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Aim Opsoclonus–myoclonus–ataxia syndrome (OMAS) is a rare autoimmune disorder. Approximately half of the cases are associated with neuroblastoma in children. This study's aim is to review management of our cases with OMAS-associated neuroblastoma for treatment approach as well as long-term follow-up. Methods Age at onset of symptoms and tumor diagnosis, tumor location, histopathology, stage, chemotherapy, OMAS protocol, surgery, and follow-up period were evaluated retrospectively in six patients between 2007 and 2022. Results Mean age of onset of OMAS findings was 13.5 months and mean age at tumor diagnosis was 15.1 months. Tumor was located at thorax in three patients and surrenal in others. Four patients underwent primary surgery. Histopathological diagnosis was ganglioneuroblastoma in three, neuroblastoma in two, and undifferentiated neuroblastoma in one. One patient was considered as stage 1 and rest of them as stage 2. Chemotherapy was provided in five cases. The OMAS protocol was applied to five patients. Our protocol is intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) 1 g/kg/d for 2 consecutive days once a month and dexamethasone for 5 days (20 mg/m2 /d for 1–2 days, 10 mg/m2 /d for 3–4 days, and 5 mg/m2 /d for the fifth day) once a month, alternatively by 2-week intervals. Patients were followed up for a mean of 8.1 years. Neuropsychiatric sequelae were detected in two patients. Conclusion In tumor-related cases, alternating use of corticosteroid and IVIG for suppression of autoimmunity as the OMAS protocol, total excision of the tumor as soon as possible, and chemotherapeutics in selected patients seem to be related to resolution of acute problems, long-term sequelae, and severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Acute appendicitis is one of the most common causes of abdominal pain in patients referring to the emergency department, and appendectomy is one of the most commonly used emergency medical surgeries worldwide. If it is not diagnosed on time, it may cause morbidity with important complications such as perforation. Correct diagnosis can be made in most cases. However, compared with adults, diagnosis is more difficult in children who are anxious, restless and painful and who have not enough communication skills for expressing their complaints well. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of abdominal ultrasonography (USG) in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pediatric patients. Material and Methods: Patients between 1-18 years who were operated between 2012and 2020 with the estimated diagnosis of appendicitis in pediatric surgery clinic, and who have had USG examination before surgery, were included in the study. Demographic indicators, USG findings at the time of diagnosis, surgical data and pathology reports were evaluated retrospectively. Results: A total of 500 patients, 203 (40%) girls and 297 (60%) boys, were evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 10.1 ± 3.9 years. According to preoperative USG data; 30% of patients had normal appendicitis and 70% had acute appendicitis (10% of them perforated). In terms of pathological diagnosis, normal appendix tissue (negative appendectomy) was found in 8% of the operated patients. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of ultrasound were 71.96%, 48.78% and 70.06%, respectively. Positive and negative predictive values were 94.03% and 13.42%, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results, it is considered that USG is an easy and inexpensive method in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children, but its reliability is still controversial. Diagnostic accuracy was higher in patients where ultrasonography reported as in favor of appendicitis compared to those reported against appendicitis. We consider that the clinical findings of the patients should be reviewed more carefully and if necessary further examination should be performed in patients who do not have appendicitis in the ultrasonographic evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Turkish Journal of Trauma & Emergency Surgery / Ulusal Travma ve Acil Cerrahi Dergisi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Intestinal stricture following necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is often misdiagnosed as recurrent functional constipation, enteritis, and malnutrition, and it increases the rates of morbidity and mortality in infants. Although a number of studies have focused on the potential etiologic factors leading to NEC, the information regarding the occurrence and diagnosis of post-NEC strictures is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation and diagnostic and surgical methods to treat NEC. Materials and Methods: The medical records of infants who had undergone surgery for post-NEC strictures between January 2005 and September 2018 were evaluated retrospectively in a single institution. Results: This study included 38 infants (20 males, 18 females) with post-NEC stricture. Their histories revealed that they had been treated medically (20 of 38) or surgically (18 of 38) for NEC. Symptoms typical of intestinal obstruction (vomiting, abdominal distension, constipation, growth retardation, etc.) were present in the medically treated patients. The average time of onset of symptoms after the acute episode of NEC was 1.64±0.78 months. Contrast studies revealed strictures in the small intestine in 13 (65%) medically treated patients, while 13 (72.2%) surgically treated patients had strictures in the colon. Additionally, 2 of surgically treated patients presented with ileocolic fistulae. In 11 of 38 (28.9%) patients, the contrast studies were false-negative. Conclusion: Post-NEC strictures may present with vague nutritional problems, causing the diagnosis to often be missed, which leads to high rates of morbidity and mortality in infants. Colon enemas, distal loopograms, and small bowel passage radiograms are useful in making a diagnosis, but a careful examination of the intestines for the presence of any other strictures should be done during the surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a benign but often rapidly expanding osteolytic multi-cystic osseous lesion that occurs as a primary, secondary, intra-osseous, extra-osseous, solid, or conventional lesion. A 15-year-old boy presented with a left-sided intrathoracic mass displacing the lung without bone destruction. The mass was totally resected without rib resection, and the pathological diagnosis was ABC. The clinical manifestations, etiology, management, and pathology are discussed, with a brief discussion regarding the difficulty in the preoperative differential diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myiasis is a rare condition caused by the invasion of tissues by the larvae of flies. Many cases of myiasis involving various human organs have been reported. Tracheopulmonary or intratracheal myiasis is a very unusual and aberrant form of the disease in humans. We present a case of respiratory myiasis after aspiration of larvae by a healthy 8-month-old girl, which cannot be found in the English literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Crush Syndrome is a major cause of morbidity and mortality following large-scale catastrophic earthquakes. Since there are no randomized controlled studies on Crush Syndrome, knowledge on this subject is limited to expert experience. The primary objective is to analyze the epidemiological and demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, and mortality factors of earthquake victims after the Pazarcik and Elbistan earthquakes on February 6, 2023., Methods: This cross-sectional and observational retrospective study evaluated 610 earthquake victims who presented to our center between February 6 and April 30, 2023. Among these patients, 128 with Crush Syndrome were included in the study. Patient information was gathered from hospital records during their stay and from national registries upon referral. The primary outcome was to identify risk factors for mortality. Demographic and laboratory data were analyzed by acute kidney injury (AKI) stages; mortality-affecting factors were identified through regression analysis., Results: Of the 128 Crush Syndrome patients (100 adults, 28 children), 64 were female. The AKI rate was 32.8%. Among patients with AKI, the frequency of hemodialysis requirement was 69%, and the mortality rate was 14.2%. The overall mortality rate for patients with Crush Syndrome was 4.6%, compared to 3.9% (19/482) in earthquake victims without Crush Syndrome (p=0.705). Notably, low systolic blood pressure at admission was the only factor significantly affecting mortality in Crush Syndrome patients (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 1.088, p=0.021, 95% Confidence Interval [CI])., Conclusion: Our study highlights low systolic blood pressure upon admission as a significant risk factor for increased mortality in Crush Syndrome patients. This finding may contribute to the literature by emphasizing the importance of monitoring blood pressure under rubble and administering more aggressive fluid therapy to patients with low systolic blood pressure.

Background: Foreign body (FB) ingestion is frequently encountered in all departments that treat children. FB may bring about significant anxiety for parents and physicians. The present study aims to determine the appropriate approach for FB ingestion in children., Methods: The records of 1000 children with a history of FB ingestion between the years 2005 and 2017 were reviewed retrospectively in this study., Results: Of 1000 children, 53.8% were male. The most common types of FBs were coins (35%). X-ray was negative in 49% of the patients, and 86% of these patients received no intervention. Of the 504 (51%) X-ray-positive patients, the oesophagus (68%) was the most common location. Life-threatening complications were tracheo-oesophageal fistula (1), Meckel's diverticulum perforation (1), and perforation due to rigid endoscopy (1)., Conclusion: We demonstrated that coins, which are the most commonly ingested FBs, have various types and sizes according to their countries of origin, and this affects spontaneous passage. We found that only 48% (quite low compared to the literature) of the coins passed spontaneously. In asymptomatic patients with a gastric button battery, we suggest a "watchful waiting" approach. The patients should be observed and managed at home. In our study, we found that 85% of the button batteries that reached the stomach passed spontaneously.

Background: Totally, implantable access ports (TIAPs) are used for long standing venous catheterization. This study was designed to present our experiences of the TIAPs applications and efficacy of Taurolidine-citrate lock solution (TCLS) against catheter-related infections., Materials and Methods: We evaluated records of the 108 patients implanted with 112 TIAPs, which had been performed using heparin solution or TCLS between 2005 and 2013., Results: Duration of exposure to TIAPs was 17-2051 days (median: 411 days). The primary diagnoses were solid tumours (n = 57), lymphoma (n = 23), haematologic diseases (n = 23), nephrotic syndrome (n = 4), Hirschsprung disease (n = 1). The right external jugular vein was most frequently used vascular access route (72.3%). Mechanical complications were observed in four cases. TIAPs were removed due to remission in 19 cases and infection in 19 cases. Median time from implantation and to the development of infection was 60 days. Heparin solution had been used for care in 33 ports, whereas heparin and TCLS had been used in 79 ports. Based on statistical comparison, use of TCLS was considered to be an important factor for preventing infection (P = 0.03)., Conclusion: We consider that TCLS reduces infection prevalence so TIAPs would be used more extensively and effectively to prevent infections.