Progressive reduction of hospital length of stay following minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum: A retrospective comparison of three analgesia modalities, the role of addressing patient anxiety, and reframing patient expectations.

Purpose: Management of postoperative pain is a significant challenge following the Nuss procedure. Epidurals, PCAs, and newer analgesia modalities have been used elsewhere without demonstrating consistent improvement in the reported length of hospital stays (LOS). We reviewed a large single surgeon experience identifying three different methods of analgesia used over time to highlight marked improvement in patient LOS.

Impact of central surgical review in a study of malignant germ cell tumors.

Background: Verification of surgical staging has received little attention in clinical oncology trials. Central surgical review was undertaken during a study of malignant pediatric germ cell tumors.

Methods: Children's Oncology Group study AGCT0132 included central surgical review during the study.

Surveillance after initial surgery for pediatric and adolescent girls with stage I ovarian germ cell tumors: report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Purpose: To determine whether overall survival (OS) can be preserved for patients with stage I pediatric malignant ovarian germ cell tumor (MOGCT) with an initial strategy of surveillance after surgical resection.

Patients And Methods: Between November 2003 and July 2011, girls age 0 to 16 years with stage I MOGCT were enrolled onto Children's Oncology Group study AGCT0132. Required histology included yolk sac, embryonal carcinoma, or choriocarcinoma.

Schwannoma of the diaphragm--a pediatric case report and review of the literature.

Diaphragmatic tumors are uncommon and difficult to diagnose in the pediatric population. Schwannoma is a benign, slow-growing peripheral nerve sheath tumor that is most commonly associated with the extremities in childhood. We herein report a schwannoma of the diaphragm in a pediatric patient and review the pediatric literature.

Do international rotations make surgical residents more resource-efficient? A preliminary study.

Objective: Interest in international surgery among general surgery residents in the United States has been shown in several publications. Several general surgery residency programs have reported their experiences with international surgery rotations (ISRs). Learning to use limited resources more efficiently is often cited as a benefit of such rotations.

Gastric duplication cyst: a unique presentation.

Duplications of the alimentary tract are rare and occur in 1 of 4500 births (Duplication of the stomach: report of a case and review of the English literature. Arch Surg 1961; 82:634-640). Gastric duplications constitute 8% of these or roughly 17 of every 1,000,000 births (Shew SB, Holcomb GW.

Primary thoracoscopic gross total resection of neuroblastoma.

Background: Thoracic neuroblastomas are generally less aggressive and have a better prognosis than those arising below the diaphragm. Our purpose was to study the safety and efficacy of thoracoscopic resection and to evaluate tumor data and patient outcomes.

Patients And Methods: We reviewed the records of patients who underwent primary thoracoscopic resection of neuroblastoma (NB) between 1998 and 2002.

Snowmobile injuries and fatalities in children.

Background/purpose: Snowmobiling is a popular form of wintertime recreation but can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. To better understand snowmobile trauma in children, medical records were reviewed, evaluating the relationships between demographic data, mechanisms, and resultant injuries. In addition, because prior studies of childhood snowmobile fatalities have reviewed only national databases, state and national data were combined to evaluate possible underreporting.