The Classification and Surgical Treatments in Adult Hirschsprung’s Disease: A Retrospective Study

Ultrasonic Diagnosis of Intestinal Obstruction in Neonates-Original Article

BACKGROUND

Intestinal obstruction in neonates is a common problem that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment, and ultrasound could be a potential tool for it. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of ultrasonography in diagnosing and identifying the cause of intestinal obstruction in neonates, the corresponding ultrasonic manifestations, as well as to utilize the diagnostic method.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of all neonatal intestinal obstruction in our institute between 2009 and 2022. The accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of intestinal obstruction and the identification of its etiology was compared with the results of operation as the gold standard.

RESULTS

The accuracy of the ultrasonic diagnosis of intestinal obstruction was 91%, and the accuracy of the ultrasonic etiological diagnosis of intestinal obstruction was 84%. The main ultrasound findings for the neonatal intestinal obstruction were dilation and high tension of the proximal bowel and collapse of the distal intestinal. Other major manifestations were the presence of corresponding diseases causing intestinal obstruction at the junction of the dilated and collapsed bowel.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound has the advantages of being a flexible multi-section dynamic evaluation and a valuable tool to diagnose and identify the cause of intestinal obstruction in neonates.

Megacolon as a Feature of Suspected Robinow Syndrome

This study presents the routine prosection findings of a 73-year-old male cadaver, with the cause of death reported to be hypertension and respiratory failure. Deep thorax and abdomen dissection exposed profound external and internal anatomical abnormalities. Externally, the body exhibited the following: pectus excavatum; short-limbed dwarfism; and abnormalities of the head, face, and external genitalia. Most of these findings suggest that the donor had Robinow syndrome, a rare genetic disorder involving developmental delay and skeletal abnormalities akin to those found in this cadaver. The internal gross anatomical findings included the following: megacolon; hiatal hernia; bilateral inguinal hernias; laterally displaced right kidney with a fibrous adhesion extending from the inferior pole of the kidney to the inguinal canal; atypical branching of the abdominal aorta; superiorly displaced diaphragm; pulmonary hypoplasia; heart right of midline; and curved esophagus. Although determining the exact etiology of megacolon is difficult in a cadaveric specimen, it is important to investigate the physiological changes associated with it. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the space-occupying pathology of megacolon and to discuss a potential connection between megacolon and Robinow syndrome.