Videothoracoscopic drainage for esophageal perforation with mediastinitis in children.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal perforation remains a devastating event that is difficult to diagnose and manage. The overall mortality associated with esophageal perforation can approach 20%, and delay in treatment of more than 24 hours after perforation can result in a doubling of mortality. The treatment option for esophageal perforation with mediastinitis is not very clear and still controversial. METHODS: Between April 2000 and March 2004, 6 males and 2 females, with ages ranging from 2 to 6 years (mean, 3.8 years), underwent videothoracoscopic drainage for esophageal perforation with mediastinitis. RESULTS: The mean hospital length of stay for patients in our series was 34.1 days (range, 14-47 days). There was no perioperative mortality. All patients were discharged from hospital without major sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive videothoracoscopic drainage is a feasible and effective method for esophageal perforation with mediastinitis in children.

A comparative study on the surgical stress between laparoscopic and open appende ctomy in children / 中国普通外科杂志

Objective To comparatively study the su rgical stress caused by laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) and open appendectomy(OA ) in children. MethodsSi xty-nine underwent LA and 91 did OA. Serum IL-6 and CRP levels were measured b efore and 12h post-op. Results The operative time was significantly shorter in laparoscopic group(33? 15min vs 45?9min, P