Hiatal hernia is a very rare disease in the pediatric population. However information from our esophageal atresia postoperative follow-up program has hypotheses; “Hiatal hernia may more frequently occur in postoperative esophageal atresia patients (EA group) than in the general pediatric population (GP group)” and “The tension on the esophagus after esophageal anastomosis may be an important etiologic factor of hiatal hernia in EA group”. To prove the first hypotheses, we compared the incidence of hiatal hernia in the GP group with the incidence in the EA group. The Incidence in the GP group was obtained from national statistic data from Statistics Korea and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea. The incidence in the EA group was obtained from the medical record and the imaging studies of our esophageal atresia postoperative follow-up program. To prove the second hypothesis, the presumptive risk factors for the development of hiatal hernia in EA group, such as the type of esophageal atresia, degree of esophageal gap, the stage operation and the redo-operation with resection and re-anastomosis of esophagus were analyzed statistically. The total number of patients in the EA group was ninety-nine and there were 5 hiatus hernias. The incidence of EA group (5 %) is significantly higher than incidence of GP group (0.024 %). (p=0.0001) The statistical analysis of the presumptive risk factors for hiatal hernia development in EA group failed to show any evidence of correlation between postoperative esophageal tension and the hiatal hernia. This study shows that the postoperative patients with esophageal atresia have high occurrence of hiatal hernia and should be followed up carefully to detect hiatal hernia.

Although laparoscopic surgery for hepatobiliary disease in children is possible, it is technically challenging. In an attempt to overcome these difficulties, the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System(R) was used to facilitate the minimally invasive treatment of choledochal cyst in six children. In early consecutive three cases, we experienced three complications; a case of laparotomy conversion, a case of late stenosis of the hepaticojejunostomy, and a case of leakage from a hepaticojejunostomy. However, in the last three cases the complete resection of the choledochal cyst and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy were performed using the robotic surgical system without complication.

We think robot-assisted choledochal cyst resection in children appears safe and feasible, and may increase the variety of complex procedures in pediatric surgical fields.

Meconium obstruction (MO) in neonates arises from highly viscid meconium and the poor motility of the premature gut. Recently the incidence of the MO in neonates has been increasing, but, the diagnosis and treatment of this disease have not yet been clarified. Between March 2004 and April 2010, 24 neonates were treated for MO at Severance Children's Hospital. Their clinical characteristics and treatment were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty neonates were diagnosed with MO and 4 neonates were diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease (HD). The mean birth weight and gestational age of the 20 neonates with MO were 1.45±0.90kg and 31.1±4.6 weeks, respectively. Thirteen neonates (65%) diagnosed with MO weighed less than 1.5kg and 10 neonates (50%) weighed less than 1kg. Half of the neonates with MO were treated by non-operative methods and the other half were treated by operative methods. Compared with the group that weighed over 1.5kg, the group that weighed less than 1.5kg were more frequently operated upon (61.5% vs. 28.5%), and contrast enemas were performed later and more frequently. Also the group that weighed less than 1.5kg had a higher mortality rate (15.4% vs. 0%). Three of the four neonates with HD were diagnosed with long-segment aganglionosis. In conclusion, MO occurred in very low birth weight neonates more often and must be differentiated from HD. Also, MO in very low birth weight neonates should be treated with special attention due to more a complicated clinical course.