Inguinal hernia repair in inpatient children: a nationwide analysis of German administrative data

Background!#!Contrary to adult inguinal hernia surgery, large-scale investigations using registries or administrative data are missing in paediatric surgery. We aimed to fill this gap by analysing German administrative hospital data to describe the current reality of inpatient hernia surgery in children.!##!Methods!#!We analysed aggregated data files bought from the German federals statistics office on hospital reimbursement data separately for principal diagnoses of inguinal hernia in children and for herniotomies in inpatients. Developments over time were assessed via regression and differences between groups with nonparametric comparisons.!##!Results!#!Principal diagnoses of hernias were decreasing over time with the exception of male bilateral and female bilateral incarcerated hernias in the first year of life which increased. The vast majority of operations were conducted via the open approach and laparoscopy was increasingly only used for females older than 1 year of age. Recurrent hernia repair was scarce. Rates of inguinal hernia repair were higher in both sexes the younger the patient was, but were also decreasing in all age groups despite a population growth since 2012. The amount of inguinal hernia repairs by paediatric surgeons compared to adult surgeons increased by 1.5% per year.!##!Conclusions!#!Our results corroborate previous findings of age and sex distribution. It demonstrates that inpatient hernia repair is primarily open surgery with herniorrhaphy and that recurrences seem to be rare. We observed decreasing rates of hernia repairs over time and as this has been described before in England, future studies should try to elucidate this development.!##!Level of evidence!#!III

Prenatal diagnosis and postnatal management of meconium peritonitis

Peer Reviewe

Prenatal Diagnosis and Evaluation of Sonographic Predictors for Intervention and Adverse Outcome in Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation

Objective To describe antenatal findings and evaluate prenatal risk parameters for adverse outcome or need for intervention in fetuses with congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM). Methods In our retrospective study all fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis of CPAM detected in our tertiary referral center between 2002 and 2013 were analyzed. Sonographic findings were noted and measurements of mass-to-thorax-ratio (MTR), congenital pulmonary airway malformation volume-ratio (CVR) and observed to expected lung-to head-ratio (o/e LHR) were conducted and correlated to fetal or neonatal morbidity and mortality and/or need for prenatal intervention. Results 67 fetuses with CPAM were included in the study. Hydropic fetuses were observed in 16.4% (11/67) of cases, prenatal intervention was undertaken in 9 cases; 7 pregnancies were terminated. The survival rate of non-hydropic fetuses with conservatively managed CPAM was 98.0%(50/51), the survival rate for hydropic fetuses with intention to treat was 42.9% (3/7). 10 (18.2%) children needed respiratory assistance. Fetuses with a CVR of <0.91 were significantly less likely to experience adverse outcome or need for prenatal intervention with sensitivity, specificity and positive/negative predictive value of 0.89, 0.71, 0.62 and 0.93, respectively. A MTR (mass-to-thorax-ratio) of <0.51 had a positive predictive value of 0.54 and a negative predictive value of 0.96 of adverse events with a sensitivity of 0.95 and a specificity of 0.63. The negative predictive value for o/e LHR of 45% was 0.84 with sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of 0.73, 0.68 and 0.52, respectively. Conclusions The majority of cases with CPAM have a favorable outcome. MTR and CVR are able to identify fetuses at risk, the o/e LHR is less sensitive

Parental risk factors for congenital diaphragmatic hernia – a large German case-control study

Abstract Background Evidence for periconceptional or prenatal environmental risk factors for the development of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is still scarce. Here, in a case-control study we investigated potential environmental risk factors in 199 CDH patients compared to 597 healthy control newborns. Methods The following data was collected: time of conception and birth, maternal BMI, parental risk factors such as smoking, alcohol or drug intake, use of hairspray, contact to animals and parental chronic diseases. CDH patients were born between 2001 and 2019, all healthy control newborns were born in 2011. Patients and control newborns were matched in the ratio of three to one. Results Presence of CDH was significantly associated with maternal periconceptional alcohol intake (odds ratio = 1.639, 95% confidence interval 1.101–2.440, p = 0.015) and maternal periconceptional use of hairspray (odds ratio = 2.072, 95% confidence interval 1.330–3.229, p = 0.001). Conclusion Our study suggests an association between CDH and periconceptional maternal alcohol intake and periconceptional maternal use of hairspray. Besides the identification of novel and confirmation of previously described parental risk factors, our study underlines the multifactorial background of isolated CDH

Echocardiographic Assessment of Pulmonary Hypertension in Neonates with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Using Pulmonary Artery Flow Characteristics

Background: Assessment of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is essential in neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Echocardiography is widely established to quantify PH severity, but currently used parameters have inherent limitations. The aim of our study was to investigate the prognostic utility of the index of the pulmonary artery acceleration time to the right ventricular ejection time (PAAT:ET) in CDH neonates assessed using echocardiography. Methods: PAAT:ET values were prospectively measured in CDH neonates on admission, on day of life (DOL) 2 and DOL 5-7. Optimal cut-off values to predict mortality and need for ECMO were calculated and PAAT:ET values were compared between non-ECMO survivors, ECMO-survivors, and ECMO-non-survivors. Results: 87 CDH neonates were enrolled and 39 patients required ECMO therapy. At baseline, PAAT:ET values were significantly lower in ECMO patients compared to non-ECMO patients (p < 0.001). ECMO survivors and ECMO non-survivors had similar values at baseline (p = 0.967) and DOL 2 (p = 0.124) but significantly higher values at DOL 5-7 (p = 0.003). Optimal PAAT:ET cut-off for predicting ECMO was 0.290 at baseline and 0.310 for predicting non-survival in patients on ECMO at DOL 5-7. Conclusion: PAAT:ET is a feasible parameter for early risk assessment in CDH neonates

Flow chart showing management and pregnancy outcome of 67 fetuses with prenatally diagnosed CPAM.

<p>Flow chart showing management and pregnancy outcome of 67 fetuses with prenatally diagnosed CPAM.</p

Detectionrate in % of adverse events (perinatal death, hydrops, prenatal intervention or need for respiratory assistance) at a cutoff of 0.91 CPAM volume ratio (CVR) in comparison to fetuses without adverse events.

<p>Detectionrate in % of adverse events (perinatal death, hydrops, prenatal intervention or need for respiratory assistance) at a cutoff of 0.91 CPAM volume ratio (CVR) in comparison to fetuses without adverse events.</p

Detectionrate in % of adverse events (perinatal death, hydrops, prenatal intervention or need for respiratory assistance) at a cutoff of 45% observed to expected Lung to head ratio (LHR) in comparison to fetuses without adverse events.

<p>Detectionrate in % of adverse events (perinatal death, hydrops, prenatal intervention or need for respiratory assistance) at a cutoff of 45% observed to expected Lung to head ratio (LHR) in comparison to fetuses without adverse events.</p

Receiver operator characteristics curve for Mass-to-thorax ratio (MTR) and composite adverse outcome or need for intervention.

<p>Receiver operator characteristics curve for Mass-to-thorax ratio (MTR) and composite adverse outcome or need for intervention.</p

Transverse and longitudinal section of the fetal thorax demonstrating a large microcystic congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) with mediastinal shift at 19 weeks of gestation.

<p>CVR (CPAM volume ratio): 2.88 x 1.77 x 2.31 x 0.52/16.1 (head circumference) = 0.38.</p