Diagnosis and treatment of pediatric vallecular cysts and pseudocysts

To review the experience at a children's hospital diagnosing and treating vallecular cysts. To determine if cyst type, operative mode, or ages are risk factor(s) for recurrence. Chart review of eleven children with vallecular cysts and pseudocysts from 1997 to 2009. The most common presenting symptoms were stridor (8/12, 67%), respiratory distress (7/12, 58%), and feeding difficulties (4/12, 33%). Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease were present in 67% of patients and 17% carried a concurrent diagnosis of laryngomalacia. Eleven of twelve patients required operative intervention, the majority of which were transoral endoscopic procedures. Three patients (3/11, 27%) had recurrences. Two of these patients required only a second procedure, but one patient required multiple procedures. Fifty percent (2/4) of the patients 2 years or older experienced a recurrence, whereas only 14% (1/7) of the patients less than 2 years old had a recurrence, a difference which was not statistically significant (p=0.49). Pseudocysts tended to recur more frequently than vallecular cysts. (p=0.13). Surgical approach (marsupialization versus total excision) did not affect recurrence rate. One patient with a small, asymptomatic cyst was observed and continues to be symptom-free. There were no surgical complications. Vallecular cysts and pseudocysts are rare congenital lesions of the upper aerodigestive tract. Vallecular pseudocysts tended to recur more than vallecular cysts in our series. Surgery is the treatment of choice for symptomatic patients; smaller cysts may be followed closely

Hepatic pathology may develop before the Fontan operation in children with functional single ventricle: An autopsy study.

ObjectiveLiver fibrosis has emerged as an important long-term complication of the Fontan operation. We aimed to describe liver histology at autopsy in patients who had undergone the Fontan operation and to determine whether patient variables are associated with the degree of fibrosis.MethodsA review was performed of all patients with a history of the Fontan operation who died and underwent autopsy at our institution from 1980 to 2009. Autopsy liver slides were evaluated independently by 2 pathologists.ResultsTwenty-two patients were studied. The median interval between Fontan and death was 20 days (range, 1 day–17.5 years). Portal fibrosis was observed in 20 (91%) patients and sinusoidal fibrosis was observed in 17 (77%) patients. Using simple linear regression, time from the Fontan operation was significantly associated with the degree of portal fibrosis on Ishak (P = .03) and modified Scheuer fibrosis (P = .02) scales. Significant portal fibrosis was observed in 8 (57%) of the 14 patients who died 30 days or less after the Fontan operation. In these 14 patients, severity of portal fibrosis was associated with length of hospitalization after pre-Fontan cardiac operations (P = .03) and pre-Fontan mean right atrial pressure (P = .04).ConclusionsAt autopsy, hepatic fibrosis was commonly observed in patients who had undergone the Fontan operation. Portal fibrosis has been previously unrecognized in this population. Significant portal fibrosis occurred in most who died soon after the Fontan procedure and was associated with pre-Fontan morbidity. Hepatic disease in the single-ventricle population is multifactorial and may begin before the Fontan operation