Comparison between late-presenting and isolated neonatal congenital diaphragmatic hernias.

PURPOSE: Late-presenting posterolateral congenital diaphragmatic hernias (CDH) are anatomically similar to isolated neonatal CDH but are diagnosed and treated after the first month of life. We aim to characterise the clinical manifestations and short-term postoperative course of this entity and compare it with isolated CDH of the neonatal period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the 30-year period from 1980 to 2010, 116 children with CDH were treated at the Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece. Twenty-three (19%) of these children were late-presenting cases, being diagnosed between the ages of 1 month and 4 years. Ninety-three were neonatal cases, of whom 22 (24%) were excluded due to severe associated anomalies, leaving 71 cases of isolated neonatal CDH. We compared these two groups of patients with regard to preoperative symptoms, postoperative hospital stay, time to complete feeding, overall complication rate, and reoperation rate. RESULTS: Isolated neonatal cases presented more often with acute respiratory symptoms (n=25; P= 0.016) and failure to thrive (n= 38; P= 0.03). Late-presenting cases presented more often with chronic respiratory symptoms (n=14;P= 0.0044) or gastrointestinal symptoms (n=12; P= 0.006). Thirty-five cases with minor or serious complications were reported in the neonatal group, whereas only five complications were observed in the late-presenting group (P= 0.028). We did not record any recurrences or reoperations in the late-presenting group, but we had two recurrences and three reoperations in the neonatal group. Time to full feeds and postoperative hospital stay was shorter in the late-presenting group. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate differences between the two groups in preoperative symptoms and short-term postoperative complications and short-term outcome. Late-presenting cases of CDH had a greater number of chronic symptoms preoperatively, more favorable postoperative outcomes, and less recurrences and reoperations.

Pilomatricoma in childhood: a retrospective study from three European paediatric centres.

UNLABELLED: Pilomatricoma is characterised as a common, slowly growing benign cutaneous tumour that appears generally within the first decades of life. The clinical diagnosis is frequently missed, especially by the paediatrician unfamiliar with these tumours. We present the experience gained in three European tertiary care paediatric centres with the treatment of pilomatricoma and also current data on the aetiology, clinical presentation and management. A retrospective study was carried out in 83 patients suspected for pilomatricoma during a 7-year period (1996-2002) at the departments of Paediatric Surgery of the Children's University Hospital "Federico II", Naples, Hospital "San Bortolo", Vicenza and "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens. The age range was from 10 months to 17 years, median age 8 years. All patients were treated by surgical excision and all specimens were examined by histopathological assessment. The follow-up varied from 5 months to 6 years. The correct diagnosis was made preoperatively in 68 patients (82%). The female/male ratio was 2:1. The sites of occurrence were the head (47.5%), especially in the periorbital region, the neck (9%), the upper limbs (35.5%), the inferior limbs (4%) and the thorax (4%). Each patient exhibited a single pilomatricoma except for two patients who had multiple lesions (2.4%). One of them had Steinert disease (myotonic dystrophy). No recurrences were observed during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Pilomatricoma is one of the most common cutaneous adnexal neoplasms in children. Surgical excision including clear margins and its overlying skin in most cases is the treatment of choice. The recurrence as well as malignant evolution is rare.