Long-term functional and quality-of-life outcomes after IPAA in children.

Background: The impact of IPAA on long-term outcomes in adults is favorable. Studies on functional outcome and quality of life in children are sparse.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional and quality-of-life outcomes after IPAA in children and to investigate the possible correlations between the two.

Experimental repair of tracheal defects using a new biodegradable membrane.

Background: The increasing number of newborns requiring intubation and artificial ventilation in the sophisticated premature and intensive care units of recent years has been followed by a concomitant increase in the number of children who develop tracheal stenosis as a sequela of prolonged intubation, with a consequent increasing need for tracheal surgical repair. This study was designed to evaluate the ability of a new tissue-engineered biodegradable membrane to tightly seal significant tracheal defects.

Materials And Methods: A surgically induced tracheal defect of 10 x 5 mm was repaired in rabbits using the NVR-7 membrane--a cross-linked copolymer derived from a dextran sulphate gelatin construct.

Treatment of airway obstruction by metallic stents in infants and children.

Objective: The internal metallic stent is a relatively new and controversial method for the treatment of airway collapse in infants and children. The study examined the outcomes of this treatment in a large group of patients and defined clear indications for airway stenting.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 32 patients in whom 42 stents were inserted.

Tracheal reaction to three different intraluminal stents in an animal model of tracheomalacia.

Three different internal airway stents were studied in an animal model of tracheomalacia: the Palmaz stent (Johnson & Johnson, Warren, New Jersey) and the NIR stent (Medinol Ltd., Tel Aviv, Israel)--both made of stainless steel in the form of tubular mesh--and the Nitinol stent, made of nickel-titanium formed into a spiral shape. All three stents could be adequately stabilized in the malacic tracheal segment.