Impact and Citation Trends of Surveys Endorsed by the EUPSA Network Office in Pediatric Surgery: A Bibliometric Analysis.

The European Pediatric Surgeons' Association (EUPSA) Network Office regularly endorses surveys that address controversial topics in pediatric surgery. However, the scientific impact of these within the medical literature remains unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of all published EUPSA-endorsed surveys.

Esophageal Atresia Repair in Germany: Utilization Patterns, Hospital Characteristics and Costs.

Thoracoscopic esophageal atresia (EA) repair is a demanding procedure. It provides long-term benefits for patients including better cosmesis and less musculoskeletal sequelae compared with open surgery. Besides technical challenges, there is concern that thoracoscopy increases treatment costs.

Postoperative Flank Bulge in Infants After Open CDH Repair: An Underreported Complication.

Flank bulge (FB) is a rare postoperative complication, most commonly following surgery with retroperitoneal access through flank incision. It is characterized by relaxation of anterolateral wall muscles with abnormal protrusion of the abdominal wall. The assumed pathomechanism is iatrogenic injury of the intercostal nerves T11/T12.

Rectal budesonide: A potential game changer after Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy.

Objectives: Intravenous or oral steroid administration in patients with biliary atresia (BA) after Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy (HPE) is commonly practiced, however, the benefits remain controversial. Some studies suggest no positive effects while risking steroid associated side effects. Rectal application of glucocorticoids has so far only been assessed by our group with promising short-term results.

Clinical Outcomes of Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage in Pediatric Patients following Liver Transplantation.

Purpose: Cholestatic complications remain a primary cause of post-liver transplantation (LTX) morbidity in pediatric patients. Standard biliary access by endoscopic retrograde cholangioscopy may not be feasible due to modified biliary drainage. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTCD) may be performed alternatively.

The Role of GERD Diagnosis and Treatment in Preventing Lung Function Decline After Pediatric Lung Transplantation.

Background/purpose:  Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) after lung transplantation (LuTx) can lead to chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of GERD in pediatric LuTx recipients and to investigate the impact of medical and surgical GERD treatment on lung function.

Methods:  Ethical approval was obtained.

Alpha-1-antitrypsin improves anastomotic healing in intestinal epithelial cells model.

Purpose: Intestinal anastomosis is a routine procedure in pediatric surgery, with leakage being a significant complication. Human alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT), whose physiological serum concentrations range from 0.9-2.

Medical Costs of Patients Undergoing Esophageal Atresia Repair are Mainly Influenced by Associated Malformations.

Background:  Esophageal atresia (EA) is a rare disease requiring surgical repair, usually within the first days of life. Patients with EA require intensive postoperative care and often have comorbidities. There is a lack of data on the costs incurred by patients with EA during the first year of life.

Physical Activity Levels in Children with Esophageal Atresia and Congenital Heart Disease: A Comparative Multicenter Study.

Aim Of The Study:  Esophageal atresia (EA) is associated with impaired motor development, cardiopulmonary function, and physical activity (PA). Despite missing scientific evidence, this fact is often attributed to associated congenital heart disease (CHD). The aim of this study was to investigate PA in EA patients without CHD compared with CHD patients and healthy controls.

Lost in transition? Loss of follow-up and quality of life in adults after resection of choledochal malformation in childhood.

Objectives: Choledochal malformation (CM) is a rare disease that can lead to malignancy and potential long-term sequelae despite surgical resection. There is no long-term follow-up data on patients after CM resection in Germany. We aimed to determine the long-term outcome of our patients with a duration of follow-up >10 years and focused on long-term sequelae and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

European Pediatric Surgeons' Association Survey on Timing of Inguinal Hernia Repair in Premature Infants.

Aim:  This article evaluates the practice patterns of European Pediatric Surgeons' Association (EUPSA) members regarding the timing of inguinal hernia (IH) repair in premature infants.

Methods:  Online survey containing 29 questions distributed to EUPSA members during January 2023.

Results:  A total of 180 responds were received.

Transitional Care for Patients with Congenital Colorectal Diseases: An EUPSA Network Office, ERNICA, and eUROGEN Joint Venture.

Background: Transition of care (TOC; from childhood into adulthood) of patients with anorectal malformations (ARM) and Hirschsprung disease (HD) ensures continuation of care for these patients. The aim of this international study was to assess the current status of TOC and adult care (AC) programs for patients with ARM and HD.

Methods: A survey was developed by members of EUPSA, ERN eUROGEN, and ERNICA, including patient representatives (ePAGs), comprising of four domains: general information, general questions about transition to adulthood, and disease-specific questions regarding TOC and AC programs.

Case report: Rescue treatment with add-on selexipag in a preterm infant with suprasystemic pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis, and isolated pulmonary vein stenosis.

An extremely dystrophic, premature female infant, born at 25 3/7 weeks of gestational age (birth weight: 430 g) with severe pulmonary hypertension (PH), was admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) requiring cardiorespiratory support, including mechanical ventilation and pulmonary vasodilators such as inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and continuous intravenous sildenafil infusions. The diagnosis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was made. A hemodynamically relevant, persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was surgically ligated after failed pharmacologic PDA closure using indomethacin and ibuprofen.

Heterozygous variants in the DVL2 interaction region of DACT1 cause CAKUT and features of Townes-Brocks syndrome 2.

Most patients with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) remain genetically unexplained. In search of novel genes associated with CAKUT in humans, we applied whole-exome sequencing in a patient with kidney, anorectal, spinal, and brain anomalies, and identified a rare heterozygous missense variant in the DACT1 (dishevelled binding antagonist of beta catenin 1) gene encoding a cytoplasmic WNT signaling mediator. Our patient's features overlapped Townes-Brocks syndrome 2 (TBS2) previously described in a family carrying a DACT1 nonsense variant as well as those of Dact1-deficient mice.

Need for transition medicine in pediatric surgery - health related quality of life in adolescents and young adults with congenital malformations.

Survival rates of patients with visceral congenital malformations have increased considerably. However, long-term morbidity in these patients is high. In the last decades, these circumstances have led to a shift in goals of caretakers and researchers with a new focus on patients' perspectives and long-term morbidity.

European Pediatric Surgeons' Association Survey on the Use of Splenic Embolization in Blunt Splenic Trauma in Children.

Introduction:  This article assesses (1) access to splenic embolization (SE), (2) indications for SE, and (3) post-embolization management in high-grade splenic trauma in children.

Materials And Methods:  An online questionnaire was sent in 2021 to all members of European Pediatric Surgeons' Association.

Results:  There were a total of 157 responses (50 countries, 83% academic hospitals).

[Recommendation for standardized medical care for children and adolescents with long COVID].

This current consensus paper for long COVID complements the existing AWMF S1 guidelines for long COVID with a detailed overview on the various clinical aspects of long COVID in children and adolescents. Members of 19 different pediatric societies of the DGKJ convent and collaborating societies together provide expert-based recommendations for the clinical management of long COVID based on the currently available but limited academic evidence for long COVID in children and adolescents. It contains screening questions for long COVID and suggestions for a structured, standardized pediatric medical history and diagnostic evaluation for patients with suspected long COVID.

Factors of family impact in a Swedish-German cohort of children born with esophageal atresia.

Background: After repair of esophageal atresia (EA), childhood survivors commonly present with digestive and respiratory morbidity, and around 55% have associated anomalies. Although it is known that these problems can reduce health-related quality of life in children with EA, less is understood about the impact on the family. We aimed to identify factors related to family impact in children with EA.

Interstitial lung disease in infancy and early childhood: a clinicopathological primer.

Children's interstitial lung disease (chILD) encompasses a wide and heterogeneous spectrum of diseases substantially different from that of adults. Established classification systems divide chILD into conditions more prevalent in infancy and other conditions occurring at any age. This categorisation is based on a multidisciplinary approach including clinical, radiological, genetic and histological findings.

[Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas in Children and Adolescents - Tailored Diagnostic and Operative Concepts in Four Patients].

Background: Pancreatic tumors in children and adolescents are rare entities that can stay asymptomatic for long periods. They often become apparent as incidental findings or due to clinical symptoms, like abdominal pain. Solid pseudopapillary neoplasms of the pancreas (SPN) are rare representatives of this group, being low-grade malignant processes and requiring radical surgical treatment.

Complete Tracheal Ring Deformity, Recurrent Pneumothoraces and Pleuropulmonary Blastoma in a Child: Coincidence or Common Genetic Cause?

Complete tracheal ring deformity (CTRD) is a rare abnormality of unknown etiology characterized by circumferentially continuous cartilaginous tracheal rings leading to variable degrees of tracheal stenosis with or without additional heart and lung malformations. Pleuropulmonary blastomas (PPB) are rare malignant mesenchymal tumors, which occur almost exclusively in young children. Pathogenic germline variants are associated with PPB but also with other tumors like rhabdomyosarcoma or syndromic diseases like GLOW (Global developmental delay, lung cysts, overgrowth and Wilms tumor) syndrome.