Pleural drainage vs video-assisted thoracoscopic debridement in children affected by pleural empyema.

BACKGROUND: Both thoracic drainage and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) are available treatment for pleural empyema in pediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study includes pediatric patients affected by pleural empyema treated from 2004 to 2021 at two Italian centers. Patients were divided in G1 (traditional approach) and G2 (VATS). Demographic and recovery data, laboratory tests, imaging, surgical findings, post-operative management and follow-up were analyzed. RESULTS: 70 patients with a mean age of 4.8 years were included; 12 (17.1%) in G1 and 58 (82.9%) in G2. Median surgical time was 45 min in G1, 90 in G2 (p < 0.05). Mean duration of thoracic drainage was 7.3 days in G1, 6.2 in G2 (p > 0.05). Patients became afebrile after a mean of 6.4 days G1, 3.9 in G2 (p < 0.05). Mean duration of antibiotic therapy was 27.8 days in G1, 25 in G2 (p < 0.05). Mean duration of postoperative hospital stay was 16 days in G1, 12.1 in G2 (p < 0.05). There were 4 cases (33.3%) of postoperative complications in G1, 17 (29.3%) in G2 (p > 0.05). 2 (16.7%) patients of G1 needed a redosurgery with VATS, 1 (1.7%) in G2. CONCLUSIONS: VATS is an effective and safe procedure in treatment of Pleural Empyema in children: it is associated to reduction of chest tube drainage, duration of fever, hospital stay, time of antibiotic therapy and recurrence rate.

Long Term Outcome of Infants with NEC.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an important complication for premature newborns. Infants who survive NEC have a greater possibility of poor long-term physiological and neurodevelopmental growth. The objective of this paper is to give a comprehensive description of the long-term consequences of NEC. Despite the rise in incidence of NEC there is a scarcity of data regarding long-term outcomes of these infants that can be divided into two groups. The first group includes gastrointestinal complications that could occur in relation to the bowel disease, the surgical treatment and quality of the residual bowel. These complications are strictures and short bowel syndrome (SBS). Intestinal strictures are a common occurance after recovery from NEC that should be investigated with a contrast study in case of suspicious clinical findings of bowel obstruction or before reversal ostomy. After this diagnostic investigation, if a stricture is detected in a symptomatic patient, resection of the affected loop of bowel with anastomosis is required. SBS is the result of a massive intestinal resection or of a dysfunctional residual bowel and it can occur in a fourth of patients affected by NEC. The second group includes neurodevelopmental impairment and growth. Neurodevelopmental outcomes of patients after NEC recovery have not been widely reported. Infants with NEC is a population of patients at high risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes whose cause can be multifactorial and linked to perinatal events, severity of disease, surgical treatment and its complications and hospitalization. Understanding the morbidity of NEC with a longterm follow-up would aid neonatologists and pediatric surgeons to make informed decisions in providing care for these patients. Further research on this topic is needed.

Multicenter retrospective study on management and outcome of newborns affected by surgical necrotizing enterocolitis.

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common surgical emergency in newborns and it is still a leading cause of death despite the improvements reached in the management of the critically ill neonate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate risk factors, surgical treatments and outcome of surgical NEC. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated a multicentric group of 184 patients with surgical NEC over a period of 5 years (2008-2012). Indications to operation were modified NEC Bell stages IIIA or IIIB. The main outcome was measured in terms of survival and postsurgical complications. RESULTS: Data on 184 patients who had a surgical NEC were collected. The majority of patients (153) had a primary laparotomy (83%); 10 patients had peritoneal drainage insertion alone (5%) and 21 patients had peritoneal drainage followed by laparotomy (12%). Overall mortality was 28%. Patients with lower gestational age (P=0.001), lower birth weight (P=0.001), more extensive intestinal involvement (P=0.002) and cardiac diseases (P=0.012) had a significantly higher incidence of mortality. There was no statistically significant association between free abdominal air on the X-ray and mortality (P=0.407). Mortality in the drainage group was 60%, in the laparotomy group and drainage followed by laparotomy group was of 23-24% (P=0.043). There was a high incidence of stenosis (28%) in the drainage group (P=0.002). On multivariable regression, lower birth weight, feeding, bradycardia-desaturation and extent of bowel involvement were independent predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Laparotomy was the most frequent method of treatment (83%). Primary laparotomy and drainage with laparotomy groups had similar mortalities (23-24%), while the drainage alone treatment cohort was associated with the highest mortality (60%) with statistical value (P=0.043). Consequently laparotomy is highly protective in terms of survival rate. Stenosis seemed to be statistically associated with drainage. These findings could discourage the use of peritoneal drainage versus a primary laparotomy whenever the clinical conditions of patients allow this procedure.

Successful thoracoscopic resection of pulmonary metastasis less than 1 cm in size utilizing preoperative CT-guided wire localization.

Preoperative computer tomography (CT) guidance localization utilizing a percutaneous guidewire before thoracoscopic resection is safe and beneficial in children with pulmonary nodules less than 1 cm in size or located deep in the pleural surface. This paper describes a successful thoracoscopic resection of a little subpleural pulmonary metastasis of a Wilm's tumor in a 5-year-old child utilizing preoperative CT-guided wire localization of the lesion. The thoracoscopic procedure was performed with the use of two ports, the nodule was easily localized,and the pulmonary wedge resection was made by the use of an endo-GIA linear stapling device after guidewire removal. The operating time was 45 minutes and the chest tube was removed after 48 hours. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the child was discharged on postoperative day 5. This technique allows the surgeon to resect little pulmonary nodules, avoiding the need of more invasive procedures as standard thoracotomy without adjunctive morbidity and with good cosmetic results.

Congenital bilateral mid-ureteral stricture: a unique case.

Congenital mid-ureteral stenosis is a very rare entity which typically occurs on one side. This condition is usually misdiagnosed as hydronephrosis or megaureter, and only after surgery is the correct diagnosis made. We report the case of a bilateral mid-ureteral stenosis. No other cases of bilateral strictures have been found in the literature.

Laparoscopically assisted anorectal pull-through for high imperforate anus: three years' experience.

PURPOSE: We describe our three-year experience with the laparoscopically assisted anorectal pullthrough for high imperforate anus using laparoscopic muscle electrostimulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2001 to January 2004, 7 patients with a diagnosis of high anorectal malformation underwent laparoscopically assisted anorectal pull-through. The patients, all males aged from 4 to 9 months (mean age, 5.8 months), presented with a rectourethral fistula. The associated malformations noted were sacral malformation, laryngeal stenosis, urethral duplication, multicystic kidney, nonpalpable testis, and esophageal atresia. All patients were treated with a colostomy in the newborn period followed by a delayed laparoscopically assisted anorectal pullthrough. Laparoscopy included stimulation of the puborectal muscle, using a modified Peña electrostimulator introduced through a trocar. All patients underwent a postoperative period of anal dilatation. RESULTS: In 6 cases the laparoscopically assisted anorectal pull-through was successful; there was 1 conversion to the open technique, due to strong tension from the colostomy. CONCLUSION: Although longer follow-up to evaluate continence is to come, laparoscopically assisted anorectal pull-through should be considered for the correction of the high imperforate anus and, according to our experience, it represents the gold standard. It offers the advantage of good visualization of the fistula and the surrounding structures and minimally invasive abdominal and perineal wounds. With the laparoscopic Peña stimulator the direct observation of the contraction of the puborectalis sling allows an evaluation of the functional contractility and an accurate colonic pullthrough in the center of the muscle complex.