Comparison of surgical results and technical performance between robotic and laparoscopic approaches for Kasai portoenterostomy in biliary atresia: a multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Many variables, including age at surgery, disease type, surgical approaches and perioperative management factors have been demonstrated to influence efficacy in BA infants, however, the effect of surgical performance remains unclear. The objective of this retrospective study was to compare the postoperative efficacy and surgical performance of robotic (RKPE) versus laparoscopic Kasai portoenterostomy (LKPE) for BA.

Methods: Between October 2018 and June 2023, 158 type III BA patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery (RKPE = 66, LKPE = 92) were included in this multicenter retrospective study.

Vascular anomalies of the limb and trunk in children: a retrospective comparative study of endoscopic surgery and open surgery.

Background: Endoscopic resection has been reported for vascular anomalies (VA) previously. However, there is no study comparing endoscopic resection surgery (ERS) with open resection surgery (ORS) in children. We aimed to compare clinical and cosmetic outcomes between two approaches in pediatric VA.

Inhibition of Notch3/Hey1 ameliorates peribiliary hypoxia by preventing hypertrophic hepatic arteriopathy in biliary atresia progression.

Emerging evidence indicates the presence of vascular abnormalities and ischemia in biliary atresia (BA), although specific mechanisms remain undefined. This study examined both human and experimental BA. Structural and hemodynamic features of hepatic arteries were investigated by Doppler ultrasound, indocyanine green angiography, microscopic histology, and invasive arterial pressure measurement.

Comparison of robotic versus thoracoscopic repair for congenital esophageal atresia: a propensity score matching analysis.

Background: Despite the rapid advancement of robotic surgery across various surgical domains, only cases of robotic repair (RR) for neonates with esophageal atresia (EA) have been reported. Comprehensive studies comparing RR and thoracoscopic repair (TR) are lacking. The authors aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of RR and TR for EA.

The interplay of common genetic variants NRG1 rs2439302 and RET rs2435357 increases the risk of developing Hirschsprung's disease.

As a congenital and genetically related disease, many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported to be associated with the risk of HSCR. Our previous research showed that SNP rs2439302 (NRG1) interacted with rs2435357 (RET) to increase the risk of HSCR development. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is still not well understood.

Robotic-assisted proctosigmoidectomy for Hirschsprung's disease: A multicenter prospective study.

Background: Robotic surgery is a cutting-edge minimally invasive technique that overcomes many shortcomings of laparoscopic techniques, yet few studies have evaluated the use of robotic surgery to treat Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR).

Aim: To analyze the feasibility and medium-term outcomes of robotic-assisted proctosigmoidectomy (RAPS) with sphincter- and nerve-sparing surgery in HSCR patients.

Methods: From July 2015 to January 2022, 156 rectosigmoid HSCR patients were enrolled in this multicenter prospective study.

Update on the Pathogenesis of the Hirschsprung-Associated Enterocolitis.

Despite the significant progress that has been made in terms of understanding the pathophysiology and risk factors of Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC), the morbidity rate has remained unsatisfactorily stable, and clinical management of the condition continues to be challenging. Therefore, in the present literature review, we summarized the up-to-date advances that have been made regarding basic research on the pathogenesis of HAEC. Original articles published between August 2013 and October 2022 were searched in a number of databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus.

Robotic-assisted Kasai portoenterostomy for biliary atresia.

Background: Robotic-assisted Kasai portoenterostomy (RAKPE) has been utilized to treat biliary atresia (BA). However, RAKPE is not widely performed and its efficacy remains unknown. We summarized the experience of RAKPE for BA and determined its efficacy.

Robotic approach for pediatric pulmonary resection: preliminary investigation and comparative study with thoracoscopic approach.

Background: Minimal invasive pulmonary resection in children is challenging, irrespective of whether it is conducted using a robot or a thoracoscope. This study presents the preliminary results of pediatric robotic pulmonary resection (RPR) and comparison outcomes with conventional thoracoscopic pulmonary resection (TPR).

Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted in patients underwent RPR (RPR group; n=30) and TPR (TPR group; n=44).

Robotic-assisted choledochal cyst excision with Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy in children: does age matter?

Background: Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) is being increasingly used in pediatric choledochal cysts (CCs), but is most commonly performed in older children and adolescents. The outcomes in young infants remain to be explored. The purpose of this study is to compare outcomes in infants aged ≤ 1 year with an older cohort.

Comparison of efficacy and safety of robotic surgery and laparoscopic surgery for choledochal cyst in children: a systematic review and proportional meta-analysis.

Background: Most commonly, cyst excision and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy reconstruction are the optimal treatment for choledochal cysts (CC). Robotic surgery (RS) is being conducted with increasing frequency to treat CC. It is unclear whether RS can overcome the limitations of laparoscopic surgery (LS) and improve the prognosis of patients.

Dynamic analysis of serum MMP-7 and its relationship with disease progression in biliary atresia: a multicenter prospective study.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the dynamic changing trend of serum matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) in biliary atresia (BA) patients from diagnosis to LTx to further elucidate its clinical value in diagnosis and prognoses and its relationship with disease progression.

Methods: In this multicentre prospective study, 440 cholestasis patients (direct bilirubin level of > 17 μmol/L) were enrolled. Serum MMP-7 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at diagnosis, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 6 weeks, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months and then every 6 months post-KPE.

Re-evaluation of Laparoscopic Hepatic Subcapsular Spider-Like Telangiectasis Sign: A Highly Accurate Method to Diagnose Biliary Atresia in Infants.

Objective: Operative cholangiography, the gold standard for the diagnosis of biliary atresia (BA), is being challenged due to an increase in the studies of misdiagnosis. A previous study has shown that the laparoscopic hepatic subcapsular spider-like telangiectasis (HSST) sign was accurate for diagnosing BA. This study aims to compare the performance of the HSST sign with cholangiography in the identification of BA.

Laparoscopic simultaneous inguinal hernia repair and appendectomy in children: A multicenter study.

Background: Inguinal hernias (IHs) are sometimes encountered incidentally in children during laparoscopic appendectomy. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and outcomes of laparoscopic simultaneous inguinal hernia repair and appendectomy in children.

Methods: A multicentric study was performed in patients with AA and concurrent IH who received laparoscopic simultaneous inguinal hernia repair and appendectomy (study group), compared with patients who underwent two-stage laparoscopic procedures (control group) between September 2012 and January 2020.

Hirschsprung's disease: key microRNAs and target genes.

Background: This study aimed to identify key microRNAs (miRNAs), pathways, and target genes mediating Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) pathogenesis and identify the diagnostic potential of miRNAs.

Methods: The Gene Expression Omnibus database and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR were used to compare miRNA expression between ganglionic and aganglionic colon tissues of children with HSCR, and the TAM 2.0 database was used to identify colon tissue-specific miRNAs.

Multilevel Factors Affecting Healthcare Workers' Perceived Stress and Risk of Infection During COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study aimed to identify key factors affecting Healthcare workers (HCWs) perceived stress and risk of contracting COVID-19 among themselves and their family members during the pandemic. A cross-sectional online questionnaire study was conducted between 19 March and April 5, 2020 in Hong Kong. HCWs from public hospitals and private dentists, and their family members participated.

Re-evaluation of jumping purse-string suturing in pediatric laparoscopic hernia repair.

Background: Reported recurrence rates using jumping purse-string suturing in laparoscopic hernia repair (LH) are higher than that of intact purse-string. This study aims to compare the outcomes of LH using transabdominal jumping purse-string suturing (TJS) with those using transabdominal intact purse-string suturing (TIS) and percutaneous extraperitoneal intact purse-string suturing (PEIS).

Methods: A total of 3340 patients from three centers who have undergone laparoscopic hernia repair from January 2016 to June 2019 were retrospectively reviewed.

Reprogrammed mesenchymal stem cells derived from iPSCs promote bone repair in steroid-associated osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Background: Cellular therapy based on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a promising novel therapeutic strategy for the osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), which is gradually becoming popular, particularly for early-stage ONFH. Nonetheless, the MSC-based therapy is challenging due to certain limitations, such as limited self-renewal capability of cells, availability of donor MSCs, and the costs involved in donor screening. As an alternative approach, MSCs derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which may lead to further standardized-cell preparations.

Resuturing Without Enterostomy for the Treatment of Early-Stage Anastomotic Leaks After Laparoscopic Soave Procedure in Hirschsprung's Disease.

Anastomotic leak (AL) rates gradually decreased with surgical skills and perioperative management progression, but it is still inevitable. As the traditional management of AL after the pull-through procedure of Hirschsprung's disease (HD), enterostomy could lead to multiple surgeries, repeated hospitalizations, increased costs, and enterostomy-associated complications. This study aimed to explore the safety and feasibility of resuturing without enterostomy treating early AL after the laparoscopic Soave procedure.

COVID-19 in children across three Asian cosmopolitan regions.

As another wave of COVID-19 outbreak has approached in July 2020, a larger scale COVID-19 pediatric Asian cohort summarizing the clinical observations is warranted. Children confirmed with COVID-19 infection from the Republic of Korea, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Wuhan, China, during their first waves of local outbreaks were included. Their clinical characteristics and the temporal sequences of the first waves of local paediatric outbreaks were compared.

Outcomes in robotic versus laparoscopic-assisted choledochal cyst excision and hepaticojejunostomy in children.

Background: Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) is becoming more popular because of the excellent performance in anastomosis and knot tying, especially in complex surgical procedures such as hepaticojejunostomy. As for operative time and costs, laparoscopic-assisted surgery (LAS) seem to be more advantageous. To date, there are only limited studies focusing on the comparison between RAS and LAS.

Robot-assisted thoracoscopic plication for diaphragmatic eventration.

Background: Though conventional thoracoscopic plication is a favorable option of diaphragmatic eventration (DE), ribs limited the movement of trocars, making it difficult to suturing, knot-tying and time-consuming. The purpose of this study was to evaluate delicate surgical maneuvers and suturing time for the management of DE in robot-assisted thoracoscopic plication (RATP).

Methods: From January 2015 to November 2019, 20 patients (14 males; mean age: 10.