Anxiety in children undergoing surgery is characterized by feelings of tension, apprehension, nervousness and fear which may manifest differently. Postoperative behavioural changes such as nocturnal enuresis, feeding disorders, apathy, and sleep disturbances may stem from postoperative anxiety. Some Authors pointed out that over 60% of children undergoing surgery are prone to developing behavioural alterations 2 weeks after surgery. Variables such as age, temperament and anxiety both in children and parents are considered predictors of such changes.1 Studies were published describing how psycho-behavioural interventions based on play, learning and entertainment in preparing children for surgery, may reduce preoperative anxiety. Clown-therapy is applied in the most important paediatric facilities and has proved to diminish children's emotional distress and sufferance, as well as consumption of both analgesics and sedatives and to facilitate the achievement of therapeutic goals. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of clown-therapy during the child's hospital stay, with a view to optimizing treatment and care, preventing behavioural alterations and enhancing the child's overall life quality.

Although primary tracheobronchial tumors are extremely rare in children, recurrent respiratory symptoms resistant to conventional therapy require further investigations to exclude possible malignant obstructive causes. As the matter of fact, early diagnosis may allow minimally invasive surgeries, improving the standard of living and the globally survival rate. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of diagnosis and management of tracheobronchial tumors in the early age, since only few reports are reported in the worldwide literature.

AIMS OF THE STUDY:To evaluate the efficacy of highpressure balloon dilatation (HPBD) as treatment of primary obstructive megaureter (POM) in paediatric patients, we analysed the data of our institute from June 2018 to September 2019.METHODS: 14 patients, aged 5 months to 5 years, with POM were treated with HPBD. All patients had a distal ureter dilatation greater than 7 mm associated with obstructive features on a mercaptoacetyl triglycine-3 diuretic renogram scan, and a voiding cystourethrogram without vesicoureteral reflux. HPBD was performed in 12 patients, whereas 2 patients (14%), aged 5 and 6 months, required open surgical treatment because of failure to pass the balloon catheter through the vesicoureteral junction. The procedure was performed with a 5 Fr balloon catheter for two cycles of 5 minutes each at 17 atm. A double-J stent and a urinary catheter were inserted at the end of procedure in all patients. RESULTS: No operative complications or symptoms or recurrence were recorded in our series. The patients were generally discharged 24 hours after surgery. All the patients showed an improvement on ultrasonography at the postoperative follow-up, with no evidence of obstruction. During the procedure a clear stenotic ring was identified in 10 of the 12 patients, which disappeared in all 10 cases after the HPBD technique.CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experience, HPBD may be considered the first-line surgical approach in the treatment of POM in children, avoiding bladder surgery in most cases. ABBREVIATIONS: HPBDhigh-pressure balloon dilatation MAG-3 mercaptoacetyl triglycine-3 POM primary obstructive megaureter UTI urinary tract infection VUJ vesicoureteral junction VCUG voiding cystourethrogram

The Nuss procedure for the correction of Pectus Excavatum (PE) is associated with intense postoperative pain. Our strategy to control early postoperative pain is to combine epidural with intravenous analgesia. Our aim was to analyse our pain control strategy by reviewing all the PE cases treated at our institution. Sixty consecutive patients, aged between 12 and 26 years old, received the PE operation at our institution from January, 2007 to September, 2010. The median age was 16 (12-27) with a male/female ratio of about 7/1. An epidural catheter was employed in all the cases, with 38 patients (63%) requiring additional drugs to control pain, which remained in place for 74 hours (72-96). The pain score was higher in male patients, but lower in those younger than 16 years old. Moreover, patients that consumed benzodiazepines had a significant decrease in cumulative opioid intake (P = 0.0408). Both gender and age had an impact on pain control, while we noticed a synergistic effect between opiates and tranquillizers.

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The management of choledochal cysts has evolved during the last 3 decades. Laparoscopic surgery has revolutionized the treatment of choledochal cyst (CC). We report our case, 2-year old female, in which total excision of cyst and Roux-en-Y hepaticoenterostomy is done by laparoscopic approach. In the hands of experts, laparoscopic excision of the CC is safe and effective approach. This is our first experience and our outcome has been good to a follow-up of 6 months. In our opinion, laparoscopic surgery is a safe treatment of choledochal cyst with less postoperative morbidity, a shorter length of stay and a lower blood loss when compared with open approach. Laparoscopic surgery may become the first choice procedure for choledochal cyst

BackgroundVesico-ureteral reflux (VUR) is a dynamic event in which a retrograde flow of urine is present into the upper tracts. VUR may occur isolated or in association with other congenital abnormalities or as part of syndromic entities. We present a patient with a bilateral primary VUR, syndromic disease caused by a large deletion of 18q (18q21.3-qter) and terminal duplication of 1p (1p36.32-p36.33).Case reportThe patient was 8 years old female with a disease including moderate growth retardation, psychomotor retardation, facial dysmorphism, single umbilical artery, umbilical hernia, urachal remnant, bilateral congenital clubfeet and renal-urinary disease. Chromosomal analysis and Array-CGH revealed two heterozygous chromosomal rearrangements: 1p terminal duplication and de novo 18q terminal deletion. She referred to our clinic to evaluation of bilateral hydronephrosis and right renal cortex thinning. Voiding cystourethrography demonstrated bilateral grade IV VUR and dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scintigraphy confirmed right renal cortex thinning and showed a cortical uptake of 75% of the left kidney and 25% of the right kidney. The patient underwent ureterovesical reimplantation after failure of 3 endoscopic submeatal Deflux injections with VUR resolution.ConclusionsThis is the first report involving a patient with 18q-syndrome and contemporary presence of 1p chromosomal terminal duplication. The coexistence of two chromosomal rearrangements complicates the clinical picture and creates a chimeric disorder (marked by characteristics of both chromosomal anomalies). Kidney problems, primarily VUR is reported in 15% of patients affected by 18-q syndrome and no cases is reported in the literature regarding a correlation between VUR and 1p36 chromosomal duplication.

Adrenocortical neoplasms (ACNs) are rare and poorly characterized in infants. The true incidence of ACNs is not well known and it appears to vary substantially across different geographical areas. ACNs are more common in females and two peaks of incidence have been identified: The first year of life and between the age of nine and 16 years. Due to the heterogeneity and rarity of ACNs, their pathological and prognostic classification is challenging. The current study describes the case of a seven-year-old male, who presented to the Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of Siena (Siena, Italy) with a feminization syndrome and increased somatic growth that was associated with a unilateral adrenal mass, which was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical excision of the mass was performed and histological analysis determined that it was an ACN, with a low risk of malignity; however, the pathological classification of the tumor was challenging. At present, the future behavior of ACNs is unpredictable. Therefore, increasing the knowledge surrounding this type of tumor may aid in its diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Due to the rarity of pediatric ACNs, no single pediatric oncology center has acquired extensive experience treating this type of tumor. Thus, the initiation of an international tumor registry may aid with the management of patients presenting with ACNs.