The Korean Association of Pediatric Surgeons (KAPS) performed a nationwide survey on sacrococcygeal teratoma in 2018.
The authors reviewed and analyzed the clinical data of patients who had been treated for sacrococcygeal teratoma by KAPS members from 2008 to 2017.
A total of 189 patients from 18 institutes were registered for the study, which was the first national survey of this disease dealing with a large number of patients in Korea. The results were discussed at the 34th annual meeting of KAPS, which was held in Jeonju on June 21–22, 2018.
We believe that this study could be utilized as a guideline for the treatment of sacrococcygeal teratoma to diminish pediatric surgeons' difficulties in treating this disease and thus lead to better outcomes.
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.