Therapeutic/care management, level V (case series).

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Applicant variables associated with success in the match included quality of letters, number and type of publications, research experience, graduation from a US medical school, and AOA membership. Factors not correlated with outcome included advanced degrees (PhD, Masters), other fellowship training, and community-based versus university-based residency training. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated no independent factors for overall match success.

The current report is a multicenter study of a series of infants who developed colonic strictures (CS) as a sequelae of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and who were treated successfully with laparoscopic intestinal resection and primary anastomosis. During 2005-2008, 11 neonates (gestational ages, 32-38 weeks), with a mean birth weight of 1.7 kg (range, 0.96-2.2) and a mean weight at operation of 3.04 kg (range, 1.6-4.4 were approached laparoscopically, following the diagnosis of a post-NEC-CS. The two surgical techniques were: 1) laparoscopic mobilization with extracorporeal resection and anastomosis (LERA) in 4 (36%) and 2) laparoscopic mobilization with intracorporeal resection and anastomosis (LIRA) in 7 (64%) patients. Laparoscopy was effectively performed in all cases without conversion to open surgery. The median operative time was 93 minutes (range, 80-121). The anastomosis was colocolic in all patients, except in 1 case, in which it was colorectal. There were no operative complications. All babies recovered uneventfully and started oral feeding at a median time of 3.5 days (range, 1-11) postoperatively. Hospital discharge was at a median time of 9 days (range, 2-29) following operation. No recurrent strictures have developed.

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Introduction: Biliary dyskinesia (BD) is a common indication for pediatric cholecystectomy. While diagnosis is primarily based on diminished gallbladder ejection fraction (GB-EF), work-up and management in pediatrics is controversial. Methods: We conducted a multi-institutional retrospective review of children undergoing cholecystectomy for BD to compare perioperative work-up and outcomes. Results: Six hundred seventy-eight patients across 16 institutions were included. There was no significant difference in gender, age, or BMI between institutions. Most patients were white (86.3%), non-Hispanic (79.9%), and had private insurance (55.2%). Gallbladder ejection fraction (EF) was reported in 84.5% of patients, and 44.8% had an EF < 15%. 30.7% of patients were initially seen by pediatric surgeons, 31.3% by pediatric gastroenterologists, and 23.4% by the emergency department with significant variability between institutions (p < 0.001). Symptoms persisted in 35.3% of patients post-operatively with a median follow-up of 21 days (IQR 13, 34). On multivariate analysis, only non-white race and the presence of psychiatric comorbidities were associated with increased risk of post-operative symptoms. Conclusion: There is significant variability in evaluation and follow-up both before and after cholecystectomy for BD. Prospective research with standardized data collection and follow-up is needed to develop and validate optimal care pathways for pediatric patients with suspected BD.

Background: Total splenectomy (TS) and partial splenectomy (PS) are used for children with congenital hemolytic anemia (CHA), although the long-term outcomes of these procedures are poorly defined. This report describes long-term outcomes of children with CHA requiring TS or PS. Procedure:We collected data from children ages 2-17 with hereditary spherocytosis (HS) or sickle cell disease (SCD) requiring TS or PS from 1996 to 2016 from 14 sites in the Splenectomy in Congenital Hemolytic Anemia (SICHA) consortium using a prospective, observational patient registry. We summarized hematologic outcomes, clinical outcomes, and adverse events to 5 years after surgery. Hematologic outcomes were compared using mixed effects modeling.Results: Over the study period, 110 children with HS and 97 children with SCD underwent TS or PS. From preoperatively compared to postoperatively, children with HS increased their mean hemoglobin level by 3.4 g/dL, decreased their mean reticulocyte percentage by 6.7%, and decreased their mean bilirubin by 2.4mg/dL. Hematologic improvements and improved clinical outcomes were sustained over 5 years of follow-up. For children with SCD, there was no change in hemoglobin after PS or TS following surgery, although all clinical outcomes were improved. Over 5 years, there was one child with HS and 5 children with SCD who developed post-splenectomy sepsis.Conclusions: For children with HS, there are excellent long-term hematologic and clinical outcomes following either PS or TS. Although hemoglobin levels do not change after TS or PS in SCD, the long-term clinical outcomes for children with SCD are favorable.

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