[Recommendations for the perinatal management and follow up of late preterm newborns]. / Recomendaciones para el manejo perinatal y seguimiento del recién nacido prematuro tardío.

Prematurity is the main reason for neonatal morbidity and mortality, and has become one of the greatest problems in public health, especially in developed countries. Prematurity rate has increased during the last 2 decades. This increase may be attributed to late preterm babies, that is, those with a gestational age between 34(+0) and 36(+6) weeks. Perinatal morbidities, as well as long term complications, are more frequent in this population than in term babies. The incidence is more similar to the one observed in earlier premature babies. The SEN34-36 group of the Spanish Society of Neonatology suggests these recommendations for the management of late preterm babies. Strategies are offered not only for the early detection of possible complications, but also for the correction of these morbidities, and from the point of view of a family and development centered care. Follow up is strongly recommended due to the high rate of late morbidities.

Idiopathic megacolon associated with oesophageal achalasia.

We report a rare case of achalasia coexistent with megacolon. The patient, a 25-year-old woman, presented at our hospital with a history of abdominal pain with distension, and was finally operated on for a megacolon. Five months later she presented symptoms of progressive dysphagia and heartburn. Oesophageal manometry of the upper and lower oesophageal sphincter and X-ray studies showed images compatible with achalasia. Oesophagomyotomy of the oesophagogastric junction (Heller procedure with Dor haemifundoplication technique) was performed. In the specimens taken for biopsy, neither pathology of the myenteric plexuses, nor atrophy of the muscle fibres was evident. Chagas' disease serological diagnosis for Trypanosoma cruzii, neurological disease, diabetes and all the pathological events related with neuromuscular disorders of the gastrointestinal tract proved negative. We believe that the pathological findings are related to a dysfunction of the physiological mediators of the upper and lower digestive tract motility. The present case is extraordinary and, to our knowledge, extremely rare. The association of the two pathological diseases is questionable, and the literature is reviewed.

[Splenic abscesses. Apropos of 3 new cases]. / Abcès spléniques. A propos de 3 nouveaux cas.

Splenic abscess remains a rare condition which is difficult to diagnose and is usually only an autopsy finding. However, it is a serious situation despite surgical treatment which is curative for most abscesses. The authors report 3 cases of single splenic abscess seen at random over a short period of 9 months. Urinary tract infection and diabetes as favoring factors, with a clinical picture of fever, pain in the left hypochondrium and leucocytosis led to additional investigations (CT scan and echotomography) confirming the diagnosis. Splenectomy with drainage of the splenic bed, as surgical treatment, was successful in all 3 cases.