Thyroid surgery in 103 children in a single institution from 2000-2014.

BACKGROUND: Data on thyroid surgery in children are scarce. OBJECTIVE: Analyze outcome data on thyroid surgery in a pediatric population. DESIGN: Medical record review. SETTING: Tertiary health care institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We collected demographic and clinical data on patients 18 years or younger who had thyroid surgery in the period 2000 to 2014. Descriptive data are presented. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Indications for thyroidectomy, thyroid pathology, complications, length of stay, and radioactive iodine treatment and recurrences. SAMPLE SIZE: 103. RESULTS: Of 103 patients who underwent 112 thyroidectomy procedures, 80 (78%) were females and the mean age at operation was 13.2 years. and 17 (16%) were associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2. There was no history of radiation exposure. Eighty-one patients (78%) had fine needle aspiration (FNA) which correlated with the final histopathology in 94% of cases. Sixty-six patients (64%) had malignant cancer (61 papillary), 44 (74.6%) of 59 patients who had neck dissection had lymph node metastasis and 7 (11%) had distant metastases to the lung. Procedures included total thyroidectomy (50%), hemithyroidectomy (17%), completion (31%), and subtotal thyroidectomy (2%). Twenty-three patients (22%) developed hypocalcemia (3 permanent) and 6 (5.8%) had unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (3 permanent). Patients were followed up for a mean duration of 71.7 months (median 60 months). Of 66 patients with thyroid cancer, 43 (65%) received radioactive iodine, and 10 (15%) had recurrence. CONCLUSION: Malignancy is the commonest indication for thyroid surgery in children and FNA is highly diagnostic. Hypocalcemia and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury are significant complications. The recurrence rate in thyroid cancer is 15%. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

Outcome of loop versus divided colostomy in the management of anorectal malformations.

BACKGROUND: Colostomy is a common part of the management of high anorectal malformation (ARM) in the pediatric population. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the type of colostomy (loop vs divided) has an impact on outcome in patients with ARM. DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, a tertiary care center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients who were managed with colostomy for ARM and had definitive repair during the period of January 2000 to December 2014. Outcomes relative to the type of the colostomy were compared. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Morbidities associated with each type of colostomy. RESULTS: There were 104 patients managed for ARM with colostomy as staged procedures, 63 males and 41 females. Patients had a colostomy at a median age of 6 days and were closed at a median of 11 months. Definitive repair was at a median age of 17 months. Type of fistula was 8 perineal, 21 rectovestibular, 35 rectourethral, 11 rectovesical and there were 16 without fistula and 13 cloaca anomalies. There were 55 loop and 49 divided colostomies. There were 91 descending/sigmoid and 13 transverse colostomies. Operative time for loop colostomy closure was shorter than with divided colo6stomy (76 minutes vs 94 minutes, P=.002). Three patients among the divided group had reversed orientation of the colostomy that had affected bowel preparations negatively prior to its repair. There was no differences in complications of creation and closure of loop and divided colostomies except in occurrence of skin excoriation. There was more skin excoriation with divided colostomy compared to loop colostomy (17 vs 10, P=.04). CONCLUSIONS: Loop colostomy has a shorter closure operative time and relatively fewer complications compared to the divided colostomy. Our data suggests that loop colostomy may be more favorable than divided colostomy for ARM patients. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective nature of the study and some colostomies performed at other hospitals.