Ileal pedicle grafting for esophageal replacement in children

Reconstruction of the upper esophagus in small children remains a challenge. Free jejunal interposition as frequently used in adults is much less appropriate in children because of the limited vessel size. The use of a jejunal pedicle graft in children has been described, but gaining enough length may be a problem. A pedicle graft of terminal ileum may be a better option, but this technique has never been described. We report a child with esophageal atresia and distal fistula who had a very short upper esophageal pouch. Primary repair was impossible. The fistula was ligated and a gastrostomy created. A second attempt at anastomosis was not successful either, and a cervical esophagostomy was created. The child was fed by gastrostomy and received sham feeding orally. When the child was 10 months old, the upper esophagus was successfully reconstructed with a pedicle graft of terminal ileum. Postoperatively there was a limited leak of the proximal anastomosis, which healed spontaneously. The distal anastomosis had to be dilated on a few occasions. With a follow-up of 1 year, the child is eating well without gastrostomy supplementation. On imaging, the ileal pedicle graft looks somewhat tortuous but contracts nicely. We feel that ileal pedicle graft reconstruction of the esophagus should be part of the instrumentarium of pediatric surgeons dealing with esophageal reconstruction

Should an infected Nuss bar be removed?

Background: The Nuss procedure is a minimally invasive procedure for correction of pectus excavatum. It involves insertion of a substernal metal bar. A feared complication of any implanted device is infection, which often necessitates removal. The purpose of this report is to describe the authors' experience with infectious complications after the Nuss procedure. Methods: From February 2000 to July 2002, 102 patients underwent the Nuss procedure in 2 pediatric surgical centers. In a retrospective way, the files of those patients in whom a postoperative infection developed were studied. Results: Seven patients suffered postoperative infectious complications. Only one bar needed to be removed. Conclusion: The authors' experience indicates that there is no need for immediate removal of an infected Nuss bar. Most of these infections can be managed conservatively. However, early antibiotic treatment is warranted to ensure salvage of the bar. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Protective effect of restorative possibilities on cognitive function and mental health in children and adolescents: A scoping review including the role of physical activity.

Background The exposome approach can be a powerful tool for understanding the intertwining of social, physical, and internal influences that shape mental health and cognitive development throughout childhood. To distil conceptual models for subsequent analyses, the EU-funded project Early Environmental quality and Life-course mental health effects (Equal-Life) has conducted literature reviews on potential mediators linking the exposome to these outcomes. We report on a scoping review and a conceptual model of the role of restorative possibilities and physical activity. Methods Peer-reviewed studies published since the year 2000 in English, on the association between the exposome and mental health/cognition in children/adolescents, and quantitatively investigating restoration/restorative quality as a mediating variable were considered. Database searches were last updated in December 2022. We used an unstructured expert-driven approach to fill in gaps in the reviewed literature. Results Five records of three distinct studies were identified, indicating a scarcity of empirical evidence in this newly developing research area. Not only were these studies few in numbers, but also cross-sectional, lending only tentative support to the idea that perceived restorative quality of adolescent's living environment might mediate the association between greenspace and mental health. Physical activity emerged as a mediator leading to better psychological outcomes in restorative environments. We provide a critical discussion of potential caveats when investigating the restoration mechanism in children and propose a hierarchical model including restoration, physical activity, and relational dynamics between children and their environment, including social context, as well as restorative environments other than nature. Conclusions It is justified to further explore the role of restoration and physical activity as mediators in the association between early-life exposome and mental health/cognitive development. It is important to consider the child perspective and specific methodological caveats. Given the evolving conceptual definitions/operationalizations, Equal-Life will attempt to fill in a critical gap in the literature

The vacuum bell for conservative treatment of pectus excavatum: the Basle experience

Surgical repair of pectus excavatum (PE) in childhood is a well-established procedure. Previously used operative techniques to correct PE were largely based on the Ravitch technique. Since about 10 years, the minimally invasive repair (MIRPE) by Nuss is well established. Conservative treatment with the vacuum bell to elevate the funnel in patients with PE represents a potential alternative to surgery in selected patients

Surgical correction of the funnel chest deformity in children

The aim of this study was to evaluate our results during and after the Nuss operation in children with pectus excavatum. We have performed the Nuss procedure in 128 patients with pectus excavatum since 2001, and 74 patients underwent bar removal. Of the 128 patients 96 were male and 32 were female; age ranged from eight to 21 years with an average of 13.8 years. In 46% of patients psychological reasons for operative treatment were dominant while in the other 54% of patients clinical signs were the indications. Complications in 128 patients included 36 pneumothorax, 28 of which resolved spontaneously. Postoperative pneumonia developed in six patients. In two patients we had infection of the implanted bar, and there were two patients with cellulitis. We had six patients with bar displacement and reoperation was needed. During the Nuss procedure we had one injury of the intercostal artery. We had pericardial tears in two patients without clinical significance. In two patients we had pericardial effusion six months after the Nuss procedure, requiring pericardiocentesis. In one patient we had fracture of the sternum. There were no complications following bar removal. After bar removal in 74 patients, 54 patients (72.9%) maintained excellent results with normal chest anatomy, good results were found in 16 patients (21.6%) with mild residual pectus and poor results in four patients (5.5%) with severe recurrence. Our experience with the Nuss procedure demonstrated excellent results with few minor complications