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Intestinal failure in infants & children in developing countries is a challenging problem because of limited resources & facilities, & socio-economic factors. This problem is further aggravated by delay in seeking treatment, & pre-existing malnutrition & an acute insult leads to severe nutritional failure. Intestinal failure may be acute or chronic & also may be reversible or irreversible. The neonatal causes of intestinal failure are similar to other countries. Other major causes being chronic infantile diarroeha, acute tropical inflammatory bowel disease of the small bowel or colon, high output gastrointestinal fistulas, Necrotizing enterocolitis due to Hirschsprung's disease & tuberculosis. Crohn's disease & ulcerative colitis are extremely rare in our environment. This discussion is based on experience at three centres -- two in Madras, India (1981 to 1990) & one in Malaysia (1991 to 2001). Both parenteral & enteral nutrition were used initially & in chronic cases cyclic nutrition, home enteral & parenteral nutrition were used. The duration ranged from 90 days to 5 years. The problems in management, complications & limitations are discussed. Parental acceptance, cost, growth, psycho-social development, quality of life & longterm results will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Catheter knotting is a rare complication of bladder catheterisation. Retention of catheter parts resulting in calculus formation is even rarer. We report a case of a vesical calculus formed over a broken and retained supra-pubic catheter which to the best of our knowledge has yet to be reported, along with three other cases of bladder catheter knotting.

Mesocolic hernia is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in children. The diagnosis involves a high index of suspicion and prompt intervention to prevent strangulation and a high morbidity. The embryological basis of the condition is of paramount importance to assist the eventual surgical correction.

An open lung biopsy was performed in 12 children with diffuse parenchymal lung disease. A definitive histopathological diagnosis was obtained from all procedures but determined treatment options in only 10 children (83%). Three (25%) children were ventilated for respiratory failure prior to the procedure. Four (44%) of the other 9 children required ventilatory support after the procedure. Three (25%) children developed post-op pneumothorax that resolved fully with chest tube drainage. There were no deaths as a direct result of the procedure. Open lung biopsy is useful in providing a definitive diagnosis in children with diffuse parenchymal lung disease and determining treatment in the majority of cases. The procedure was well-tolerated with minimal complications.

The management of a case of antenatally diagnosed meconium peritonitis (MP) due to intrauterine intestinal perforation secondary to bowel atresia is reported. The literature is reviewed with reference to the significance and outcome of antenatally diagnosed MP.

Background/purpose: The authors evaluated the safety and benefits of 1-stage pull-through in comparison with staged repair of Hirschsprung's disease under circumstances prevailing in a developing country., Methods: Forty-nine patients were treated for Hirschsprung's disease during a 7-year period between January 1991 and March 1998 at our institution, which is a tertiary referral center. Nine patients were excluded from the study, and the medical records of the remaining 40 patients were reviewed., Results: Eighteen patients including 7 neonates underwent 1-stage pull-through, and 22 patients underwent staged correction. There was no mortality for patients undergoing one-stage treatment, but there was 1 death caused by anastamotic leak after a 2-stage repair. There was no substantial difference in the incidence of complications (38.8% v 45.45%) and the need for additional surgical procedures (33.5% v 45.45%) between the 2 groups. Seventy-one percent after 1-stage treatment and 80% after staged treatment had a satisfactory functional result, and the incidence of incontinence was 14% and 10%, respectively. Overall, the incidence of postoperative enterocolitis was low (7.5%)., Conclusions: One-stage correction of Hirschsprung's disease is a safe procedure in all age groups. It offers economical and social advantages to families in developing countries. Benefits of 1-stage treatment include avoidance of multiple operations, elimination of complications associated with a colostomy, shorter duration of hospital stay, and completion of treatment at an earlier age. It is advisable to continue postoperative anal dilatation for a minimum period of 6 months to 1 year to reduce the incidence of enterocolitis.

Here the first case in the literature of both mesenchymal hamartoma and malignant mesenchymoma occurring in a 6-year-old male child, at different times and at different sites in the liver, and also the possible malignant transformation of a mesenchymal hamartoma is reported. The tumor developed from a lesion in the right lobe that was overlooked initially during a left lateral segmentectomy at 18 months of age for a mesenchymal hamartoma. Malignant mesenchymoma is a rare and aggressive tumor. The origin of this tumor is not well understood. There has been no direct support to the hypothesis that malignant mesenchymoma may be the malignant counterpart of mesenchymal hamartoma. The authors provide clinical and histopathologic evidence in our case that suggests the possibility of malignant mesenchymoma arising from a mesenchymal hamartoma. This case emphasizes the need for complete removal of mesenchymal hamartoma and the need for long-term follow-up to detect multifocal lesion or malignant transformation.

A case of desmoplastic small round cell tumour (DSRCT) is presented. This aggressive and rare neoplasm predominantly affects males and is almost exclusively intraabdominal in location. It is unique in that neural, mesenchymal and epithelial markers are co-expressed. Despite multi-modal therapy, the prognosis is extremely poor. The present report details the clinical features and typical pathological findings of DSRCT in an 11-year-old boy, who succumbed to the disease 16 months after diagnosis despite multiple chemotherapeutic regimes.