Transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy in children: is it worth it?

Introduction: Transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy (TULAA) is the technique of choice for all types of appendicitis in our Department. It combines the advantages of laparoscopy (global vision and minimally invasion) and open surgery (lower cost). The objective was to assess the results of our TULAA series and compare them to the results of standard laparoscopic appendectomies (SLA) performed during the same period.

[Slipping rib syndrome. An aggressive but effective treatment].

Slipping rib syndrome (SRS) is an unusual cause of recurrent chest or abdominal pain in children. The diagnosis is elusive, including gastroenterological, cardiac, respiratory, infectious and chest or abdominal muscular pathologies. Two paediatric patients were diagnosed with SRS, both of them were female teenagers with a similar clinical pattern: crippling unilateral chest pain without a traumatic event.

[Evaluation and efficacy of preventive measures in intrapartum bleeding].

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy, applicability and safety of two recently introduced preventive-restrictive measures on the use of episiotomy and active management of the third stage of labour, in order to reduce puerperal bleeding results.

Material And Method: Cohort study of a prospective series of 1098 women who gave birth in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the La Mancha General Hospital. Data were collected in two phases (1st phase, before applying the measures: 591; 2nd phase, after: 507).

[Correction of recurrent pectus excavatum post-Ravitch with the Nuss technique].

Introduction: For one decade, the minimally invasive technique (MIRPE) of Nuss has been used in our Service as the elective technique for correction of Pectus Excavatum. If recurrences occur in patients that underwent open surgery, a new surgery of the same characteristics entails important technical problems, long surgical times and poor outcome. For this reason, we think that one specific indication for the MIRPE technique may be this type of patients.

An intra-thyroid thyroglossal duct cyst.

Thyroglossal duct cysts can be found in several different locations, although intra-thyroid presentations are rare. We present the case of an 11-year-old patient with a visible neck mass on the right thyroid lobe. On sonogram, it was consistent with a unilocular cyst measuring 2 centimeters in diameter.

[Programmed surgery for acute appendicitis].

Non-complicated appendicitis surgery is still considered to be an emergency, although it has been observed that a reasonable therapeutic delay (up to 18 hours) does not imply a higher number of complications. In our department, surgery is programmed for those non-complicated appendicitis, thus avoiding duty staff (surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurses, assistants) to operate during late night. Acute appendicitis records from august 2001 to december 2002 were reviewed.

[Ultrasonography for surgical pathology discrimination in acute abdominal pain. Prospective study].

Abdominal ultrasonographic study is a part of the acute abdominal pain diagnosis protocol in our hospital. As an internal quality assessment, we performed a six-month prospective study, including those patients who meet one of these requirements: 1st the reason for attendance being non-traumatic abdominal pain 2nd an abdominal ultrasonography achieved at the hospital. Collected data included: demographic characteristics, presenting sign and symptoms, test results, ultrasonography, final diagnosis and treatment.

[Caudal epidural anesthesia in pyloromyotomy in infants: our experience].

The aim of this work is to introduce an alternative to ordinary anaesthetic with tracheal intubation for the surgery of pyloric stenosis. We argue in favour of this alternative that it can be achieved with relative ease if the technique of caudal epidural is well known, a better control of peri and post-operative analgesia without the need of opiates, and that this technique obviates orotracheal intubation and intermittent positive pressure ventilation. Based on our experience with 18 patients, we introduce the anaesthetic technique, the monitoring systems and the obtained results.

[Boix Ochoa's antireflux procedure returns patients to normalcy: 24 hour esophageal pH monitoring of 21 cases].

A great controversy exist concerning the surgical management of gastroesophageal reflux (GER). It is well known that Nissen procedure produces a hypercorrection of the gastroesophageal competency and often a "gas bloat syndrome". On the other hand, the Boix Ochoa's technique is more physiological but corrects GER allowing the persistence of a "radiological" reflux.

[Study of the esophageal function by prolonged intraluminal pH-metry in patients with gastroesophageal reflux and respiratory manifestations].

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) can be found in a high number of patients with respiratory tract disease (RTD). In the present study a 24 hours esophageal pH monitoring was performed in 55 children. 15 of them were normal controls, 16 patients with GER but normal score, 14 patients with GER and RTD and 9 patients with GER and only digestive symptoms.

[Neonatal appendicitis. Presentation of three cases (author's transl)].

Authors present three patients with acute appendicitis developed during the first month of life. Up to 1975 they found only 106 cases described in the Spanish, French and English literature. The rarity of this pathology together with extreme difficulty in clinical and radiological diagnosis, usually produces a delay of treatment with logical increase of mortality.