Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS) is the most common infantile surgical condition and the standard treatment is open pyloromyotomy. Recently, laparoscopic techniques have rapidly advanced, and the laparoscopic approach has become widely adopted by pediatric surgeons. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes between open and laparoscopic pyloromyotomy. We retrospectively evaluated outcomes of pyloromyotomy for HPS by the open (OP) and the laparoscopic (LP) method. The procedures were performed at the Samsung Medical Center between September 2001 and March 2009. We analyzed patient age, sex, birth weight, length of hospital stay, postoperative length of stay (LOS), operating time, time to feeding commencement, postoperative vomiting frequency, the time to full feeding without vomiting, and surgical complications. A total of 54 patients were included in the study. There were 26 OP and 28 LP patients. There was no statistically significant difference in age, sex, birth weight, operating time, postoperative emesis. In contrast, postoperative LOS in the LP group was statistically significantly shorter than that in the OP group (2.0 vs. 3.3 days, p=0.0003) and time to full feeding was significantly shorter following LP. (p=0.018) There were no wound complications. Laparoscopic pyloromyotomy significantly reduced postoperative LOS and time to full feeding compared to open pyloromyotomy.

The aim of this study was to compare peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion by the open method to the laparoscopic method. Twenty four laparoscopic and 10 open peritoneal dialysis catheter placements were performed in children between 2001 and 2008. Patient characteristics, operation related data, procedural complications and clinical outcome were compared. Although there were no cases of catheter obstruction, exit site infection or bleeding in the laparoscopic group, compared to the open method, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Catheter removal rate due to complication was high in the open group and catheter survival rate was high in the laparoscopic group. We concluded that laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis catheter placement is feasible in children of all age groups with at least equivalent functional results compared to the open method. An advantage of laparoscopic catheter insertion is removal of the great omentum and easy fixation of the catheter to the abdominal wall.

No abstract available.

The aim of this study is to review our clinical experience with patients with Hirschsprung's disease (HD) Medical records of 39 children who underwent definitive surgery for HD at Inha University Hospital from September 1996 to June 2008 were analyzed by age at presentation, sex, gestational age, birth weight, clinical presentation, diagnostic tools, level of aganglionosis, surgical procedures, postoperative complications, and postoperative bowel function. Twenty-five patients (64.1%) were males and 14 (35.9%) were females. Thirty patients (76.9%) were diagnosed and treated in the neonatal period. The transitional zone was at the rectosigmoid region in 89.7%. Twenty-seven patients (69%) were treated by preliminary colostomy or ileostomy. Twenty-four patients had the Duhamel operation, 6 patients anorectal myectomy, and 9 patients had transanal endorectal pull-through (TEP). Five of 9 patients who had the TEP procedure did laparoscopic assistance. Postoperatively, seventeen patients (83%) passed stool once or more times per day and 3 patients had stool soiling. This study demonstrated that the majority of the patients had good results. To determine which treatment is most effective comparative review by operation method would be required.

Malrotation is a congenital anomaly that becomes symptomatic more frequently during infancy. The indication for surgical treatment at that age is straightforward. In older children, the diagnosis may be more difficult because of chronic and vague complaint. The aim of this study is to compare the symptoms, rate of volvulus and surgical findings in children younger and older than one year. A retrospective study of 40 patients in a a single medical center diagnosed with malrotation from April 1996 to May 2010 was performed. There were 20 (50%) boys and 20 (50%) girls. At the time of operation, 27 (67.5%) patients were younger and 13 (32.5%) were older than 1 year. Vomiting was seen in 20 cases (74.1%) of the younger group compared to 2 cases (15.4%) of the older group. Abdominal sonography and upper gastrointestinal series showed a sensitivity of 100%. Operative findings: 12 (44.4%) of the younger group presented with volvulus compared to none of the older group. The Ladd's procedure was routinely performed with appendectomy in all cases and bowel resection was requires when volvulus included bowel necrosis or other anomalies were found. After definite procedures, surgical correction for adhesive obstruction was necessary in 5 menbers (18.5%) of the younger group and 1 patient (7.7%) in the older group. There was 1 death due to respiratory failure and pneumonia. Abdominal pain was more frequent symptom and bilious vomiting was less frequent. Volvulus did not occur in the older group. Malrotation should be diagnosed promptly in children over 1 year of age by upper gastrointestinal series and abdominal ultrasonography even though symptoms are not as clear cut as in infants.

Contralateral groin exploration (CGE) in children with unilateral inguinal hernia remains controversial. Between January 2002 and December 2007, 1967 pediatric patients with inguinal hernia were treated by two surgeons with different criteria of CGE (group A; boys younger than 2 years, older boys prematurely delivered, and all girls, B; birth weight lower than 2kg with inguinal hernia presentation within 6 months after birth, and suspicious physical findings) at Samsung medical center. Patient's age, sex, body weight, diagnosis, and metachronous contralateral inguinal hernia (MIH) incidence were analyzed retrospectively. Among 895 patients in group A, CGE was performed in 460 patients (66.4%) and MIH incidence was 1.7%. In group B, 31 patients (3.5%) had CGE among 1072 patients, and MIH incidence was 4.2%. The average hospital costs of group A and B were 763,956 won and 500,708 won, respectively. The CGE criteria of group B had advantage in total hospital cost. The primary site and the age at presentation had a signiticant effect on the incidence of MIH. But MIH incidence was low and the more contralateral explorations lead to increase of total costs. Therefore, routine contralateral groin exploration and surgery for a patent processus vaginalis could not be justified.

Pediatric lymphangioma can occur at any site. However the neck is the most common site. There are two treatment modalities (surgical excision and intralesional injection) for lymphangiomas. But, the treatment guide line for lymphangioma has not been established, yet. The aim of this study is to establish the treatment guide line based on our experience with lymphangiomas. Medical records of 82 cases of lymphangioma were reviewed retrospectively. On MRI (magnetic resonance image) findings, lymphangiomas were divided into 4 groups by the proportion of the cyst bigger than 2 cm in diameter of the tumor; group A-proportion of cyst occupies more than 75 %, group B-proportion of the cyst 50~75 %, group C-25~50 %, and D in less than 25 %. All patients were treated with OK-432 intralesional injection as the initial treatment. The effective response rates of OK-432 in group A & B were 88.2 % and 88.8 %, respectively. Group C response was 38.0 % and D only 20.0 %. Twenty-three patients received surgical excision. The result of surgical excision was generally satisfactory. Surgical site infection occurred in 1 case and postoperative bleeding in 1 case. Theses results indicate that intralesional injection of OK-432 could be the first line therapy in group A & B. In group C, OK-432 would be better as the first line therapy than surgery. For the group D, surgical excision should be the first line of treatment.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children, and accompanies various clinical symptoms including hypertension. Hypertension is associated with catecholamines secreted from the tumor, and is usually not severe. We report one case of malignant hypertension with cardiac failure in a patient with adrenal neuroblastoma, successfully treated with adrenalectomy. A 3 year-old boy complained of protrusion of the chest wall. Physical examination revealed severe hypertension with cardiac failure. The levels of metabolites of catecholamine were increased in blood (norepinephrine >2000 pg/mL) and urine (norepinephrine 1350.5 ug/day). Abdominal CT showed a 7 cm-sized solid mass arising from the right adrenal gland. After stabilizing the hemodynamics with oral phenoxybenzamine, right adrenalectomy was performed. Pathological diagnosis was a ganglioneuroblastoma. The hypertension and cardiac failure were resolved after tumor removal.

Splenic cystic lesion is uncommon in children, and cystic lymphangioma of the spleen has not been reported in Korean pediatric patients. Here we report a case of cystic lymphangioma arising from the spleen in a 16 year-old male. The patient presented with left flank pain for 5 days after blunt trauma to the same site. On physical examination, left abdominal tenderness and a palpable spleen were noted. Abdominal ultrasound and MRI revealed multiple septated macro-cystic mass abutting to the spleen medially, suggestive of cystic lymphangioma of the spleen. Laparotomy revealed a 20 cm sized cyst in the spleen, and 2,000mL of dark-brownish fluid was aspirated from the cyst. Splenectomy was performed. Pathological examination revealed the cystic lymphangioma. Post-operative recovery was uneventful, and the patient was discharged at 7 days after surgery.

With the widespread use of the obstetrical ultrasound, identification of a fetal suprarenal mass becomes more common. Most of these masses prove to be congenital neuroblastomas (CNB) postnatally. However, the diagnosis is often confused with other benign lesions and the post-natal management remains controversial. The medical records of 13 patients that underwent primary surgical excision for an antenatally detected adrenal CNB, between January 1995 and April 2009, were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical, radiological, surgical, and pathological data on the suprarenal mass were collected. Staging evaluation was performed after histological confirmation of the CNB. Most of the CNBs were stage I (N=11), with 1 stage IV and 1 stage IV-S. Four patients (3 stage I and 1 stage IV-S) had N-myc gene amplification. The stage I patients were cured by surgery alone, and stage IV patients underwent 9 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy and currently have no evidence of disease after 39 months of follow-up. The patient with stage IV-S is currently receiving chemotherapy. There were no post-operative complications. For early diagnosis and treatment, surgical excision should be considered as the primary therapy for an adrenal CNB detected before birth. The surgery can be safely performed during the neonatal period and provides a cure in most cases. Surgical diagnosis and treatment of CNB is recommended in neonatal period.

Choledochal cyst is a congenital dilatation of the bile duct. Intrahepatic bile duct dilatation of type IVa by Todani's classification at the time of diagnosis resolved spontaneously after cyst excision and hepaticojejunostomy in many cases. It should be distinguished from the true cystic dilatation of the intrahepatic ducts, which tends to persist, albeit after some regression. We therefore studied postoperative intrahepatic duct dilatation changes in choledochal cyst. A total of seventy-six choledochal cysts were managed at the Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center from May 1995 to December 2005. The ratio of males to females was 1:2.8. Preoperative radiologic diagnosis by Todani's classification was Type I (n=52, 68.4 %), II (n=1, 1.3 %), IVa (n=23, 30.3 %). Among fifty-five patients with intrahepatic bile duct dilatation we were able to follow up forty-eight by ultrasonography. Twenty-two patients were type IVa, and twenty-six patients were type I and showed intrahepatic duct dilatation. Mean follow-up duration was 35.3 months (9~105 months). Complete regression of dilated intrahepatic duct was observed in fifteen patients of type IVa and twenty-four patients of type I. Incomplete regression of dilated intrahepatic duct was observed in six patients in type IVa and two patients in type I. Only one patient in type IVa showed no change in ductal dilatation during a follow-up period of 15 months. We conclude that true type IVa is much less frequent than what was diagnosed preoperatively by imaging study. Therefore in type IVa patients who are diagnosed preoperatively the decision to perform liver resection should be carefully considered. Postoperative long term follow up of choledochal cyst with intrahepatic bile duct dilation is needed.

Intraabdominal cystic lymphangioma is an uncommon lesion. It is usually found incidentally in patients presenting with an acute abdomen. Laparoscopic excision of intraabdominal cystic lymphangioma is an easy and safe procedure in children. We report one case of cystic lymphangioma in a 6-year-old female. The lesion was located on the left side of the transverse mesocolon. Laparocopic excision of the cyst was performed without complications.

Children who underwent reparative operations for esophageal atresia (EA) with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), are confronted with many gastrointestinal or respiratory problems, especially during the early years of life. We reviewed the medical records of 50 patients who underwent repairs of EA with or without TEF at the Division of Pediatric Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, from December 1994 to December 2005. Current status of children was accessed by telephone-interview, but only 27 of them were accessible. Of 50 patients, 3 patients (6%) were type A, 45 patients (90%) were type C, and 2 patients (4%) were type E. The mean interval between primary operation and interview was 5.5 years. The incidences of growth retardation (<10 percentile of height/weight) were 39% and 21 % during the first 5 years after repairs, respectively. The incidences of dysphagia or gastroesophageal reflux and recurrent respiratory infections were 33% and 39 %, respectively. However, these problems were likely to improve as the children grew. The incidences of growth retardations (<10 percentile of height/weight) were 11% and 11% for the children more than five years postoperative. The incidences of dysphagia or gastroesophageal reflux and recurrent respiratory infections were 22% and 22%, respectively. Children with EA with or without TEF are faced with many obstacles. Close observation and adequate treatment for delayed postoperative complications are necessary to improve the quality of life for these children.

Fundoplication is a common surgical procedure for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Recently the procedure has been performed with increased frequency laparoscopically. The aim of this study is to review our 11 years experience with fundoplication in infants and children. From October 1994 to December 2005, 59 fundoplications in 55 patients were performed at Sungkyunkwan University Samsung Medical Center. Medical records and laboratory results of these children were retrospectively reviewed for sex, age, symptoms and signs, coexisting disease, diagnostic methods, treatment modalities and length of operative time. Open fundoplication was performed in 41 cases and laparoscopic fundoplication in 18 cases. Simultaneous gastrostomy was done in 27 cases. Recurrent GERD symptom occurred in four patients (7.2 %) within 2 years after first fundoplication and all 4 patients had re-do fundoplication. There were no intra- and immediate post-operative complications. Gastrointesitnal symptoms were the most common indication for fundoplication in neurologically normal patients. The most frequent diagnostic studies were upper gastrointestinal series (76.3 %) and 24 hour esophageal pH monitoring (78.2 %). Fundoplication had been increased since 2004 and mostly done laparoscopically. In conclusion, our 11 years' practice of open and laparoscopic fundoplication indicates that both approaches are safe and effective in the treatment of GERD for infants and children.

Pancreatic tumors in children are very rare but have a better prognosis compared with that in adult. Pediatric pancreatic tumors are more often benign and easier to resect. To evaluate the characteristics and prognosis, the records of 13 patients who underwent pancreatic resection, from June 1997 to May 2005, at Samsung Medical Center were reviewed. The mean follow up period was 48 months. The male to female ratio was 1: 1.6. Mean age was 10.3 years. Signs and symptoms included abdominal pain (7), abdominal palpable mass (5), jaundice (1), hypoglycemic (1), and non-specific GI symptoms (4). The commonly used diagnostic tools were CT and abdominal sonography. In addition, MRI, ERCP, EEG, and hormone test were also done when indicated. Surgical procedures included distal pancreatectomy (5), pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (4), tumor excision (3), and subtotal pancreatectomy (1). Locations of lesions in pancreas were head (4), tail (5), and body and tail (4). Postoperative complications developed in 3 cases; postoperative ileus (1), wound problem (1), and pancreatitis (1). The pathologic diagnosis included solid-pseudopapillary tumor (6), congenital simple cyst (1), pancreatic duplication cyst (1), serous oligocystic adenoma (1), mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (1), rhabdomyosarcoma (1), insulinoma (1), and pancreatoblastoma (1). Three cases received adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Overall survival rate was 81%. One patient with a mucinous cystadenocarcinoma died. In this study, pancreatic tumors in children were resectable in all patients and had good survival. Surgery of pancreatic tumors should be regarded as the gold standard of treatment and a good prognosis can be anticipated in most cases of benign and malignant tumors.

Liver tumors in children are rare, relatively complex, and encompass a broad spectrum of disease processes. This study reviews our experience of liver tumors during the last 10 years. Medical records of 36 cases of liver tumors?in children, treated at Samsung Medical Centers, from October 1994 to December 2005, were reviewed in this study. We analyzed disease characters and survival rates as a whole and by specific disease. The median age was 3.6 years. Male and female ratio was 1:1. The most common symptom was the palpable mass in 15 cases. Others were abdominal distension in 9 cases, jaundice in 2, vomiting in 2, weight loss in 2, and pubic hair growth in 1. CT or US and liver biopsy were performed for diagnosis. There were 28 malignant tumors: malignant rhabdoid tumor (1 case), hepatocellular carcinoma (3 cases), hemangioendothelioma type II (3 cases), angiosarcoma (1 case), and hepatoblastoma (20 cases). Eight tumors were benign; hepatic adenoma (1 case), focal nodular hyperplasia (2 cases), hemangioendothelioma type I (2 cases), mesenchymal hamartoma (3 cases). In this study the clinical characteristics were not different from the other reports. Liver transplantation was performed in 3 cases-1 with hepatoblastoma and 2 with hepatocelleular carcinoma. Accurate and early diagnosis, and individualized multi- modality therapeutic approaches might be important for better outcome.

Pediatric laparoscopic appendectomy is controversial particularly in complicated appendicitis. We evaluated the outcomes of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) and open appendectomy (OA) in simple appendicitis and complicated appendicitis respectively. Since June 2004, initial LA has been our policy in all appendicitis including complicated ones. A total of 160 patients were included in this study, consisting of 80 OA (August 2001 . August 2003) and 80 LA (June 2004 . June 2006). We compared the operating time, the length of hospital stay, the length of antibiotics use, and the postoperative complications between LA and OA. In simple appendicitis (73), there were no differences between LA and OA. However in the 87 patients with complicated appendicitis, the operating time was longer in LA (64.8 min vs. 50.2 min) but the length of hospital stay was shorter in LA than OA (8.5 days vs. 9.6 days). There was one complication in simple appendicitis group and six in complicated appendicitis group (3 cases in LA, 3 cases in OA). There was no difference in the results of LA versus OA in simple appendicitis. Therefore for simple appendicitis, LA is recommended in consideration of the cosmetic effect (fewer scar). In complicated appendicitis, early discharge was an advantage and there were no differences in complications in LA despite a longer operative time. So we conclude LA can be considered as the first choice of treatment for all pediatric appendicitis including complicated appendicitis. To confirm our impressions, more well controlled randomized prospective studied need to be done.

Inguinal hernia is the most common disease treated by the pediatric surgeon. There are several controversial aspects of management 1)the optimal timing of surgical repair, especially for preterm babies, 2)contralateral groin exploration during repair of a clinically unilateral hernia, 3)use of laparoscope in contralateral groin exploration, 4)timing of surgical repair of cord hydrocele, 5)perioperative pain control, 6)perioperative management of anemia. In this survey, we attempted to determine the approach of members of KAPS to these aspects of hernia treatment. A questionnaire by e-mail or FAX was sent to all members. The content of the questionnaire were adapted from the “American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Surgery hernia survey revisited (J Pediatr Surg 40, 1009-1014, 2005)”. For full-term male baby, most surgeons (85.7 %) perform an elective operation as soon as diagnosis was made. For reducible hernia found in ex-preterm infants already discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), 76.2 % of surgeons performed an elective repair under general anesthesia (85.8 %). 42.9 % of the surgeons performed the repair just before discharge. For same-day surgery for the ex-premature baby, the opinion was evenly divided. For an inguinal hernia with a contralateral undescended testis in a preterm baby, 61.9 % of surgeons choose to ‘wait and see’ until 12 month of age. The most important consideration in deciding the timing of surgery of inguinal hernia in preterm baby was the existence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (82.4 %), episode of apnea/bradycardia on home monitoring (70.6 %). Most surgeons do not explore the contralateral groin during unilateral hernia repair. Laparoscope has not been tried. Most surgeons do not give perioperative analgesics or blood transfusion.

Failure of the urachus to regress completely results in anomalies that may be classified as patent urachus, urachal sinus, urachal cyst and bladder diverticula. The presenting symptoms of children with urachal anomalies are variable and uniform guidelines for diagnosis and treatment are lacking. The purpose of this study was to elucidate our conclusions regarding the presentation, diagnosis and treatment of urachal anomalies by reviewing our experiences. We retrospectively analyzed the records of 32 patients who were admitted for urachal anomalies from March 1995 to February 2005. The age distribution of these patients at presentation ranged from 1 day to 14 years old (median age 1 month) and they included 20 boys and 12 girls. The 32 cases comprised 13 cases of urachal sinus (40.6%), 10 urachal cyst (31.3%), and 9 patent urchus (28.1%). The presenting symptoms were umbilical discharge (14 patients), umbilical granuloma (8), abdominal pain and fever (3), fever (3), abdominal pain (2), and a low abdominal mass (2). In 30 patients ultrasonography was used for diagnosis and 2 patients with patent urachus were explored without using a diagnostic method. Twenty-three patients were confirmed by ultrasonography alone and 7 patients were examined using additional modalities, namely, computed tomography for 2 patients with an urachal cyst, magnetic resonance imaging for 1 patient with an urachal cyst, and fistulography for 3 patients with an urachal sinus. Excision was performed in 29 patients, and 3 patients were conservatively managed. Urachal anomalies in children most frequently presented in neonates, and the most common complaint was umbilical discharge with infection. Urachal anomalies can be diagnosed by a good physical examination and an appropriate radiographic test, and ultrasound was found the most useful diagnostic method. Complete surgical excision of an urachal anomaly is recommended to avoid recurrence, and even, though rare, carcinoma development.

Improvement in prenatal ultrasonography is leading to diagnose choledochal cyst before birth and before onset of classical symptom more frequently. But, there is a controversy about optimal timing for cyst excision of prenatally diagnosed asymptomatic choledochal cyst. To identify the most appropriate timing for surgery in prenatally diagnosed choledochal cysts, we analyzed 6 patients who had operation for choledochal cysts within 30days after birth at the division of Pediatric Surgery, Samsung Medical Center and Inha University School of Medicine, from June 1995 to June 2002. Males were four and females 2, the mean age at operation was 11.2 days, and the median age 8.0 days. The range of gestational ages of the antenatal diagnosis of bile duct dilatation was 24 weeks to 32 weeks, mean was 38.3 weeks, and mean birth weight was 3,298.3 g. After birth, abdominal ultrasonography, hepatobiliary scintigraphy, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancratography (MRCP) were performed. Mean age at operation was 11.2 days. All patients had the cyst excision and Roux- en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. Immediate postoperative complication was not found. During the median follow-up period of 41 months, one patient was admitted due to cholangitis, and the other due to variceal bleeding. Early operative treatment of asymptomatic newborn is safe and effective to prevent developing complications later in life.

No abstract available.

To estimate the normal anal canal pressure in neonates, anal manometry was performed in 46 normal babies less than 6 days of age. Twenty-eight of the subjects were boys and 18 girls. All the subjects passed meconium within 24 hours after birth. Birth weights were above 2.4 kg. There were no sexual differences in birth weight, birth height, gestational age, postnatal age, or Apgar score (p<0.05). The mean manometry values were; anal sphincter length 18.6± 3.9 mm, high pressure zone (HPZ) 9.2 ± 3.6 mm, vector volume 2027.2 ± 2440.7 mmHg2cm, maximum pressure 42.3 ± 17.4 mmHg, and position of the maximum pressure 6.0 ± 22.4 mm. Only the HPZ of boys was longer than those of girls (p=0.005). In squeezing state, HPZ and the position of maximun pressure were not changed from resting state. HPZ, vector volume, and maximum pressure in boys were higher than those in girls. As the birth weight increased, the anal sphincter length (p=0.001) and the HPZ increased (p=0.047). The resting pressures of the anal canal were evaluated in three portions; /23 upper portion, 12.8± 8.6mmHg, middle portion, 20.3 ± 10.8mmHg, and lower portion, 26.1 ± 12.9 mmHg. These normal values may serve as guidelines for the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of neonatal anal diseases.