Evaluation and Management of Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review From the APSA Outcomes & Evidence-Based Practice Committee

INTRODUCTION

Controversy exists in the optimal management of adolescent and young adult primary spontaneous pneumothorax. The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) Outcomes and Evidence-Based Practice Committee performed a systematic review of the literature to develop evidence-based recommendations.

METHODS

Ovid MEDLINE, Elsevier Embase, EBSCOhost CINAHL, Elsevier Scopus, and Wiley Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were queried for literature related to spontaneous pneumothorax between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2020, addressing (1) initial management, (2) advanced imaging, (3) timing of surgery, (4) operative technique, (5) management of contralateral side, and (6) management of recurrence. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed.

RESULTS

Seventy-nine manuscripts were included. Initial management of adolescent and young adult primary spontaneous pneumothorax should be guided by symptoms and can include observation, aspiration, or tube thoracostomy. There is no evidence of benefit for cross-sectional imaging. Patients with ongoing air leak may benefit from early operative intervention within 24-48 h. A video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) approach with stapled blebectomy and pleural procedure should be considered. There is no evidence to support prophylactic management of the contralateral side. Recurrence after VATS can be treated with repeat VATS with intensification of pleural treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The management of adolescent and young adult primary spontaneous pneumothorax is varied. Best practices exist to optimize some aspects of care. Further prospective studies are needed to better determine optimal timing of operative intervention, the most effective operation, and management of recurrence after observation, tube thoracostomy, or operative intervention.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 4.

TYPE OF STUDY

Systematic Review of Level 1-4 studies.

Surgical Management of Ulcerative Colitis in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review from the APSA Outcomes and Evidence-Based Practice Committee

INTRODUCTION

The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing. Roughly 20% of all patients with UC are diagnosed in childhood, and children typically present with more severe disease. Approximately 40% will undergo total colectomy within ten years of diagnosis. The objective of this study is to assess the available evidence regarding the surgical management of pediatric UC as determined by the consensus agreement of the American Pediatric Surgical Association Outcomes and Evidence-Based Practice Committee (APSA OEBP).

METHODS

Through an iterative process, the membership of the APSA OEBP developed five a priori questions focused on surgical decision-making for children with UC. Questions focused on surgical timing, reconstruction, use of minimally invasive techniques, need for diversion, and risks to fertility and sexual function. A systematic review was conducted, and articles were selected for review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Risk of Bias was assessed using Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) criteria. The Oxford Levels of Evidence and Grades of Recommendation were utilized.

RESULTS

A total of 69 studies were included for analysis. Most manuscripts contain level 3 or 4 evidence from single-center retrospective reports, leading to a grade D recommendation. MINORS assessment revealed a high risk of bias in most studies. J-pouch reconstruction may result in fewer daily stools than straight ileoanal anastomosis. There are no differences in complications based on the type of reconstruction. The timing of surgery should be individualized to patients and does not affect complications. Immunosuppressants do not appear to increase surgical site infection rates. Laparoscopic approaches result in longer operative times but shorter lengths of stay and fewer small bowel obstructions. Overall, complications are not different using an open or minimally invasive approach.

CONCLUSIONS

There is currently low-level evidence related to certain aspects of surgical management for UC, including timing, reconstruction type, use of minimally invasive techniques, need for diversion, and risks to fertility and sexual function. Multicenter, prospective studies are recommended to better answer these questions and ensure the best evidence-based care for our patients.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level of evidence III.

STUDY TYPE

Systematic review.

Systematic review of grading systems for adverse surgical outcomes

Background

Grading scales for adverse surgical outcomes have been poorly characterized to date. The primary aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to enumerate the various frameworks for grading adverse postoperative outcomes; our secondary objective was to outline the properties of each grading system, identifying its strengths and weaknesses.

Methods

We searched 9 databases (Africa Wide Information, Biosis, Cochrane, Embase, Global Health, LILACs, Medline, PubMed and Web of Science) from 1992 (the year the Clavien–Dindo classification system was developed) until Mar. 2, 2017, for studies that aimed to develop or improve on an already existing generalizable system for grading adverse postoperative outcomes. Study selection was duplicated as per PRISMA recommendations. Procedure-specific grading systems were excluded. We assessed the framework, strengths and weaknesses of the systems qualitatively.

Results

We identified 9 studies on 8 adverse outcome grading systems with frameworks generalizable to any surgical procedure. Most systems have not been widely incorporated in the literature. Seven of the 8 systems were produced without including patients’ perspectives. Four allowed the derivation of a composite morbidity score, which had limited tangible significance for patients.

Conclusion

Although each instrument identified offered its own advantages, none satisfied the need for a patient-centred tool capable of generating a composite score of all possible postoperative adverse outcomes (complications, sequelae and failure) that enables comparison of noninterventional and surgical management of disease. There is a need for development of a more comprehensive, patient-centred grading system for adverse postoperative outcomes.

Defining the critical pediatric surgical workforce density for improving surgical outcomes: a global study

PURPOSE

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have only 19% of the global surgical workforce yet see 80% of worldwide deaths from noncommunicable diseases. We aimed to interrogate the correlation between pediatric surgical workforce density (PSWD) and survival from pediatric surgical conditions worldwide.

METHODS

A systematic review of online databases identified outcome studies for key pediatric surgical conditions (gastroschisis, esophageal atresia, intestinal atresia, and typhoid perforation) as well as PSWD data across low-income (LICs), middle-income (MICs), and high-income countries (HICs). PSWD was expressed as the number of PSs/million children under 15 years of age and we correlated this to surgical outcomes for our case series.

RESULTS

PSWD ranged between zero (Burundi, The Gambia, and Mauritania) and 125.2 (Poland) across 86 countries. Outcomes for at least one condition were obtained in 61 countries: 50 outcomes in HICs, 52 in MICs and 8 in LICs. The mean survival in our case series was 42.3%, 69.4% and 91.6% for LICs, MICs, and HICs, respectively. A PSWD ≥4 PSs/million children under 15 years of age significantly correlated to odds of survival ≥80% (OR 16.8, p < 0.0001, 95% CI 5.66-49.88). Specifically in the studied LICs and MICs, increasing the PSWD to 4 would require training 1427 additional surgeons.

CONCLUSION

Using a novel approach, we have established a benchmark for the scale-up of pediatric surgical workforce, which may support broader efforts to reduce childhood deaths from congenital disease.

LEVELS OF EVIDENCE

2c - Outcomes Research.

Incidence and prevalence of congenital anomalies in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

In the absence of robust data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), most disease burden estimates and related resource allocation choices are based on historic Northern demographics. We hypothesize that significant discrepancies exist between directly reported LMIC data and surrogate high-income country (HIC) disease burden estimates of correctible congenital anomalies.

METHODS

Nine online databases were searched for studies reporting incidence and prevalence data on surgically correctible congenital anomalies in LMICs between 2006 and 2017. Two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts, with a third adjudicating discrepancies. Selected studies were reviewed and analyzed.

RESULTS

Of 10,128 identified articles, 98 were extracted for full-text review, and 41 were included, representing 21 LMICs and 18 conditions. Study types included community surveys (34%), prospective (22%) and retrospective (17%) multi-site data, registries (12%), single-site data (12%), and systematic reviews (5%). Data collection periods were 1 to 10 years. The pooled epidemiologic data varied systematically from existing HIC literature, with the incidence of disease being generally lower in LMICs.

CONCLUSIONS

Marked discrepancies exist between reported epidemiological data in LMICs and HIC literature, in part owing to varying quality of data collection in LMICs. Robust population-based surveys are needed to accurately estimate the burden of surgically correctable congenital anomalies in LMICs.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level V, expert opinion without explicit critical appraisal.

Should you pick the PICC? Prolonged use of peripherally inserted central venous catheters in children with intestinal failure

PURPOSE

Prolonged central vascular access is a source of significant morbidity in children with intestinal failure (IF). In an effort to decrease morbidity, our multidisciplinary IF team has primarily used peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) for these patients. We compared outcomes of PICCs to Broviacs®.

METHODS

A review of children with IF (2006-2018) at an academic children's hospital was conducted.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

total parenteral nutrition duration >42 days or small bowel length < 25% of total for gestational age. Complications/1000 catheter days were extracted, and a Poisson model was used to compare complications between PICCs and Broviacs®.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven patients with IF were included, accounting for 19,452 catheter days. There were 209 PICCs (1.2-4F) and 39 Broviacs® (2.7-7F). The median duration of overall PICC access/patient was 166 days (range: 35 days-8 years). Incidences of central line associated blood stream infection and venous thrombosis were 3.95 and 0.55 per 1000 catheter days, respectively. There were no significant differences in complication rates per line per catheter day between PICCs and Broviacs® on multivariate analysis. Broviacs® showed a trend towards increased of catheter-related hospital admissions when compared to PICCs.

CONCLUSIONS

PICCs in children with intestinal failure have similar complication rates to Broviacs® but may reduce catheter-related hospital admissions. Use of tunneled PICCs and increasing experience with this vascular access method may allow it to realize its potential advantages.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Retrospective study, level III.

Delayed access to care and unmet burden of pediatric surgical disease in resource-constrained African countries

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to estimate the unmet burden of surgically correctable congenital anomalies in African low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

METHODS

We conducted a chart review of children operated for cryptorchidism, isolated cleft lip, hypospadias, bladder exstrophy and anorectal malformation at an Ethiopian referral hospital between January 2012 and July 2016 and a scoping review of the literature describing the management of congenital anomalies in African LMICs. Procedure numbers and age at surgery were collected to estimate mean surgical delays by country and extrapolate surgical backlog. The unmet surgical need was derived from incidence-based disease estimates, established disability weights, and actual surgical volumes.

RESULTS

The chart review yielded 210 procedures in 207 patients from Ethiopia. The scoping review generated 42 data sets, extracted from 36 publications, encompassing: Benin, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Malawi, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The largest national surgical backlog was noted in Nigeria for cryptorchidism (209,260 cases) and cleft lip (4154 cases), and Ethiopia for hypospadias (20,188 cases), bladder exstrophy (575 cases) and anorectal malformation (1349 cases).

CONCLUSION

These data support the need for upscaling pediatric surgical capacity in LMICs to address the significant surgical delay, surgical backlog, and unmet prevalent need.

TYPE OF STUDY

Retrospective study and review article LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

A systematic review of capacity assessment tools in pediatric surgery: Global Assessment in Pediatric Surgery (GAPS) Phase I

BACKGROUND

The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery highlighted global surgical need but offered little insight into the specific surgical challenges of children in low-resource settings. Efforts to strengthen the quality of global pediatric surgical care have resulted in a proliferation of partnerships between low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs). Standardized tools able to reliably measure gaps in delivery and quality of care are important aids for these partnerships. We undertook a systematic review (SR) of capacity assessment tools (CATs) focused on needs assessment in pediatric surgery.

METHODS

A comprehensive search strategy of multiple electronic databases was conducted per PRISMA guidelines without linguistic or temporal restrictions. CATs were selected according to pre-defined inclusion criteria. Articles were assessed by two independent reviewers. Methodological quality of studies was appraised using the COSMIN checklist with 4-point scale.

RESULTS

The search strategy generated 16,641 original publications, of which three CATs were deemed eligible. Eligible tools were either excessively detailed or oversimplified. None used weighted scores to identify finer granularity between institutions. No CATs comprehensively included measures of resources, outcomes, accessibility/impact and training.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study identify the need for a CAT capable of objectively measuring key aspects of surgical capacity and performance in a weighted tool designed for pediatric surgical centers in LMICs.

TYPE OF STUDY

Systematic Review.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

II.

Out-of-Pocket and Catastrophic Expenses Incurred by Seeking Pediatric and Adult Surgical Care at a Public, Tertiary Care Centre in Uganda

BACKGROUND

Surgical care is critical to establish effective healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries, yet the unmet need for surgical conditions is as high as 65% in Ugandan children. Financial burden and geographical distance are common barriers to help-seeking in adult populations and are unmeasured in the pediatric population. We thus measured out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses and distance traveled for pediatric surgical care in a tertiary hospital in Mbarara, Uganda, as compared to adult surgical and pediatric medical patients.

METHODS

Patients admitted to pediatric surgical (n = 20), pediatric medical (n = 18) and adult surgical (n = 18) wards were interviewed upon discharge over a period of 3 weeks. Patient and caregiver-reported expenses incurred for the present illness included prior/future care needed, and travel distance/cost. The prevalence of catastrophic expenses (≥10% of annual income) was calculated and spending patterns compared between wards.

RESULTS

Thirty-five percent of pediatric medical patients, 45% of pediatric surgical patients and 55% of adult surgical patients incurred catastrophic expenses. Pediatric surgical patients paid more for their current treatment (p <  0.01)-specifically medications (p <  0.01) and tests (p <  0.01)-than pediatric medical patients, and comparable costs to adults. Adult patients paid more for treatment prior to the hospital (p = 0.04) and miscellaneous expenses (e.g., food while admitted) (p = 0.02). Patients in all wards traveled comparable distances.

CONCLUSIONS

Seeking healthcare at a publicly funded hospital is financially catastrophic for almost half of patients. Out-of-stock supplies and broken equipment make surgical care particularly vulnerable to OOP expenses because analgesics, anaesthesia and preoperative imaging are prerequisites to care.

Appropriate use of total parenteral nutrition in children with perforated appendicitis

BACKGROUND

Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is often used in children with perforated appendicitis, despite the absence of clear indications. We assessed the validity of specific clinical indications for initiation of TPN in this patient cohort.

METHODS

Data were gathered prospectively on duration of nil per os (NPO) status and TPN use in a cohort of children treated under a perforated appendicitis protocol during a 19-month period. TPN was started in the immediate postoperative period in patients who had generalized peritonitis and severe intestinal dilatation at operation, or later per the discretion of the attending surgeon. At discharge, TPN was considered to have been used appropriately, according to consensus guidelines, if the patient was NPO≥7days or received TPN≥5days.

RESULTS

During the study period, TPN was initiated in 31 (25.4%) of 122 patients operated for perforated appendicitis. Sixteen (51.6%) received TPN per operative finding indications and 15 (48.4%) for prolonged ileus. The operative indications demonstrated 47% sensitivity, 86% specificity, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 35%, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 91%, when adherence to TPN consensus guidelines was considered the gold standard.

CONCLUSION

Patients without severe intestinal dilatation and generalized peritonitis at operation should not be placed on TPN in the immediate postoperative period. Refinement of selection criteria is necessary to further decrease inappropriate TPN use in children with perforated appendicitis.

TYPE OF STUDY

Diagnostic Test.

LEVEL OF STUDY

II.

Radiation Exposure and Attributable Cancer Risk in Patients With Esophageal Atresia

OBJECTIVES

Cases of esophageal carcinoma have been documented in survivors of esophageal atresia (EA). Children with EA undergo considerable amounts of diagnostic imaging and consequent radiation exposure potentially increasing their lifetime cancer mortality risk. This study evaluates the radiological procedures performed on patients with EA and estimates their cumulative radiation exposure and attributable lifetime cancer mortality risk.

METHODS

Medical records of patients with EA managed at a tertiary care center were reviewed for demographics, EA subtype, and number and type of radiological investigations. Existing normative data were used to estimate the cumulative radiation exposure and lifetime cancer risk per patient.

RESULTS

The present study included 53 patients with a mean follow-up of 5.7 years. The overall median and maximum estimated effective radiation dose in the neonatal period was 5521.4 μSv/patient and 66638.6 μSv/patient, respectively. This correlates to a median and maximum estimated cumulative lifetime cancer mortality risk of 1:1530 and 1:130, respectively. Hence, radiation exposure in the neonatal period increased the cumulative cancer mortality risk a median of 130-fold and a maximum of 1575-fold in EA survivors.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with EA are exposed to significant amounts of radiation and an increased estimated cumulative cancer mortality risk. Efforts should be made to eliminate superfluous imaging.

Risk stratification in pediatric perforated appendicitis: Prospective correlation with outcomes and resource utilization

PURPOSE

Despite a wide spectrum of severity, perforated appendicitis in children is typically considered a single entity in outcomes studies. We performed a prospective cohort study to define a risk stratification system that correlates with outcomes and resource utilization.

METHODS

A prospective study was conducted of all children operated for perforated appendicitis between May 2015 and December 2016 at a tertiary free-standing university children's hospital. Surgical findings were classified into one of four grades of perforation: I. localized or contained perforation, II. Contained abscess with no generalized peritonitis, III. Generalized peritonitis with no dominant abscess, IV. Generalized peritonitis with one or more dominant abscesses. All patients were treated on a clinical pathway that involved all points of care from admission to final follow-up. Outcomes and resource utilization measures were analyzed using Fisher's exact test, Kruskal-Wallis test, One-way ANOVA, and logistic regression.

RESULTS

During the study period, 122 patients completed treatment, and 100% had documented follow-up at a median of 25days after operation. Grades of perforation were: I, 20.5%; II, 37.7%; III, 10.7%; IV, 31.1%. Postoperative abscesses occurred in 12 (9.8%) of patients, almost exclusively in Grade IV perforations. Hospital stay, duration of antibiotics, TPN utilization, and the incidence of postoperative imaging significantly increased with increasing grade of perforation.

CONCLUSION

Outcomes and resource utilization strongly correlate with increasing grade of perforated appendicitis. Postoperative abscesses, additional imaging, and additional invasive procedures occur disproportionately in patients who present with diffuse peritonitis and abscess formation. The current stratification allows risk-adjusted outcome reporting and appropriate assignment of resource burden.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

I (Prognosis Study).

The Global Initiative for Children's Surgery: Optimal Resources for Improving Care

BACKGROUND

 The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery reported that 5 billion people lack access to safe, affordable surgical care. The majority of these people live in low-resource settings, where up to 50% of the population is children. The Disease Control Priorities (Debas HTP, Donkor A, Gawande DT, Jamison ME, Kruk, and Mock CN, editors. Essential Surgery. Disease Control Priorities. Third Edition, vol 1. Essential Surgery. Washington, DC: World Bank; 2015) on surgery included guidelines for the improvement of access to surgical care; however, these lack detail for children's surgery.

AIM

 To produce guidance for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on the resources required for children's surgery at each level of hospital care.

METHODS

 The Global Initiative for Children's Surgery (GICS) held an inaugural meeting at the Royal College of Surgeons in London in May 2016, with 52 surgical providers from 21 countries, including 27 providers from 18 LMICs. Delegates engaged in working groups over 2 days to prioritize needs and solutions for optimizing children's surgical care; these were categorized into infrastructure, service delivery, training, and research. At a second GICS meeting in Washington in October 2016, 94 surgical care providers, half from LMICs, defined the optimal resources required at primary, secondary, tertiary, and national referral level through a series of working group engagements.

RESULTS

 Consensus solutions for optimizing children's surgical care included the following: · Establishing standards and integrating them into national surgical plans.. · Each country should have at least one children's hospital.. · Designate, facilitate, and support regional training hubs covering all. · children's surgical specialties.. · Establish regional research support centers.. An "Optimal Resources" document was produced detailing the facilities and resources required at each level of care.

CONCLUSION

 The Optimal Resources document has been produced by surgical providers from LMICs who have the greatest insight into the needs and priorities in their population. The document will be refined further through online GICS Working Groups and the World Health Organization for broad application to ensure all children have timely access to safe surgical care.

Standardization of care for pediatric perforated appendicitis improves outcomes

BACKGROUND

The treatment of perforated appendicitis in children is characterized by significant variability in care, morbidity, resource utilization, and outcomes. We prospectively studied how minimization of care variability affects outcomes.

METHODS

A clinical pathway for perforated appendicitis, in use for three decades, was further standardized in May 2015 by initiation of a disease severity classification, refinement of discharge criteria, standardization of the operation, and establishment of criteria for use of postoperative total parenteral nutrition, imaging, and invasive procedures. Prospective evaluation of all children treated for 20months on the new fully standardized protocol was conducted and compared to a retrospective cohort treated over 58months prior to standardization. Differences between outcomes before and after standardization were analyzed using regression analysis techniques to adjust for disease severity.

RESULTS

Median follow-up time post discharge was 25 and 14days in the post- and prestandardization groups, respectively. Standardization significantly reduced postoperative abscess (9.8% vs. 17.4%, p=0.001) and hospital stay (p=0.002). Standardization reduced the odds of developing a postoperative abscess by four fold.

CONCLUSION

Minimizing variability of care at all points in the treatment of perforated appendicitis significantly improves outcomes.

TYPE OF STUDY

Prospective Cohort Study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level II.

Disc battery ingestion; a single event with different outcomes

Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common problem especially in children below the age of 5 years. This is fueled by their curiosity to explore their surroundings. The ingested foreign body finds its way out of the gastrointestinal tract without any serious consequences most of the time. On the other hand, disc battery ingestion has been reported to cause serious harm when ingested including death. We report two patients who had ingested disc batteries and their respective outcomes.

Congenital paraesophageal hernia: The Montreal experience

INTRODUCTION

Congenital paraesophageal hernia (CPEH) is the least common congenital diaphragmatic hernia. We performed an extensive review to further define this entity.

METHODS

A retrospective study of children with CPEH (types II-IV hiatal hernias) treated at two children's hospitals over a 25-year period (1988-2013) was performed.

RESULTS

Fourteen patients were diagnosed at a median age of 35 days (range 0-500), with one prenatal diagnosis. The most common symptoms were emesis in type II hernias (50%), and respiratory distress in types III and IV hernias (75% and 50%, respectively). Gastroesophageal reflux was concomitantly diagnosed in 50%, while concurrent congenital anomalies existed in 36%. A correct initial diagnosis was made in only 29% of cases. The diagnosis was most often established by UGI study (64%). The method of repair was laparoscopy in 21%, and laparotomy in 71%. An antireflux procedure was done in 13 (93%) patients. Long-term follow up data was available for 86% of patient. During follow-up, one patient recurred and one required sequential pneumatic esophageal dilations. There were no mortalities.

CONCLUSIONS

CPEH is a rare entity often associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease and other congenital anomalies. Prognosis is excellent, but awareness of this anomaly may lead to earlier diagnosis.

The Esophageal Anastomotic Stricture Index (EASI) for the management of esophageal atresia

BACKGROUND

Anastomotic stricture is the most common complication following repair of esophageal atresia. An Esophageal Anastomotic Stricture Index (EASI) based on the postoperative esophagram may identify patients at high risk of stricture formation.

METHODS

Digital images of early postoperative esophagrams of patients undergoing EA repair from 2005 to 2013 were assessed. Demographics and outcomes including dilations were prospectively collected. Upper (U-EASI) and lower (L-EASI) pouch ratios were generated using stricture diameter divided by maximal respective pouch diameter. Score performances were evaluated with area under the receiver operator curves (AUC) and the Fisher's exact test for single and multiple (>3) dilatations. Interrater agreement was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

RESULTS

Forty-five patients had esophagrams analyzed; 28 (62%) required dilatation and 19 received >3 (42%). U-EASI and L-EASI ratios ranged from 0.17 to 0.70, with L-EASI outperforming the U-EASI as follows: L-EASI AUC: 0.66 for a single dilatation, 0.65 for >3 dilatations; U-EASI AUC: 0.56 for a single dilatation, 0.67 for >3 dilatations. All patients with an L-EASI ratio of ≤0.30 (n=8) required multiple esophageal dilatations, p=0.0006. The interrater ICC was 0.87.

CONCLUSION

The EASI is a simple, reproducible tool to predict the development and severity of anastomotic stricture after esophageal atresia repair and can direct postoperative surveillance.

Choroidal metastases as the sole initial presentation of metastatic lung cancer: case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Choroidal metastasis as an initial presenting feature of metastatic lung cancer is exceedingly rare. External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is an effective and widely accepted therapeutic modality. However, data addressing the effectiveness of other treatment strategies is limited. Herein, we present a patient with choroidal metastases secondary to lung cancer and review the relevant literature.

CASE REPORT

A 25-year-old male presented with deterioration of vision. His evaluation revealed bilateral choroidal metastasis secondary to adenocarcinoma of the lung. Unfortunately, his vision continued to deteriorate despite treatment with EBRT and chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Metastatic lung cancer can manifest with choroidal metastasis as an initial presentation.

Staged hepatectomy for bilobar colorectal hepatic metastases

OBJECTIVES

This study describes the management of patients with bilobar colorectal liver metastases (CRLM).

METHODS

A retrospective collection of data on all patients with CRLM who were considered for staged resection (n= 85) from January 2003 to January 2011 was performed. Patients who underwent one hepatic resection were considered to have had a failed staged resection (FSR), whereas those who underwent a second or third hepatic resection to produce a cure were considered to have had a successful staged resection (SSR). Survival was calculated from the date of diagnosis of liver metastases. Complete follow-up and dates of death were obtained from the Government of Quebec population database.

RESULTS

Median survival was 46 months (range: 30-62 months) in the SSR group and 22 months (range: 19-29 months) in the FSR group. Rates of 5-year survival were 42% and 4% in the SSR and FSR groups, respectively. Fifteen of the 19 patients who remained alive at the last follow-up date belonged to the SSR group.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients in whom staged resection for bilobar CRLM is feasible, surgery would appear to offer benefit.

Investigating inflammatory bowel disease--white cell scanning, radiology, and colonoscopy

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate different methods of examination of the bowel in suspected inflammatory bowel disease.

DESIGN

Prospective investigation of all children over a three year period with suspected inflammatory bowel disease. A technetium-99m-HMPAO labelled white cell scan (Tc-WCS), barium follow through examination (Ba-FT), and colonoscopy plus biopsy were undertaken.

SETTING

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London.

SUBJECTS

39 children (20 male and 19 female), median age 12.1 years (range 3.9-15.1 years).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

There was total agreement in 21/39 cases, positive in 16, and negative in five. Of 31 histologically proved cases, positive results were obtained in 28 Tc-WCSs (sensitivity 90%), 10 of 24 Ba-FTs (sensitivity 42%), and 27 colonoscopies (sensitivity 87%).

CONCLUSION

The Tc-WCS is sensitive, specific, and non-invasive and should be a first line investigation. Ba-FT with a high radiation burden and relatively low sensitivity requires its role to be redefined. Colonoscopy, with endoscopic biopsy, has a high pick-up rate where facilities and expertise exist.