Cir Pediatr

[Anterior urethral valves]

Year 1998
Piro C. Martin JA. de Diego M. Chicaiza E. Gosalbez R.
Departamento de Cirugia Pediatrica, Hospital Universitario Materno-Infantil Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona.
The valves of the anterior urethra are a rare congenital malformation, but it can cause a significant deterioration of the uppermost urinary system due to their obstructive patterns. It's placed fundamentally in the peno-scrotal union or in the bulbous urethra. They can associate to the diverticula of the anterior urethra. The clinical manifestations can be varied, depending upon the age of the child and the degree of obstruction that provoque. The treatment is always surgical, although in some occasions they suffice the endoscopic resection. We present the 12 cases controlled in our Center, with known ages between 1 month and 7 years, that began with tumefaction urethral at micturition in 7 cases, urinary infection in 6 and sepsis in 2. All of them required open surgery, after the failure of endoscopic resection in one of them. The results have been favorable in 9 cases regarding to the repercussions in the renal function. Two patients had a need of nephrectomy and one had to be subjected to a renal transplantation. The jet at micturition after surgery is good in 10 cases. In one, there persists a subtle jet, although without clinical repercussions, and in one patient there appeared a slight dilation in the posterior urethra.

[The usefulness of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children]

Year 1998
Valladares Mendias JC. Alaminos Mingorance M. Castejon Casado J. Fernandez Valades R. Sanchez Lopez-Tello C. Gasso Campos C. Garcia Espona JL.
Servicio de Cirugia Pediatrica, Hospital Universitario, Virgen de las Nieves, Granada.
The main objective of the present report was the evaluation of the utility of echography as a diagnostic method in abdominal pain suspicious of acute appendicitis. A control-case study was performed in 165 children hospitalized for abdominal pain. Appendicitis histologically confirmed were considered cases (n = 110) while control (n = 55) were the not-operated patients (46 children) or the not-confirmed appendicitis after laparotomy (n = 9). The variables considered here were: the results of echography (Eco+ when echography showed signs of acute appendicitis: Eco- when not), the age of the patient (randomized at three groups; < 6, 6-9, > 9 years), and the conclusions of fisical exploration (conclusive or not as acute appendicitis). The results were analyzed statistically with the SPSS program, calculating the following predictive values; sensibility, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value. Odds Radio before and after test and the global value of echography. Authors conclude that ultrasonography as method of support to abdominal exploration for diagnostic in acute appendicitis is manifest and present a global value of 70.90%.

[Acute abdomen: other initial symptom of abdominal lymphangioma]

Year 1998
Guemes I. Ibanez V. Barrios JE. Esteban MJ. Miranda J. Saenz P. Vila-Carbo JL.
Servicio de Pediatria, Hospital Infantil Le Fe Valencia.
Lymphangiomas are benign tumors, their growth are slow, customarily without symptoms, their location more frequent are in head or neck and they're diagnosed before the two first life years frequently. Their etiology continues uncertain, being accepted the congenital origin. We report on three cases of abdominal lymphangioma beginning as an acute abdomen. The importance of these cases is based mainly in the low frequency of presentation of these tumors in this location (2-5% of the lymphangiomas) and in their initial symptomatology.