Ovarian lesions and tumors in infants and older children.

Objectives: Ovarian lesions are rare but frequent in children. Patients could present with abdominal pain, but ovarian lesions could also be incidentally found on ultrasound. Awareness is required in cases with acute, severe lower abdominal pain, as ovarian torsion could be the cause.

Differences in the Outcome of Colonic Atresia with and without Abdominal Wall Defects.

Introduction:  Colonic atresia (CA) is a very rare disease. Two entities of CA can be differentiated: primary CA and CA with abdominal wall defects (AWD). This study aimed to investigate the differences between these two entities, especially for long-term outcomes.

Prenatal Detection of Congenital Duodenal Obstruction-Impact on Postnatal Care.

Background: Duodenal obstruction is a rare cause of congenital bowel obstruction. Prenatal ultrasound could be suggestive of duodenal atresia if polyhydramnios and the double bubble sign are visible. Prenatal diagnosis should prompt respective prenatal care, including surgery.

Comparison of perioperative outcomes between laparoscopic and open partial splenectomy in children and adolescents.

Background: In order to avoid consequences of total splenectomy, partial splenectomy (PS) is increasingly reported. The purpose of this study was to compare perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic PS (LPS) and open PS (OPS) in children and adolescents.

Aim: To compare perioperative outcomes of patients with LPS and OPS.

Jejunoileal Atresia: A National Cohort Study.

Jejunoileal atresia (JIA) is a rare disease. We aimed to determine the overall incidence of this malformation and associated malformations in a national cohort. Furthermore, we compared the treatment results of this cohort with the current literature.

Epidemiology and One-Year Follow-Up of Neonates with CDH-Data from Health Insurance Claims in Germany.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a major congenital malformation with high mortality. Outcome data on larger unselected patient groups in Germany are unavailable as there is no registry for CDH. Therefore, routine data from the largest German health insurance fund were analyzed for the years 2009-2013.

Characterization of the pathoimmunology of necrotizing enterocolitis reveals novel therapeutic opportunities.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe, currently untreatable intestinal disease that predominantly affects preterm infants and is driven by poorly characterized inflammatory pathways. Here, human and murine NEC intestines exhibit an unexpected predominance of type 3/T17 polarization. In murine NEC, pro-inflammatory type 3 NKp46RORγtTbet innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) are 5-fold increased, whereas ILC1 and protective NKp46RORγt ILC3 are obliterated.

Cholinergic innervation and ganglion cell distribution in Hirschsprung's disease.

Background: The diagnostic gold standard of Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is based on the histopathological assessment of colorectal biopsies. Although data on cholinergic innervation and ganglion cell (GC) distribution exist, only few studies have examined these two key features together. We assessed the pattern of cholinergic innervation and the amount of GCs in colorectal specimens of 14 HD patients.

Comparison of outcomes between complete and incomplete congenital duodenal obstruction.

Background: Congenital duodenal obstruction (CDO) can be complete (CCDO) or incomplete (ICDO). To date there is no outcome analysis available that compares both subtypes.

Aim: To quantify and compare the association between CCDO and ICDO with outcome parameters.

Symptomatic Meckel's Diverticulum in Pediatric Patients-Case Reports and Systematic Review of the Literature.

Our aim was to highlight the characteristics of pediatric Meckel's diverticulum with a special focus on its complications. We report a group of seven patients with Meckel's diverticulum and its resection from the Department of Pediatric Surgery between 2012 and 2017. We reviewed all patient records, clinical presentation, and intraoperative findings.

Prospective international multicenter observational study of Novosyn® Quick for skin closures in adults and children (SKINNOQ).

Background: This clinical trial evaluated the performance of a newly released fast-absorbable braided synthetic suture (Novosyn® Quick) in adults and paediatric patients undergoing elective skin closures.

Methods: This was a prospective international multicentre observational study. Two centres enrolled 100 patients, of which 50 were adults (visceral surgery, France) and 50 were paediatric patients (paediatric surgery, Germany).

Complications of newborn enterostomies.

Aim: To evaluate the occurrence and severity of enterostomy complications in newborns suffering from different intestinal disorders.

Methods: A 10-year retrospective cohort study (2008-2017) investigated newborns that underwent enterostomy formation and reversal for different intestinal disorders. Only infants less than 28 d old at the time of enterostomy creation were included in the study (corrected age was applied in the cases of preterm neonates).

Laparoscopic versus open surgery for the repair of congenital duodenal obstructions in infants and children.

Background: Laparoscopic repair of congenital duodenal obstruction (LCDO) was described more than 15 years ago. However, studies comparing outcomes of LCDO with open repair (OCDO) are rare. Standardized assessments of complications using the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC) and the comprehensive complication index (CCI) are not available.

Radical Surgery Improves Survival in Patients with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma.

Background: Neuroblastoma (NBL) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. Despite a good overall prognosis in NBL patients, the outcome of children with stage 4 disease, even with multimodal intensive therapy, remains poor. The role of extended surgical resection of the primary tumor is in numerous studies controversial.

Tunneled central venous catheters in children with malignant and chronic diseases: A comparison of open vs. percutaneous implantation.

Purpose: Tunneled central venous catheters (tCVCs) are routinely used for long-term venous access in children with cancer and chronic diseases. They may be inserted by surgical venous cut-down or percutaneously. The aim of this study was to compare the operative times and intraoperative complications of both techniques.

Identification of intestinal ganglioneuromatosis leads to early diagnosis of MEN2B: role of rectal biopsy.

Background/purpose: Gastrointestinal symptoms are very common in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B (MEN2B) syndrome. Herein, we present a case of intestinal ganglioneuromatosis (IGN) in MEN2B syndrome and a systematic literature review with a special focus on gastrointestinal symptoms prior to the diagnosis of MEN2B.

Methods: Literature search was performed (years 1966-2015) using the "Pubmed" and "Scopus" databases.

Systematic review shows that pathological lead points are important and frequent in intussusception and are not limited to infants.

Unlabelled: Intussusception is the most clinically relevant cause of bowel obstruction in infancy and can be idiopathic or occur as a result of pathological lead points. The incidence of these pathological lead points varies from 0.3 to 20%, and they can be mucosal, intramural or extrinsic structures.

Hirschsprung Disease: Critical Evaluation of the Global Research Architecture Employing Scientometrics and Density-Equalizing Mapping.

 Hirschsprung disease (HD) is a congenital bowel innervation disorder that involves several clinical specialties. There is an increasing interest on the topic reflected by the number of annually published items. It is therefore difficult for a single scientist to survey all published items and to gauge their scientific importance or value.

Ultrasound-guided reduction of intussusception: a safe and effective method performed by pediatric surgeons.

Objectives: Ultrasound has developed as the method of choice for diagnosing intussusception. Ultrasound-guided enema reduction is the standard method for treating intussusception. This retrospective study evaluates the efficacy and safety of ultrasound in diagnosis and treatment of intussusception performed solely by pediatric surgeons.

Pediatric intestinal motility disorders.

Pediatric intestinal motility disorders affect many children and thus not only impose a significant impact on pediatric health care in general but also on the quality of life of the affected patient. Furthermore, some of these conditions might also have implications for adulthood. Pediatric intestinal motility disorders frequently present as chronic constipation in toddler age children.

Adenomyoma of the small intestine a rare pathological lead point for intussusception in an infant.

Introduction: Intussusception is a typical abdominal emergency in early childhood.

Case Description: We report a case of an infant in the typically affected age group with an intussusception triggered by a rare benign intramural intestinal adenomyoma as a pathological lead point. The infant had the typical symptoms of a recurrent idiopathic ileocolic intussusception.

Primary laparotomy is effective and safe in the treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis.

Introduction: There is ongoing controversy regarding the surgical treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in infants with extremely low birth weight (ELBW). We hypothesize that primary laparotomy is a safe and effective treatment for all infants with surgical NEC.

Methods: We retrospectively compared a group of ELBW infants (<1,000 g, group A, n = 39) with preterm infants (≥1,000 g, group B, n = 18) with surgical NEC during a 4-year period (10/2008-09/2012).

Interstitial cells of Cajal in the normal human gut and in Hirschsprung disease.

Hirschsprung disease (HD) is the most prevalent congenital gastrointestinal motility disorder. The pathogenesis of HD is defined as a functional intestinal obstruction resulting from a defect in the intrinsic innervation of the distal bowel. In addition to the enteric nervous system, the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) play an important role in the generation of coordinated gastrointestinal peristalsis.

Changes of smooth muscle contractile filaments in small bowel atresia.

Aim: To investigate morphological changes of intestinal smooth muscle contractile fibres in small bowel atresia patients.

Methods: Resected small bowel specimens from small bowel atresia patients (n = 12) were divided into three sections (proximal, atretic and distal). Standard histology hematoxylin-eosin staining and enzyme immunohistochemistry was performed to visualize smooth muscle contractile markers α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and desmin using conventional paraffin sections of the proximal and distal bowel.

Malignant ectomesenchymoma in children and adolescents: report from the Cooperative Weichteilsarkom Studiengruppe (CWS).

Background: Malignant ectomesenchymoma (MEM) is a soft tissue tumor with heterologous rhabdomyoblastic components believed to arise from pluripotent migratory neural crest cells. To date merely 50 cases have been published and the knowledge about the course of disease and optimal treatment is limited.

Methods: Six patients with MEM were registered 1996-2009.