantly decreased the infection-free survival time to the first UTI. Most UTI caused reversible acute allograft dysfunction, but the long-term graft function could not be reliably assessed with SCr. In conclusion, UTI occurred in 28% of pediatric Tx recipients, mostly during the first year post-Tx despite antibiotic prophylaxis. The diagnosis of obstructive uropathy, history of UTI and VUR prior to Tx were significant risk factors.