We present series of head, neck extracranial non-vestibular schwannomas treated during 2-year period. All patients with head and neck schwannomas treated at our department from April 2007 to July 2009 were reviewed. There was female predominance (72%). The mean age at diagnosis was 38 years. All (100%) presented with a neck mass. Most common nerves of origin were the vagus and the cervical sympathetic chain. Treatment for all cases was complete excision with nerve preservation. Among all schwannoma patients, postoperative neural deficit occurred in four with partial to complete resolution in three. The follow-up period was 24 months. Non-vestibular extracranial head and neck schwannomas most frequently present as an innocuous longstanding unilateral parapharyngeal neck mass. Preoperative diagnosis may be aided by fine-needle cytology and magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomographic imaging. The mainstay of treatment is complete intracapsular excision preserving the nerve of origin.

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Objective Intussusception has been linked with rotavirus vaccine (RVV) as a rare adverse reaction. In view of limited background data on intussusception in India and in preparation for RVV introduction, a surveillance network was established to document the epidemiology of intussusception cases in Indian children. Methods Intussusception in children 2–23 months were documented at 19 nationally representative sentinel hospitals through a retrospective surveillance for 69 months (July 2010 to March 2016). For each case clinical, hospital course, treatment and outcome data were collected. Results Among the 1588 intussusception cases, 54.5% were from South India and 66.3% were boys. The median age was 8 months (IQR 6, 12) with 34.6% aged 2–6 months. Seasonal variation with higher cases were documented during March-June period. The most common symptoms and signs were vomiting (63.4%), bloody stool (49.1%), abdominal pain (46.9%) and excessive crying (42.8%). The classical triad (vomiting, abdominal pain, and blood in stools) was observed in 25.6% cases. 96.4% cases were diagnosed by ultrasound with ileocolic location as the commonest (85.3%). Management was done by reduction (50.8%) and surgery (41.1%) and only 1% of the patients’ died. 91.1% cases met Brighton criteria level 1 and 3.3% Level 2. Between 2010 and 2015, the case load and case ratio increased across all regions. Conclusion Intussusception cases have occurred in children across all parts of the country, with low case fatality in the settings studied. The progressive rise cases could indicate an increasing awareness and availability of diagnostic facilities.

A cleft sternum is a rare congenital anomaly often diagnosed as asymptomatic at birth. Clinical outcome may be unfavourable when an associated anomaly, particularly, an intra cardiac anomaly coexists with the defect. Primary repair should be employed in the neonatal period because the flexibility of the chest wall is maximal and thus the compression of underlying structures is minimal. However, patients with sternal cleft may even present late in the childhood or adolescence period. We herein report two cases of successful repair of sternal clefts with review of the available literature.

Megacystis microcolon intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome (MMIHS) is a quite rare congenital and fatal disease. The disease is three to four times more prevalent in females than males. Most of the cases die within the early months of their lives. We present the case of a newborn male with antenatal ultrasound suggesting the diagnosis of MMIHS. The case was admitted for perforation complicated with prematurity after birth. This case is th e only one where MMIHS presented as perforation.