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An abdominal or pelvic tumor in very seldom detected in a prenatal ultrasound examination. The most commonly detected tumors are, in order of decreasing frequency, sacrococcygeal teratomas, neuroblastomas and kidney tumors. According to the present state of the art, diagnosis of a sacrococcygeal teratoma only leads to specific monitoring of the pregnancy, because an early delivery or delivery by cesarean section will be necessary in some cases to improve the prognosis of child and/or mother. For other types of tumors investigations and actions should be delayed until after birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mutations of the NR5A1 gene encoding steroidogenic factor-1 have been reported in association with a wide spectrum of 46,XY DSD (Disorder of Sex Development) phenotypes including severe forms of hypospadias., Methodology/principal Findings: We evaluated the frequency of NR5A1 gene mutations in a large series of patients presenting with 46,XY DSD and hypospadias. Based on their clinical presentation 77 patients were classified either as complete or partial gonadal dysgenesis (uterus seen at genitography and/or surgery, n = 11), ambiguous external genitalia without uterus (n = 33) or hypospadias (n = 33). We identified heterozygous NR5A1 mutations in 4 cases of ambiguous external genitalia without uterus (12.1%; p.Trp279Arg, pArg39Pro, c.390delG, c140_141insCACG) and a de novo missense mutation in one case with distal hypospadias (3%; p.Arg313Cys). Mutant proteins showed reduced transactivation activity and mutants p.Arg39Pro and p.Arg313Cys did not synergize with the GATA4 cofactor to stimulate reporter gene activity, although they retained their ability to physically interact with the GATA4 protein., Conclusions/significance: Mutations in NR5A1 were observed in 5/77 (6.5%) cases of 46,XY DSD including hypospadias. Excluding the cases of 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis the incidence of NR5A1 mutations was 5/66 (7.6%). An individual with isolated distal hypopadias carried a de novo heterozygous missense mutation, thus extending the range of phenotypes associated with NR5A1 mutations and suggesting that this group of patients should be screened for NR5A1 mutations.

Background: Intussusception is a frequent diagnosis during the first year of life. However, it is an uncommon and very rare pathology in neonates and premature infants., Case Reports: Two full term neonates presented an antenatal intussusception associated with fetal ascites; another premature infant developed an intussusception at the age of 15 days. In the three cases the diagnosis of intussusception had only been established during the laparotomy. A recent review of the literature revealed 13 cases of antenatal intussusception, one of these being associated with fetal ascites., Conclusion: The differential diagnosis of fetal ascites should always include intussusception. Early recognition of this pathology and prompt surgical action would avoid fatalities.

The aim of this work is to determine the influence of age, extrahepatic biliary lesions pattern (EHBP) and association to polysplenia syndrome (PS) on 10 years outcome of 164 patients with biliary atresia (BA) treated from 1984 to 1992 by initial Kasai operation (KO) and secondary liver transplantation (LT) when necessary. Actuarial crude survival without or after LT (CS), actuarial survival with native liver (NLS) and jaundice-free actuarial survival with native liver (JFS) were calculated from 1 to 10 years versus age (under/over 45 days), EHBP (favorable/ unfavorable) and PS (no/yes). Overall 10-year CS is 70%, overall 10-year NLS and JFS are 14%. In univariate analysis, age at KO under 46 days, favorable EHBP (BA with patent gallbladder, and/or cystic dilatation of extrahepatic bile duct, or BA restricted to choledocus), and absence of PS are significant determinants of a better outcome regarding CS, NLS and JFS. EHBP is more discriminant than age. Influence of PS in this series is redundant with that of EHBP since 11/11 patients with PS had unfavorable EHBP.

According to French rules for cadaver organ sharing, children with biliary atresia (BA) complicated with acute necrosis (ALN) can be registered on the waiting list for liver transplantation (LT) in a special intermediate grade urgent code. Over a 7 years period, 100 children have been submitted to elective LT for BA and 15 to urgent LT. Urgent procedures accounted for 25% of LT for BA in patients aged 0-2 years and 67% (8/12) in patients under 1 year of age. Children actuarial survival at 1, 12 and 48 months was respectively 66%, 60% and 60% versus 92%, 86% and 85%, deaths occurring earlier in the urgent group. Graft actuarial survival at 1, 12 and 48 months were 60%, 53% and 53% versus 85%, 77% and 76% (p < 0.05), respectively. Outcome of children and grafts after LT is not significantly different in BA cases and in other urgent indications, excluding retransplantations. In a LT program based on cadaver organ donation, allocation of in an urgent registration code to children with BA and ALN offers them more than 50% chance to escape death and does not result in wasting of grafts.

The diagnosis assigned to a cystic collection of liver hilum (CCLH) detected by means of prenatal ultrasonography is usually that of choledochal cyst (CC) thus carrying a good prognosis. The aim of this work is to state more precisely the significance of such CCLH, from a review of our experience. Files of children treated in our institution for either CC or biliary atresia (BA) with bile duct cysts have been screened for prenatal detection of CCLH. From 1985 to 1994, seven children have been referred to our institution, all after birth, all after prenatal detection of CCLH between 22 and 38 weeks of pregnancy (median = 33 weeks). Postnatal diagnosis, established by means of percutaneous cholangiography, was CC in 5 children without any evidence of cholestasis, and BA in 2 children with alcoholic stools and hepatomegaly. The 5 CC patients have been submitted to successful surgery at age 16 days to 10 months. The 2 BA patients have been operated at age 23 and 111 days, the latter unfortunately with gross cirrhosis and portal hypertension. An accurate prenatal diagnosis had been done by previous investigators only in 3 of the 7 cases, all 3 being CC cases. A review of the literature confirms that prenatal detection of a CCLH occurs mostly during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and that of the postnatal diagnosis is almost always CC. Nevertheless the diagnosis of BA, requiring an early surgical procedure is also possible. We recommend that prenatal detection of a CCLH should result at least in referring the baby soon after birth to a team skilled in hepatobiliary pathology.

Vascular complications constitute a major cause of morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation. They are dominated by arterial complications, the most frequent being hepatic artery thrombosis. Venous complications essentially consist of portal vein thrombosis. The preventive treatment of vascular complications is based on a better understanding of the risk factors. Close cooperation between surgeon, and radiologist is essential for effective surgical correction, which requires a rapid diagnosis and is designed to save not only the patient's life, but also, whenever possible, the liver transplant.

Nowadays, liver reduction techniques make it possible to use livers obtained from adults or adolescents for implantation in children. These techniques have been evaluated by analysis of 100 liver transplantations performed between January 1988 and October 1991 in 85 children. Forty-six full-size grafts implanted in 38 children (group 1) were compared with 54 reduced-size grafts implanted in 47 children (group 2). The overall actuarial survival at 4 years was 86 percent. There was no statistical significant difference between the two groups as regards the rates of death (8 versus 19 percent), reoperation (54 versus 64 percent), retransplantation (15 versus 16 percent), hepatic artery thrombosis (13 versus 15 percent) and graft survival (82 versus 70 percent) respectively. Haemorrhage was significantly more frequent in group 1 than in group 2 (P = 0.04), irrespective of whether transplantation was performed urgently or electively. Using reduced-size livers considerably increases the number of liver grafts available to children. Apart from a greater risk of haemorrhage, the results obtained with reduced-size livers were identical with those obtained with full-size livers.

From 1988 until 1992, 94 children with end-stage liver disease were put forward for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) by the surgical and anesthesic teams of the Bicetre Hospital. Due to a majority of adult donors, and to the young age of the recipients (mean = 3 years 3 months), a reduced-size graft was prepared in 64 out of the 111 transplants performed (58%). A number of children (42) had to be reoperated on due to complications: hepatic artery thrombosis, one of the most severe complications following pediatric OLT, occurred in 14 cases, and was an indication for seven out of the 17 retransplantations in this series. The eight deaths which occurred in the early postoperative period were the toll of this particularly challenging surgery.

The authors report an eighteen month experience with orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in children in the Pediatric Department of Hospital Bicêtre in Paris, from January 1988 until July 1989. Thirty-eight OLTs including 4 retransplant operations, were performed in 34 children, aged from 7 months to 13 years, 20 of them under the age of 3 years. Biliary atresia was the indication for 22 children. Twenty-eight donors were children. A reduced-size liver was used in 17 cases. The technique for OLT was based on the description by TE Starzl. Surgical complications led to reoperation in 15 cases, mostly in relation to hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT), which occurred in 7 cases: small donor liver was considered to be one of the causative factors. In all but one case of HAT a retransplant was considered; to date it is has been performed in 3 of these children. Thirty-one children have survived, with a mean follow-up of 8 months, all are at home, except for one child at the time of this report. Liver function tests are normal for 22, and moderately altered for 5. For the four remaining children, retransplant is planned for 3 cases and one child has just been retransplanted. The authors emphasise the fact that OLT in small children requires a specialised pediatric environment, particularly as regards intensive care and nursing.

From 1982 to 1986, 53 newborns (26 boys and 27 girls) were referred to the authors for the management of a congenital anomaly of the urinary tract, following a prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis. The postnatal diagnosis was hydronephrosis in 27 children (10/27 bilateral cases), unilateral multicystic dysplasia in 11, ureteral duplication in 6, primary megaureter or orthotopic ureterocele in 5 (1/5 bilateral case) and posterior urethral valves in 4. An early urinary tract infection was noticed in 5 cases only and 2 boys with urethral valves had an altered renal function at birth. Eight children with a mild lesion were not operated. A radical procedure was performed in 15 cases: excision of a multicystic kidney (10 cases) or heminephrectomy of an upper non-functioning pyelon (5 cases: 3 with heterotopic ureterocele and 2 with ectopic ureter). Thirty children were submitted to a corrective procedure: electrocoagulation of urethral valves (4 cases), ureteroneocystostomy (6 cases) or pyeloplasty (19 unilateral and 1 bilateral procedure). Except in a case of pyeloplasty the result of the reconstructive surgery was considered as good or satisfactory from a radiological point of view, with a mean follow-up of 1.5 year. The essential point of discussion is the evaluation of the factors which must be taken in account to plan an early reconstructive surgical treatment. The main factor, I.e. the natural history of these congenital anomalies remains at yet difficult to predict in a great number of cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

We report our experience of the rapid liver flush technique in multiple organ harvesting from donor children. Between January 1988 and May 1989, out of 33 liver transplantations in 30 children, 24 were performed using livers obtained from children. The donors' mean age was 75 months. In every case several organs were removed (24 kidneys, 9 heart-lung blocks, 9 hearts, 1 pancreas). The mean duration of the procedure was 153 minutes. Supernumerary hepatic vessels (6 left and 2 right hepatic arteries) were left intact. Twenty-two hepatic grafts were classified as functional. Two grafts classified as non-functional were responsible for 2 deaths in this series. The rapid liver flush technique seems to be satisfactory in donor children when the following characteristics are taken into account: tendency to haemodynamic instability, small caliber of the vessels and fragility of tissues.

All urinary stones should undergo detailed studies to identify those related to drug therapy. Among 520 stones analyzed by infrared spectrophotometry, we found 13 drug-induced stones (13/520: 2.5%). Drug-induced stones were caused by glafenine in 7 cases, piridoxylate in 4 cases, triamterene in one case and an unknown organic compound in one case. Glafenine stones appear to develop more readily in infected urine. Triamterene stones are often associated with uric acid disorders. Piridoxylate induces the formation of glyoxylate which is responsible for hyperoxaluria and formation of oxalocalcium stones.