Spontaneous gastric perforation in a 3 year old male child – A case report

spontaneous gastric perforation in paediatric patients beyond the neonatal age is seldom to seen by paediatric surgeon. Therefore we are sharing this case with enlisting the previously reported similar cases in English literature. a three year old male child presented with abdominal distension and hypovolemic shock. Free gas under diaphragm was explained the perforation and exploration confirm the gastric perforation. spontaneous gastric perforation is extremely rare in paediatric age group beyond the neonatal age group, but incidence probability is always there. So, each laparotomy needed exploration of stomach also.

Surgeon Performed Ultrasound for Diagnosis of Intussusception - A Pilot Study

Aim: To study the diagnostic accuracy of surgeon performed ultrasound (SPU) in the diagnosis of children presenting with clinical suspicion of intussusception to a tertiary paediatric facility in NSW, Australia. Methods: Children under the age of 16 presenting to the emergency department with clinical features suggestive of intussusception were recruited. After obtaining consent SPU was performed by a Paediatric surgeon. All patients subsequently had an ultrasound performed in radiology department (RPU) on which management was based. Diagnosis and images of SPU were reviewed by an independent radiologist blinded to results of the formal study. Results: Of 7 children enrolled 5 were male. Age ranged from 3 months to 7 years (mean 2.64, SD 2.282), weight from 5.2kgs to 25.2kgs (mean 13.69, SD 6.721). Five out of the 7 children presented during day hours i.e. 8a.m.-5 p.m. (mean 12.72, SD 4.049). Mean time to SPU was 6.3 hours (SD7.1) and RPU was 8.3 hours (SD 7.6). SPU was earlier by 2 hours and correlation between SPU and RPU was 100 percent. Conclusion: SPU for intussusception can be performed early and accurately. Surgeons should train and use ultrasound as a reliable tool in evaluating the child with suspected intussusception.

Ultrasound guided hydrostatic enema reduction of acute intussusception: guidelines in therapy and review of the institutional experience

Background: In this review, author analyzed the cases of Acute Intussusception that underwent Ultrasound guided hydrostatic reduction during a one-year period. Author reviewed this treatment protocol and guidelines of non-operative and surgical therapy. The procedure followed and guidelines of therapy were reviewed and are detailed in the study.Methods: Retrospective analysis of the hospital data of all patients who were treated for acute Intussusception during the period of January 2017 to December 2017 was done. All records including admission data, investigations, procedure records, preoperative details and operation notes, where applicable, post procedure recovery data and incidence of recurrence were studied. Inclusion criteria included confirmed sonological diagnosis of Intussusception verified by the treating paediatric surgeon, availability of all necessary records and absence of other co-morbidities. Exclusion criteria included age more than 2 years, children who had other major systemic disease, doubtful sonological diagnosis and postoperative intussusception. The paediatric surgeon himself performed the procedure in the dedicated ultrasound suite.Results: The study was done in the mother and child wing of a medical college which is a tertiary referral centre catering to more than 200 cases of Intussusception per year. The records of 194 cases of Intussusception were available for analysis, of which only 176 could be included in the study. The age group included is 3 months to 3 years. The mean age was 11 months. The sex incidence was 94 cases in males and 82 in females.Conclusions: Ultrasound guided hydrostatic reduction is a safe, effective and convenient modality for treatment of acute Intussusception, which can be performed by the treating Paediatric surgeon himself with requisite training and exposure.

The approach to a neonate with suspected intestinal obstruction: the pediatric surgical perspective

In this article, the possible pitfalls while evaluating a new-born with intestinal obstruction are reviewed and a diagnostic algorithm is proposed. The difficulties include the finding of an otherwise well child in most of the surgical problems and the fact that many signs are subtle. The diagnosis of distal bowel obstruction rests on proper radiological interpretation. The new-born with features of intestinal obstruction poses a diagnostic challenge to the neonatologist and paediatric surgeon. But, the systematic interpretation of history, physical examination, radiograph and contrast imaging in select cases will enable a proper and timely diagnosis.

What are the responsible risk factors for delay in diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children? Eleven-year research from a single institution

Introduction: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 602 children operated on for acute appendicitis (AA) in our department between 1/2007 and 12/2017. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify factors that are related to a delay in diagnosing AA in children. Furthermore, we’d like to strengthen our previous preliminary results by a) adding gender as a new factor and b) studying a much larger population. Materials and methods: The time that elapsed from the onset of symptoms to the surgical intervention was associated with gender, age, obesity, use of antibiotics prior to diagnosis, and the initial examination by a paediatric surgeon or another physician. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression method (backward method) was applied. Results: The diagnosis of AA was delayed by at least 48 hours in 287 patients (group A, 47.7%) and was made within 48 hours in 315 patients (group B, 52.3%). In multivariate model we noticed that boys who were examined by a paediatric surgeon and didn’t take antibiotics had decreased odds of having length of diagnostic period >48 hours, girls who received antibiotics compared to girls who do not use antibiotics are almost 12 times more likely to have length of diagnostic period >48 hours, the very young age has а main effect оn the diagnostic delay and girls who have been examined by other physician compared to females who have been examined by paediatric surgeon have decreased odds of having length of diagnostic period >48 hours. Conclusions: Therefore, physicians examining children with abdominal pain must keep in mind the multiple causes of diagnostic delay that may exist alone or in combination, and which can lead to serious complications and lengthen the hospital stay. Performing repeated examinations and asking for advice from a specialist specifically for children who are a special category of patients, in areas where it is rather impossible to use imaging techniques, could be the key to correctly diagnosing and treating AA.