An unusual cause of small bowel obstruction caused by a Richter's-type hernia into the urinary bladder

INTRODUCTION

The authors present an unusual case of small bowel obstruction in a 62-year-old man.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

A 62-year-old man with a background of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, distension, vomiting and had not opened his bowels for three days. 3 weeks previously he had a repeat Transurtheral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT), during which there was an iatrogenic perforation of the bladder. A CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis revealed small bowel obstruction but did not identify a cause. At laparotomy the cause of the obstruction was identified as a section of the small bowel that had partially herniated into the bladder, via the perforation. The defect was repaired and the patient made an uneventful recovery.

DISCUSSION

Herniation of the bowel into a defect in the bladder wall is a rare event with only 6 previous cases reported in the literature. It can cause signs and symptoms of bowel obstruction.

CONCLUSION

In patients with known bladder perforations who present with symptoms and signs of bowel obstruction, bowel herniation into the bladder should be considered. Early surgical intervention may be necessary if the patient is clinically unwell with appropriate symptoms and signs and imaging does not provide conclusive answer.

Feeding patterns, diarrhoeal illness and linear growth in 0-24-month-old children

The aim was to study the impact of simple healthcare interventions in 0-24-month-old children living in rural communities outside Lahore, Pakistan. Newborns belonging to four birth cohorts were followed monthly from 0-24 months of age living in rural communities. Three cohorts were from the same village: Cohort A (1984-1987), n = 485; Cohort B (1990-1992), n = 544; and Cohort C (1995-1997), n = 518. A fourth, Cohort D, was from neighbouring villages (1995-1997), n = 444. Findings from Cohort A formed the basis of a healthcare programme, including promotion of optimal breastfeeding practices, advice on oral rehydration therapy, and continued feeding during diarrhoea. The outcome measures studied were time of initiation of breastfeeding, feeding of prelacteals, exclusive breastfeeding, diarrhoeal illnesses, and postnatal linear growth. The median time of initiation of breastfeeding decreased from 47 to 3 h and exclusive breastfeeding increased from 5 per cent in Cohort A to more than 80 per cent in the subsequent cohorts, at 1 month of age. No prelacteals were given to 34 per cent of newborns in later cohorts compared with 100 per cent in Cohort A. Diarrhoeal illnesses during the first 6 months had reduced significantly. Postnatal linear growth improved by about 3 cm in the later cohorts. Appropriate changes in breastfeeding practices through integrated and focused healthcare, especially antenatally, can reduce diarrhoeal illnesses, and sustain and improve linear growth in young children.

Determinants of stunting at 6, 12, 24 and 60 months and postnatal linear growth in Pakistani children

A "nested" case-control design was used to identify cases from a longitudinally followed cohort of 1236 newborns registered during 1984-1987, living in three socioeconomically different areas. The children had a length <-2SDS (standard deviation scores) at 6, 12, 24 and 60 mo of age using the NCHS reference. The controls were matched for gender, area and month of birth. A logistic regression analysis was used for determining the risk factors for stunting at each age. Postnatal linear growth was also examined in these two groups of children and body size was compared with the NCHS reference and that of upper-middle-class children (n = 240). At 6 mo of age, prematurity and duration of breastfeeding showed a significant association with stunting. At 12 mo, maternal height, birthweight and stunting at 6 mo, while at 24 mo, stunting at 6, 12 and 18 mo were identified as important factors. At 60 mo, no other factors besides previous stunting could be identified. The mean height reached at 60 mo showed a deficit of 6 and 13 cm for the controls and the cases, respectively, compared to the NCHS reference. Twenty-eight percent of the children from the two poor areas who were stunted at 6 mo had improved by 60 mo of age.

CONCLUSION

The risk factors for stunting varied at different ages, relating more to feeding at early ages and to previous stunting, predominantly at higher ages. The linear growth showed that faltering increased with age when cases and controls were treated separately. Recovery from stunting could also be demonstrated.

Clostridium difficile toxic megacolon following splenectomy

A case of toxic megacolon following splenectomy for lymphoma is presented. The aetiology of Clostridial difficile infection is reviewed and the hazards of perioperative prohylactic antibiotics are discussed.

Timing of emergence of individual primary teeth. A prospective longitudinal study of Pakistani children

Primary tooth emergence in Pakistani children was investigated as a part of a prospective interdisciplinary study of growth and development. The average order of emergence of the primary teeth was in agreement with previous studies from other countries. There was no sex difference in emergence of individual primary teeth. The emergence of the primary incisors and mandibular first molars in both sexes, and the canines in boys were significantly delayed compared to Swedish standards (Hägg & Taranger 1986).