Sternal clefts are infrequent congenital malformations, particularly in their complete presentation. There are less than 100 descriptions of these defects published in the literature worldwide. We report a clinical case of lower sternal cleft associated with congenital laparoschisis in a 2-year-old boy. Surgery was performed because of recurrent pneumopathy and the risk of cardiorespiratory decompensation in the midterm. A semi-resorbable prosthesis was used for sternal closure. We have not observed any complications with this sternal closure system in our patient. This approach is easy, safe, effective and not harmful to a child's growth.
Introduction
With early diagnosis, fiberoptic or rigid bronchoscopy methods are the gold standard in the management of tracheobronchial foreign body. Otherwise, nonrecognized bronchial foreign bodies cause irreversible damage to the airways and lungs. The deficiency of the health system noted in many developing countries such as Madagascar, combined with the fundamental problem relating to children’s conditions, which are determined by social and educational factors, makes it almost impossible to provide early and appropriate management of the penetration syndrome.
Case presentation
An 11-year-old Malagasy female patient was referred to our hospital for an investigation of the etiology of the patient’s hemoptysis. The investigations revealed a localized bronchiectasis and atelectasis due to a foreign body obstructing the left main bronchus. Based on the hemoptysis and left lung almost destroyed by an occlusive lesion within, we decided to proceed with left pneumonectomy. A retrospective interrogation revealed a choking episode 4 years prior in elementary school after the child sucked on a pen cap and involuntarily aspirated it. Two years after the pneumonectomy, our patient was doing well and was asymptomatic.
Conclusion
In this case report, we describe a rare case of a late presentation of foreign body aspiration that resulted in a left pneumonectomy in a child. Despite our favorable results, pneumonectomy must be the preferred last option. Preventive actions remain the optimal approach.
Alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas (ARMS) are rare entities that occur predominantly on the extremities and represent 20% of rhabdomyosarcomas. Other common locations include the peri-rectal and perineal regions, head and neck, and genitourinary system. To our knowledge, this presentation is the first case of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the chest wall reported in the literature. Here, we describe a case of a 64-year-old man with alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas who underwent a chest wall resection. The defect was reconstructed with polypropylene mesh and latissimus dorsi muscle. Our patient did not show recurrence ten months after complete resection. The present paper describes our surgical approach to a case of primary alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the chest wall in an adult. The authors discuss the principal judgment criteria for successful surgical resection and prognosis, highlighting the relevance of chest wall reconstruction and their complementary aspects in the multimodal management of this rare entity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based startup that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.