Successful separation of the conjoined thecal sac with an epidermal cyst in pygopagus twins.

Pygopagus conjoined twins are very rare, and half of all pygopagus twins have other anomalies. This report describes the successful surgical separation of pygopagus twins who had a conjoined thecal sac and an epidermal cyst. Meticulous preoperative planning, development of a model simulator, multispecialty teamwork, and a staged surgery contributed to a successful outcome.

Clinical experience of managing empyema thoracic in children.

Data of 54 children with a diagnosis of thoracic empyema at a medical center in central Taiwan from January 1991 through April 2001 were analyzed. Their mean age was 4.4 years and the mean hospital stay was 13 days.

Synovial sarcoma of the mediastinum.

Synovial sarcomas are exceedingly rare neoplasms of the mediastinum. We herein report a case of synovial sarcoma occurring in the mediastinum of an 11-year-old boy. The patient presented with superior vena cava syndrome, and the tumor was found located in the upper superior mediastinum.