Transumbilical repair of umbilical hernia in children: The covert scar approach.

Background: Umbilical hernia repairs are one of the most commonly performed operations in children. The traditional repair involves an infraumbilical incision, which produces a visible scar. We report a novel technique of umbilical hernia repair through a transumbilical incision, which eliminates the scar by hiding it within the umbilicus.

Outcomes after peritoneal dialysis catheter placement.

Background: The purpose of this study was to review surgical outcomes after elective placement of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters in children with end-stage renal disease.

Methods: Children with PD catheters placed between February 2002 and July 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Outcomes were catheter life, late (>30days post-op) complications (catheter malfunction, catheter malposition, infection), and re-operation rates.

Routine gastrostomy tube placement in children: Does preoperative screening upper gastrointestinal contrast study alter the operative plan?

Background: Upper GI (UGI) studies are routinely ordered to screen for malrotation before routine placement of gastrostomy (G) tubes. However, the usefulness of this study is unknown.

Methods: A retrospective review of children with surgically placed G-tubes over a 2 year period (2011-2013) was performed.

Esophageal bronchus in an infant--a rare cause of recurrent pneumonia.

A 4-month-old female infant presented to our institute with recurrent pneumonia and was diagnosed with a right lower lobe esophageal bronchus. This congenital anomaly is extremely rare with very few cases reported in the literature. We describe the diagnostic workup and management that led to a successful outcome.

Modified laparoendoscopic gastrostomy tube (LEGT) placement.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report the outcomes of our modified LEGT technique.

Methods: Charts of 26 children who underwent modified LEGT technique between May 2008 and February 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Their age ranged from 7 days to 16 years.

Recurrent tracheoesophageal fistula after thoracoscopic repair: vanishing clips as a potential sign.

We present a case of a neonate who underwent surgery for esophageal atresia (EA) with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) with an unusual finding on postoperative chest radiographs. In retrospect, this was a clue to a recurrent TEF: disappearance of the surgical clips from the site of surgical repair. Knowledge of this radiographic finding could aid in the diagnosis of a recurrent fistula in patients with previous repair of EA.

Cervicothoracic neuroblastoma arising from the stellate ganglion in children: the use of muscle and bone sparing transmanubrial transcostal approach.

Cervicothoracic neuroblastoma arising from the stellate ganglion in children has always been a challenge to the pediatric surgeon. Localized thoracic neuroblastoma in children has a very good prognosis if excised completely even without adjuvant therapy. Several approaches have been described to resect cervicothoracic neuroblastoma arising from the stellate ganglion with limited success.