Wound healing in the fetal period: the resistance of the scar to rupture.

Wound healing in the fetal period is fundamentally different from that of the adult. In order to better understand this difference, we have studied wound healing in three types of wounds which are the most common in surgical practice, and have paid special attention to tensile strength in the scar. A sutured wound, a nonsutured wound, and an electrocautery burn were performed on a group of 30 rabbit fetuses with a gestational age of 23 days.

Gastroschisis in the partially extraamniotic fetus: experimental study.

The short, thick, matted bowel, often found in gastroschisis, has been attributed to a variety of factors. We designed an original animal model in order to isolate the effect of amniotic fluid on the fetal bowel. We created experimental gastroschisis in fetal rabbits.

Esophageal stenosis following Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Treatment with balloon dilation.

A 5-year-old girl with Stevens-Johnson syndrome developed progressive dysphagia secondary to esophageal stenosis. The authors resolved this by treating the patient with balloon dilatation. She has remained symptom-free for 10 months post-treatment.

Treatment of an enteric fistula with somatostatin in a premature.

The authors present the case of an extremely premature baby affected by severe Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) needing intestinal resection and ileostomy. An enteric fistula developed 3 days after ostomy closure. The baby was started on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), and 7 days later the fistula output remained constant.

[Cervical neuroblastoma in a newborn infant].

A case of cervical neuroblastoma is presented. It was treated by surgical resection followed by homolateral node dissection. No chemotherapy or radiotherapy was done, and patient is free of disease at the present time.