Pancreatic pseudocyst in children: the impact of management strategies on outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Persistent pancreatic pseudocysts (PPs) are rare in childhood and management tends to be individualized. The purpose of this review is to determine the impact of different management strategies and to analyze their effects on patient outcomes. METHODS: An institutional review board-approved retrospective chart review was performed on children younger than 18 years who had PP diagnosed between January 1976 and December 2003. RESULTS: There were 24 patients, 13 male and 11 female, with a mean age 10.7 years (range, 2-17 years). The mean PP size was 5.8 cm (range, 1.7-20 cm). Posttraumatic pseudocysts were identified in 11 children. The etiologies of 13 nontraumatic PP were idiopathic (6), familial pancreatitis (4), drug-induced (1), cholelithiasis (1), and bifid duct (1). All patients were symptomatic at diagnosis. Resolution of pseudocysts without operative intervention occurred in 7 (29%) of 24 patients. The mean time to operation for the remaining 17 children (71%) was 13.1 weeks (range, 6-36 weeks), with indications for intervention including persistent/recurrent abdominal pain (17), failure to thrive (9), infected PP (1), and ruptured PP (1). Surgical therapies for 13 of 17 patients consisted of cystogastrostomy (8), cystojejunostomy (2), longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy (2), and Frey's procedure (1). Four patients underwent pancreatic sphincterotomy and stenting, 2 of whom also had image-guided pseudocyst drainage. The intervention-related mortality and morbidity rates were 0% and 11%, respectively, for children undergoing surgical therapies. The morbidities included pancreatic leak (1) and wound infection (1). Etiology of the PP had a significant influence on the need for intervention (traumatic, 45%; nontraumatic, 92%; P = .02); however, patient age, size, and location of the PP had no significant effect. All 24 patients continued to do well at mean follow-up of 73.3 months (range, 6 weeks-25 years). One patient with idiopathic pancreatitis has since developed insulin-dependent diabetes. All 4 patients with familial pancreatitis had their chronic pain improved without long-term narcotic therapy. CONCLUSION: The treatment of PPs in children is dependent on etiology, where pseudocysts from nontraumatic etiologies are more likely to require and benefit from surgical interventions, whereas pseudocysts from traumatic etiology are more amenable to conservative management. For children with persistent symptoms or interval complication, surgical therapy is safe and effective.

Snowmobile injuries in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the risk factors and patterns of injury for children involved in snowmobile incidents. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of patients younger than 18 years who required hospital admission for snowmobile-related incidents from 1992 to 2001. Information obtained from these records and from the trauma database included patient demographics, mechanism of injury, injury patterns, medical care, and outcomes. RESULTS: Forty-three patients were admitted to our hospital for snowmobile-related incidents. Snowmobile incidents occurred most commonly in male adolescents. The 2 most common mechanisms of injury were ejection and striking a stationary object. Twenty-seven (63%) of the patients drove the snowmobile. Only 23 patients (53%) wore a helmet. At presentation, the mean +/- SEM Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 12.1 +/- 1.4. Orthopedic injuries predominated (n = 42); however, abdominal (n = 12) and head (n = 8) injuries were also common. Four patients were intubated, and 15 required intensive care unit admission. Twenty-nine patients (67%) required surgical intervention. The mean +/- SEM length of hospitalization was 6.7 +/- 1.4 days. No deaths occurred; however, 7 patients (16%) had long-term disabilities. A significant improvement occurred in both Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score and ISS for patients using a helmet. In addition, helmet use increased with age (P = .01). Days in the intensive care unit were proportional to both GCS score (r(s) = -0.47; P = .002) and ISS (r(s) = 0.6; P < .001). Length of hospitalization also correlated with both GCS score (r(s) = -0.03; P = .008) and ISS (r(s) = 0.54; P = .02). CONCLUSION: Snowmobiles are a significant source of multitrauma for children. Orthopedic injuries predominate, especially in older children, and can lead to long-term disabilities. Helmet use significantly reduces injuries; however, vulnerable younger patients do not frequently wear helmets.

Accidental burials in sand: a potentially fatal summertime hazard.

Accidental burial in sand is a tragically unrecognized risk associated with a popular childhood recreational activity. We describe 4 boys, aged 10 to 13 years, who were accidentally buried by sand. One boy died after his self-made tunnel in a sandbox collapsed. In a separate incident at a construction site, 1 boy died, and 2 were injured after a 30-foot sandpile collapsed as they ran down the embankment; all 3 were buried by the sand. In both incidents, play was unsupervised, and burial was sudden and complete. The calculated weight of the sand exceeded the expected maximal muscle effort of the chest, leading to traumatic asphyxiation secondary to restrictive compression of the chest. Only 15 accidental burials have been reported in the literature. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing children who died of respiratory asphyxia due to overwhelming thoracic compression after sand burial. Greater awareness by public health and safety officials at beaches, sandboxes, sandpiles, and natural play areas may prevent potentially lethal accidents.

Pediatric ileal pouch-anal anastomosis: functional outcomes and quality of life.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess and correlate functional outcomes and surgical results with health-related quality of life after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) in pediatric patients. METHODS: Functional outcome was determined by questionnaire and telephone interview. Surgical results were determined by retrospective chart review. RESULTS: Data were gathered from 26 patients (mean age at IPAA, 12 years; mean follow-up, 3.7 years). Diagnoses were ulcerative colitis in 18, indeterminate colitis in 4, and familial polyposis in 4. Indications for IPAA included intractability, medication toxicity, growth delay, and cancer prophylaxis. Short-term complications (5 patients; 19%) included partial small bowel obstruction, stomal revision, pouch abscess, and negative exploration. Long-term complications (8 patients; 31%) were chronic pouchitis and anal stricture. The average number of stools per 24 hours was 3.9. No incontinence was reported; dietary restrictions were negligible. Although there were minimal differences from population norms, parental anxiety remained high. Chronic pouchitis correlated negatively with physical summary score. Nocturnal stooling negatively affected psychosocial quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric IPAA resulted in excellent bowel health. Quality of life, physical function, mental health, and self-esteem were equivalent to those of healthy children. These data may help families and physicians make informed surgical decisions.