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In adults, congenital pulmonary malformations are candidates for surgery due to symptoms. A pre-natal diagnosis is simple and effective, and allows an early thoracoscopic surgical treatment. A retrospective study was performed to assess management in two different populations of adults and children to define the best strategy. Subjects and Methods: Pulmonary malformations followed at the University Hospital from 2000 to 2012 were reviewed. Clinical history, malformation site, duration of hospitalisation, complications and pathology examinations were collected. Results: A total of 52 cases (33 children, 19 adults) were identified. In children, 28 asymptomatic cases were diagnosed pre-natally and 5 during the neonatal period due to infections. Surgery was performed on the children between the ages of 2 and 6 months. Nineteen adults underwent surgery, 16 because of symptoms and 3 adults for anomalies mimicking tumours. The mean age within the adult group was 42.5 years. In children, there was one thoracotomy and 32 thoracoscopies, with 7 conversions for difficult exposure, dissection of vascular pedicles, bleeding or bronchial injury. In the adults, there were 15 thoracotomies and 4 thoracoscopies, with one conversion. Post-operative complications in the adults were twice as frequent than in children. The mean time of the children′s hospitalisation was 7.75 days versus 7.16 days for the adults. Pathological examinations showed in the children: 7 sequestrations, 18 congenital cystic pulmonary malformations (CPAM), 8 CPAM associated sequestrations; in adults: 16 sequestrations, 3 intra-pulmonary cysts. Conclusion: Early thoracoscopic surgery allows pulmonary parenchyma conservation with pulmonary development, reduces respiratory and infectious complications, eliminates a false positive cancer diagnosis later in life and decreases risks of thoracic parietal deformation.

Purpose: The use of laparoscopy in the treatment of biliary atresia (BA) is still debated. We report our strategy using laparoscopy in type I cystic BA. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of patients treated for BA from 2002-2013. When the diagnosis was suspected, an ultrasound was performed. If it showed a cyst > 5 mm in the hilum with no patent gallbladder, we performed an initial explorative laparoscopy. In the case of a patent biliary tree above the cyst, a laparoscopic cystojejunostomy was performed. In cases of absent communication (type III), conversion and portoenterostomy were performed. Pre and postoperative data and overall survival rate with the native liver were reviewed. Results: Forty-four children were treated for BA. Six presented with a cystic form diagnosed by US. Three children had type I BA; three had type III BA. No postoperative complications were noted. Median follow-up was 62.2 months (22.7-93.5). One patient died of a cardiac malformation. The five remaining patients are alive with their native liver. Of the 38 treated for noncystic BA, 16 were transplanted. Conclusion: We confirmed the prognosis of cystic BA, which is less severe than noncystic BA. Our strategy using laparoscopy allowed for the confirmation and qualification of the type of BA. In type I, complete treatment by laparoscopy has been performed safely.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe an approach to surgical management of bronchogenic cysts based on the natural course observed from the time of antenatal screening to surgical resection in patients treated at our institution and reported in the literature. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features of all children presenting bronchogenic cyst diagnosed antenatally from 2007 to 2010. A total of six children were included. Results: Antenatal diagnosis was accurate in 62.5% of cases. In the first year of life, the size of the cyst remained stable in four patients, doubled in one, and increased 30% within six months in one. The indication for surgery was emphysema of the left bronchus in two patients and rapid growth in two patients. One patient is still awaiting surgery. Conclusion: Bronchogenic cysts grow slowly in the first months of life, but growth is exponential even in the absence of complications. We recommend complete resection before the age of two years to prevent infectious complications and facilitate surgery.

Background/Aim: Laparoscopic excision of a choledochal cyst (CC) with hepaticojejunostomy gained a wide acceptance in the treatment of children even in neonatal period. Although, the use of prenatal diagnostic techniques causes a significant increase in antenatal diagnosis of CC, the time of surgical intervention during infancy is still controversial. A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the results of laparoscopic management of CC with special emphasis on antenatal diagnosis and treatment, and to compare the results with open procedure. Materials and Methods: The patients who were diagnosed with choledochal cyst and underwent either open or laparoscopic hepaticojejunostomy in two centres, hopital d′enfant de La Timone from Marseille and hopital Robert Debre from Paris between November 2000 and December 2009 were included in the study. The data obtained from medical reports were evaluated for sex, time of antenatal diagnosis, age at time of operation, operative time, time of postoperation. Results: A total of 19 hepaticojejunostomy were performed, including 10 open procedures (group A), and 9 laparoscopic procedures (group B, 4 were diagnosed prenatally, without conversion to open procedure). There were 3 boys and 16 girls, ranging in age from 2 weeks to 16 years. Patients in the group A were older than patients in the group B. The mean hospital stay and time to return of bowel fuction was longer in the group B. there were 60% of pre-operative complications in group A versus 22% in group B. There was one postoperative complications in group B (biliary leakage nedeed redo surgery). No significant differences were found between different parameters except for operative time (288.56 min in the group B versus 206 min in the group A. (p = 0.041)). Conclusions: Our initial experience indicates that the laparoscopic approach in infancy is technically feasible, safe, and effective, with a low morbidity and a comparable outcome to the open approach. Therefore, we propose a laparoscopic approach for antenatally diagnosed CC as early as possible, before the onset of complications.

This paper presents a refined belemnite based biostratigraphy for the Bajocian-Bathonian transition in the Yuryung-Tumus peninsula (northern Siberia, Russia). A revision of the Siberian belemnite zonation is proposed. Herein two new belemnite biostratigraphic units are introduced: the Paramegateuthis subishmensis Zone (upper part of the Lower Bajocian) and the Paramegateuthis ishmensis Zone (Lower-Middle Bathonian boundary interval). Paramegateuthis subishmensis STOYANOVA-VERGILOVA, recorded for the first time in Siberia and previously only known from Bulgaria (Sub-Mediterranean domain), provides evidence for correlation of both the Boreal Boreiocephalites borealis and Cranocephalites gracilis ammonite zones with the standard Stephanoceras humphriesianum Zone. The new biostratigraphic data also result in an improved correlation based on belemnites for the Lower-Middle Bathonian of the Boreal (Siberia, North European Russia) and Subboreal (Central Russia) regions.

Background: Crohn's disease is one of the principal human chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Although its aetiology is still unknown, its complex pathogenesis has environmental, immunological, and genetic determinants. CARD 15 [...]