OBJECTIVE: Hiatus hernia is frequent in adults and rare in children; congenital hiatus hernia is even rarer. In this study, we describe a group of infants with congenital hiatus hernia and discuss its management. METHODS: Records of patients (male: 3, female: 4) who were diagnosed with congenital hiatus hernia between 2010 and 2016 were extracted. Demographic data, presenting symptoms, diagnostic investigations, operative details, postoperative follow-up, and early and late postoperative complications were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Four patients were female and three were male. One patient was diagnosed prenatally while the mean age at diagnosis for others was 18.6 months. Four patients had type IV hernia, 2 had type III hernia, and one had type I hernia. The diagnosis was confirmed by chest X-ray, computerized tomography (CT) and/or upper gastrointestinal series. The hiatal repair was done in all patients either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. During the procedure, 2 patients had Nissen fundoplication and 3 patients had Thal fundoplication. Recurrence of hernia occurred in the 2 patients who had Thal fundoplication. CONCLUSION: Recurrence of sliding hernias with Thal fundoplication seem more frequent in the series. If the esophagogastric junction is present in the thorax, mediastinal dissection of the esophagus may be required to achieve a good abdominal esophagus structure, which will prevent a recurrence.

Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) is an uncommon renal neoplasm of childhood. It represents between 2% and 9% of all pediatric renal tumors, and generally arises before the age of 5 years. It often mimics other pediatric renal tumors. Presently described is the case of a 7-year-old girl who presented with complaints of vomiting and abdominal pain. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a right renal mass, and the patient developed a renal hematoma a few hours after admission. The patient underwent a nephroureterectomy with a provisional diagnosis of Wilms tumor; however, histopathological examination of a specimen revealed CCSK. CCSK is similar to Wilms tumor in terms of the typical age of appearance and clinical and histopathological features, but the treatment method and prognosis are different. Therefore, the differential diagnosis is very important. This case was presented to draw attention to a rare presentation of clear cell sarcoma. CCSK should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of a renal mass.

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Fibroepithelial polyps are a rare underlying reason of ureteropelvic junction obstruction. In the past, open surgery was the only option. However, due to development of minimal invasive technics, treatment alternatives have been changed. Resection by laparoscopy or endoscopy, laser fulguration and/or percutaneous resection are recommended in children and adults. Here, we present a 10-year-old boy with severe left hydronephrosis due to fibroepithelial polyp close to the ureteropelvic junction and our laparoscopic approach.

Background:Autologous nerve grafts are used to bridge peripheral nerve defects. Limited sources and donor site morbidity are the major problems with peripheral nerve grafts. Although various types of autologous grafts such as arteries, veins and muscles have been recommended, an ideal conduit has not yet been described.Aims:To investigate the effectiveness of a small intestinal conduit for peripheral nerve defects.Study Design:Animal experimentation.Methods:Twenty-one rats were divided into three groups (n=7). Following anaesthesia, sciatic nerve exploration was performed in the Sham group. The 10 mm nerve gap was bridged with a 15 mm ileal segment in the small intestinal conduit group and the defect was replaced with orthotopic nerve in autologous nerve graft group. The functional recovery was tested monthly by walking-track analysis and the sciatic functional index. Histological evaluation was performed on the 12th week.Results:Sciatic functional index tests are better in autologous nerve graft group (-55.09±6.35); however, during follow-up, progress in sciatic functional index was demonstrated, along with axonal regeneration and innervation of target muscles in the small intestinal conduit group (-76.36±12.08) (p<0.05). In histologic sections, distinctive sciatic nerve regeneration was examined in the small intestinal conduit group. The expression of S-100 and neurofilament was observed in small intestinal conduit group but was less organised than in the autologous nerve graft group. Although the counted number (7459.79±1833.50 vs. 4226.51±1063.06 mm2), measured diameter [2.19 (2.15-2.88) vs. 1.74 (1.50-2.09) µm] and myelin sheath thickness [1.18 (1.09-1.44) vs. 0.66 (0.40-1.07) µm] of axons is significantly high in the middle sections of autologous nerve graft compared to the small intestinal conduit group, respectively (p<0.05), the peripheral nerve regeneration was also observed in the small intestinal conduit group.Conclusion:Small intestinal conduit should not be considered as an alternative to autologous nerve grafts in its current form; however, the results are promising. Even though the results are no better than autologous nerve grafts, with additional procedures, it might be a good alternative due to harvesting abundant sources without donor site morbidity.

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