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A patent ductus arteriosus is a common condition, particularly in premature infants. Many spontaneously resolve but those that lead to clinical instability require closure. Conservative measures can be highly successful in selected groups. Surgical repair is effective and both open and minimally invasive approaches can be used. The minimally invasive approach may result in less long-term morbidity from a thoracotomy and may prove advantageous for these fragile infants, including less pain, shorter time on the ventilator, and shorter hospital stays.

Laparoscopy is being increasingly applied to pediatric inguinal hernia repair. In younger children, however, open repair remains preferred due to concerns related to anesthesia and technical challenges. We sought to assess outcomes after laparoscopic and open inguinal hernia repair in children less than or equal to 3 years. A prospective, single-blind, parallel group randomized controlled trial was conducted at three clinical sites. Children ≤3 years of age with reducible unilateral or bilateral inguinal hernias were randomized to laparoscopic herniorrhaphy (LH) or open herniorrhaphy (OH). The primary outcome was the number of acetaminophen doses. Secondary outcomes included operative time, complications, and parent/caregiver satisfaction scores. Forty-one patients were randomized to unilateral OH (n = 10), unilateral LH (n = 17), bilateral OH (n = 5) and bilateral LH (n = 9). Acetaminophen doses, LOS, complications, and parent/caregiver scores did not differ among groups. Laparoscopic unilateral hernia repair demonstrated shorter operative time, a consistent finding for overall laparoscopic repair in univariate (p = 0.003) and multivariate (p = 0.010) analysis. No cases of testicular atrophy were documented at 2 (SD = 2.7) years. Children ≤3 years of age in our cohort safely underwent LH with similar pain scores, complications, and recurrence as OH. Parents and caregivers report high satisfaction with both techniques.

Background/Purpose Premature neonates can develop intraabdominal conditions requiring emergent bowel resection and enterostomy. Parenteral nutrition (PN) is often required, but results in cholestasis. Mucous fistula refeeding allows for functional restoration of continuity. We sought to determine the effect of refeeding on nutrition intake, PN dependence, and PN associated hepatotoxicity while evaluating the safety of this practice. Methods A retrospective review of neonates who underwent bowel resection and small bowel enterostomy with or without mucous fistula over 2years was undertaken. Patients who underwent mucous fistula refeeding (RF) were compared to those who did not (OST). Primary outcomes included days from surgery to discontinuation of PN and goal enteral feeds, and total days on PN. Secondary outcomes were related to PN hepatotoxicity. Results Thirteen RF and eleven OST were identified. There were no significant differences among markers of critical illness ( p >0.20). In the interoperative period, RF patients reached goal enteral feeds earlier than OST patients (median 28 versus 43days; p =0.03) and were able to have PN discontinued earlier (median 25 versus 41days; p =0.04). Following anastomosis, the magnitude of effect was more pronounced, with RF patients reaching goal enteral feeds earlier than OST patients (median 7.5 versus 20days; p ≤0.001) and having PN discontinued sooner (30.5 versus 48days; p =0.001). Conclusions RF neonates reached goal feeds and were able to be weaned from PN sooner than OST patients. A prospective multicenter trial of refeeding is needed to define the benefits and potential side effects of refeeding in a larger patient population in varied care environments.

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a highly aggressive soft tissue sarcoma that most commonly arises in the abdomen and pelvis and spreads over serosal surfaces, leading to abdominal pain or distention. Despite aggressive multimodal therapy, outcomes remain poor. It is most common in adolescents and young adults and reports in younger children are rare. We present a case of a 2-year-old male with the atypical presentation of a right groin mass, found to be DSRCT within an inguinal hernia.

Pancreatic neoplasms are uncommon in children. This study sought to analyze the clinical and pathological features of surgically resected pancreatic tumors in children and discuss management strategies. We conducted a retrospective review of patients ≤21 years with pancreatic neoplasms who underwent surgery at a single institution between 1995 and 2015. Nineteen patients were identified with a median age at operation of 16.6 years (IQR 13.5–18.9). The most common histology was solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) (n = 13), followed by pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (n = 3), serous cystadenoma (n = 2) and pancreatoblastoma (n = 1). Operative procedures included formal pancreatectomy (n = 17), enucleation (n = 1) and central pancreatectomy (n = 1). SPNs were noninvasive in all but one case with perineural, vascular and lymph node involvement. Seventeen patients (89.5 %) are currently alive and disease free at a median follow-up of 5.7 (IQR 3.7–10.9) years. Two patients died: one with metastatic insulinoma and another with SPN who developed peritoneal carcinomatosis secondary to a concurrent rectal adenocarcinoma. Pediatric pancreatic tumors are a heterogeneous group of neoplastic lesions for which surgery can be curative. SPN is the most common histology, is characterized by low malignant potential and in selected cases can be safely and effectively treated with a tissue-sparing resection and minimally invasive approach.

This report describes a two-month-old girl who presented with signs and symptoms of a distal small bowel obstruction. She underwent an abdominal ultrasound that revealed a right lower quadrant cystic mass. A Technetium-99 scan revealed increased activity in the right lower quadrant consistent with a Meckel’s diverticulum. Following a nondiagnostic laparoscopic evaluation, a laparotomy was performed to allow direct palpation of the small bowel and colon. Direct palpation of the ileum revealed a soft intraluminal mass at the ileocecal valve. The child underwent an ileocecectomy and anastomosis incorporating the intraluminal mass. Pathologic analysis revealed an intraluminal enteric duplication cyst containing ectopic gastric mucosa. This case represents the first report of such an entity in an infant. A discussion of the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of the case and enteric duplication cysts is provided.