Fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO) for congenital diaphragmatic hernia in Australia and New Zealand: are we willing, able, both or neither?

Aim: An estimated 140 pregnancies are diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in Australia and New Zealand each year, with these fetuses having a less than even chance of 1-year survival. Fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO) is a relatively new technique that offers a prenatal interventional strategy for selective cases of CDH. This is not routinely offered in Australia or New Zealand.

Serum metal levels after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum.

Background: Metal implants may wear and corrode, resulting in systemic dissemination of metallic debris that is measurable in serum. Concern exists regarding adverse health effects related to implant-derived debris. Minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) is a popular technique in which a stainless steel substernal bar is implanted to achieve deformity correction.

Fournier's gangrene in a child with congenital genitourinary anomalies.

Fournier's gangrene is a rare urologic emergency in childhood that requires prompt diagnosis to deliver definitive and supportive care. Host susceptibility risk factors differ between adult and pediatric age groups with affected children usually otherwise systemically healthy. We present a case of Fournier's gangrene in a 2-year-old, from a genitourinary source of sepsis secondary to previously unreported genitourinary anatomical anomalies of congenital buried penis and hypospadias.

Preoperative use of ultrasonography to localize an ingested foreign body.

We report a 9-year-old boy who had swallowed a small dressmaker's pin during an art & craft class. Confirmation of ingestion of the pin and its passage through the gut was achieved with abdominal radiography. When the pin had not passed after 8 days, and with increasing concern about the likelihood of perforation, US was used to locate its exact position to allow surgical removal.