Versatility of the circumumbilical incision in neonatal surgery

Enhanced recovery protocol for congenital duodenal obstruction - initial experiences with development and implementation

BACKGROUND

The experience with Enhanced Recovery After Surgery® (ERAS®) protocols in neonatal intestinal surgery is very limited. We present the development and implementation of an Enhanced Recovery Protocol (ERP) designed specifically for neonates treated for congenital duodenal obstruction (CDO), and early outcome after implementation.

METHODS

An ERP for CDO was developed and implemented. Experiences with ERP development and implementation are described. Early clinical outcome in patients treated before (January 2015-Descember 2020) and after (February 2022-September 2024) implementation were compared. Ethical approval was obtained.

RESULTS

A multidisciplinary ERP team was established. The ERP for CDO was developed with stakeholder involvement. Implementation was challenging, but with close follow-up and frequent meetings with the involved medical disciplines, an overall ERP compliance of 80% was achieved for the 21 patients treated after implementation. Compared to 40 patients treated before ERP implementation (January 2015-Descember 2020), the use of minimally invasive surgery increased and time to first postoperative enteral and breast feed were reduced, without increasing the rate of postoperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

This study presents an ERP specifically designed for CDO with a unique description of our experiences with the development and implementation process. Early results suggest that this ERP for CDO is feasible and safe.

Scar revision for persistent pain and activity limitation after exploratory laparotomy in infancy: A case series

Exploratory laparotomy in neonates is typically performed via a transverse laparotomy incision. However, this incision may be complicated by poor cosmesis and scar contracture. In three patients, primary gastroenterologists identified significant scar contractures that resulted in pain and limitations with physical activity, necessitating surgical referrals. All patients required subsequent surgical revision of their scar, which involved creation of skin flaps, repair of abdominal wall hernias if present, and reapproximation of the subcutaneous tissue. We describe this phenomenon and the resultant need for surgical management to raise awareness of these late complications and suggest subcutaneous tissue reapproximation should be performed when possible during abdominal wall closure.

Vertical Umbilical Incision Achieves Better Cosmesis Than Periumbilical Incision in Neonates and Infants

PURPOSE

 The transumbilical approach is widely used for minimally invasive surgery in children. We compared herein the postoperative cosmesis between two types of transumbilical approach: a vertical incision versus periumbilical incision.

METHODS

 Patients with a transumbilical laparotomy before age one year were prospectively enrolled between January 2018 and December 2020. A vertical incision or periumbilical incision was chosen at the surgeon's discretion. After excluding patients receiving a relaparotomy via another site, a questionnaire about the appearance of the umbilicus was completed by the patients' guardians at postoperative month 6 to assess satisfaction and determine the visual analog scale score. A photograph of the umbilicus was taken while the questionnaire was being administered for later assessment by surgeons blinded to the scar and umbilical shape.

RESULTS

 Forty patients were enrolled; 24 patients received a vertical incision while 16 received a periumbilical incision. The incision length was significantly shorter in the vertical incision group (median: 2.0; range: 1.5-3.0 cm vs. median: 2.75; range: 1.5-3.6 cm) (p = 0.001). The patients' guardians reported significantly higher satisfaction (p = 0.002) and higher scores on the visual analog scale (p = 0.046) in the vertical incision group (n = 22) than in the periumbilical incision group (n = 15). The surgeons' evaluation was associated with significantly more patients with a vertical incision than with a periumbilical incision achieving a cosmetically preferable outcome, including an invisible or fine scar and a normal umbilical shape.

CONCLUSION

 A vertical umbilical incision can provide better postoperative cosmesis than a periumbilical incision.

Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infection in Neonates: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: Surgical site infections (SSI) contribute to postoperative morbidity and mortality in children. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence and identify risk factors for SSI in neonates. Methods: Using a defined strategy, three investigators searched articles on neonatal SSI published since 2000. Studies on neonates and/or patients admitted to neonatal intensive care unit following cervical/thoracic/abdominal surgery were included. Risk factors were identified from comparative studies. Meta-analysis was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines using RevMan 5.3. Data are (mean ± SD) prevalence. Results: Systematic review-of 885 abstracts screened, 48 studies (27,760 neonates) were included. The incidence of SSI was 5.6% (1,564 patients). SSI was more frequent in males (61.8%), premature babies (77.4%), and following gastrointestinal surgery (95.4%). Meta-analysis-10 comparative studies (16,442 neonates; 946 SSI 5.7%) showed that predictive factors for SSI development were gestational age, birth weight, age at surgery, length of surgical procedure, number of procedure per patient, length of preoperative hospital stay, and preoperative sepsis. Conversely, preoperative antibiotic use was not significantly associated with development of SSI. Conclusions: Younger neonates and those undergoing abdominal procedures are at higher risk for SSI. Given the lack of evidence-based literature, prospective studies may help determine the risk factors for SSI in neonates.

A novel approach to neonatal abdominal surgery via a circular incision around the umbilical cord

We present a new, scarless, circular incisional approach around the umbilical cord for neonates with intestinal atresia. This novel approach achieves truly woundless surgery. It is simple, safe, and can be used for an intestinal surgical treatment in neonates.

Supraumbilical incision with U-u umbilicoplasty for congenital duodenal atresia: the Stockholm experience

BACKGROUND

Minimizing scars has become a major concern in pediatric surgery. Since Tan and Bianchi introduced the minimally invasive umbilical incision for Ramstedt's pyloromyotomy, their technique has been adopted for a variety of neonatal abdominal conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate a modification of the skin incision.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We have modified Bianchi's original technique to access the abdomen through the linea alba by introducing a novel U-to-u umbilicoplasty and compare the results with the traditional transverse incision. This new approach improves the abdominal access and is easy to perform.

RESULTS

The operating time with the U-to-u umbilicoplasty is not longer than in standard transverse laparotomy, the access to the abdomen is more than adequate, the incidence of postoperative complications is similar and the cosmetic results are excellent.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that the umbilical approach with this novel U-to-u umbilicoplasty to treat congenital duodenal obstruction in the newborn is a safe and effective method and a good alternative to the standard transverse laparotomy approach.

Laparoscopic-assisted resection of juvenile polyp of the jejunum in a 3-year-old girl

Sporadic juvenile polyp of the jejunum is exceedingly rare, reported only once in the English literature. We describe a 3-year-old girl with a long-lasting history of chronic iron deficiency anemia and a delayed diagnosis of jejunal polyp. The lesion was eventually discovered by ultrasonography and successfully resected using a laparoscopic-assisted transumbilical approach.

A comparison of circumumbilical and transverse abdominal incisions for neonatal abdominal surgery

PURPOSE

Although neonatal bowel surgery traditionally involves a transverse abdominal incision, several authors have reported that the circumumbilical incision is effective and cosmetically appealing. We report the first study comparing the circumumbilical incision to the transverse abdominal incision for a variety of neonatal abdominal operations.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort analysis comparing the circumumbilical incision to the transverse abdominal incision for neonates who underwent surgical repair of malrotation, duodenal atresia/web, or intestinal atresia/web was performed between 1999 and 2009.

RESULTS

One hundred thirty-two patients underwent a laparotomy through a transverse abdominal incision (n = 106) or a circumumbilical incision (n = 26). Baseline characteristics between groups were similar. No differences were found when comparing operative time, postoperative days on a ventilator, narcotic infusion, time to full feeds, length of hospital stay, incidence of surgical site infection, and bowel obstruction. Although more incisional hernias occurred in the circumumbilical incision group (38%) than the transverse abdominal incision group (6%), all hernias in the circumumbilical group resolved without intervention, whereas 33% required surgical repair in the transverse abdominal group.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of its cosmetic advantages and similar outcomes to the transverse abdominal incision, the circumumbilical incision should be considered as an alternative to the transverse abdominal approach in neonatal surgery.