Publications by authors named "Mary T Austin"

Background: Repair strategies for pediatric vascular injuries must consider vascular growth and intervention durability. Endovascular interventions are increasingly utilized in pediatrics, particularly in unstable patients or for injuries in surgically morbid regions. This study describes a single-center experience with endovascular stenting in adolescent pediatric trauma.

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Objective: To investigate changes in the incidence of births with congenital anomalies after the passage of abortion restrictions in Texas.

Background: In utero diagnosis of congenital abnormalities allows families to discuss predicted quality of life and costs and potentially decide to terminate a pregnancy. However, in September 2021, Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB8) banned abortion after 6 weeks' gestation with no exceptions for fatal fetal anomalies.

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As of 2020, penetrating injuries became the leading cause of death among children and adolescents ages 1-19 in the United States. For the patients who initially survive and receive advanced medical care, vascular injuries are a significant cause of morbidity and additionally trigger notable trauma team angst. Moreover, penetrating injuries can lead to life-threatening hemorrhage and/or limb-threatening ischemia if not addressed promptly.

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Background: Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is an aggressive tumor associated with sickle cell trait. Despite treatment advances for other rare renal tumors, RMC survival remains poor. We aimed to describe the contemporary management and survival of children and adults with RMC.

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Background: Pediatric liver tumors are predominantly primary malignant tumors, and complete tumor resection with sufficient preservation of liver tissue is crucial for improving prognosis. However, due to the delicate anatomical structure of the pediatric liver and the relatively large size of the tumors, especially in difficult cases, the surgical challenges are substantial. While precision liver surgery are widely applied in clinical practice, pediatric cases require more customized approaches.

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Introduction: Children and young adults diagnosed with sarcoma often present with pulmonary metastases requiring wedge resection. It is important to balance the risk of pulmonary recurrence against the desire to limit resection of benign parenchyma. This study aims to determine the impact of resection margins on survival and recurrence among pediatric and young adult sarcoma patients.

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Introduction: In this study, we evaluate the association between sociodemographics and disease presentation, treatment, and survival for children, adolescents, and young adults with Ewing sarcoma.

Methods: Case-level data were downloaded from The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Cases included patients ages 0-24 who were diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma between 2004 and 2020.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study is about helping doctors and surgeons find the best ways to diagnose and treat skin cancers in kids and teenagers, especially types like cutaneous melanoma and atypical Spitz tumors.
  • A group of 33 skin cancer specialists from different fields worked together and used research to come up with their recommendations.
  • They suggested specific ways to perform surgeries, the importance of classifying tumors correctly, and rules about how much tissue to remove around suspicious areas.
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Background: Pediatric melanoma is the most common skin cancer in children. Achieving surgical margins recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) for wide local excision (WLE) is challenging in children with less body domain. This study investigated whether surgical margin impacted postoperative clinical outcomes following WLE for melanoma in children and adolescents.

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With an annual cumulative occurrence of approximately 15,000 in North America, all childhood cancers are rare. Very rare cancers as defined by both the European Cooperative Study Group for Rare Pediatric Cancers and the Children's Oncology Group fall into two principal categories: those so uncommon (fewer than 2 cases/million) that their study is challenging even through cooperative group efforts (e.g.

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As of 2020, penetrating injuries became the leading cause of death among children and adolescents ages 1-19 in the United States. For the patients who initially survive and receive advanced medical care, vascular injuries are a significant cause of morbidity and additionally trigger notable trauma team angst. Moreover, penetrating injuries can lead to life-threatening hemorrhage and/or limb-threatening ischemia if not addressed promptly.

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Importance: The binary classification of spina bifida lesions as myelomeningocele (with sac) or myeloschisis (without sac) belies a spectrum of morphologies, which have not been correlated to clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Objective: To characterize spina bifida lesion types and correlate them with preoperative presentation and postoperative outcomes.

Design: Secondary analysis of images and videos obtained during fetoscopic spina bifida repair surgery from 2020-2023.

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Introduction: Fetal care centers (FCCs) in the USA lack a standardized instrument to measure person-centered care. This study aimed to develop and validate the Person-Centered Care in Fetal Care Centers (PCC-FCC) Scale.

Methods: Initial items were developed based on literature and input from clinicians and former patients.

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The cost of readmissions of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) graduates within 6 months and a year of their life is well-studied. However, the cost of readmissions within 90 days of NICU discharge is unknown. This study's objective was to estimate the overall and mean cost of healthcare use for unplanned hospital visits of NICU graduates within 90 days of discharge A retrospective review of all infants discharged between 1/1/2017 and 03/31/2017 from a large hospital system NICUs was conducted.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether reversal of hindbrain herniation (HBH) on MRI following prenatal repair of neural tube defects (NTDs) is associated with reduced rates of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement or endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) within the 1st year of life.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from all patients who had prenatal open repair of a fetal NTD at a single tertiary care center between 2012 and 2020. Patients were offered surgery according to inclusion criteria from the Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS).

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Background: Intra-abdominal abscess, the most common complication after perforated appendicitis, is associated with considerable economic burden. However, costs of intra-abdominal abscesses in children are unknown. We aimed to evaluate resource utilization and costs attributable to intra-abdominal abscess in pediatric perforated appendicitis.

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Trauma during pregnancy is the leading non-obstetric cause of morbidity and mortality, and accounts for five per 1000 fetal deaths. Direct fetal injury due to trauma during pregnancy is rare, and limited information is available about how to optimize fetal outcomes after injury. Early recognition and appropriate management of direct fetal trauma may improve outcomes for the fetus.

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The objective of this study was to explore the challenges faced by parents of former neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients in transitioning home from parents' and healthcare providers' perspective. We conducted semistructured individual and group interviews with parents of former NICU patients and healthcare providers. Themes from the individual interviews framed the group interviews' contents.

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Background/purpose: Comprehensive opioid stewardship programs require collective stakeholder alignment and proficiency. We aimed to determine opioid-related prescribing practices, knowledge, and beliefs among providers who care for pediatric surgical patients.

Methods: A single-center, cross-sectional survey was conducted of attending physicians, residents, and advanced practice providers (APPs), who managed pediatric surgical patients.

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We describe a case of a melanocytic proliferation arising in a giant congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) and outline the potential utility of an immunohistochemical study with PReferentially expressed Antigen in MElanoma (PRAME) in distinguishing benign proliferative nodules (PN) from melanoma in this context. A 15-day-old girl presented with a fibrotic nodule clinically suspicious for melanoma within a giant CMN. Histopathological examination showed a predominantly intradermal melanocytic nevus with congenital features intermixing with an ill-defined proliferation of larger melanocytes demonstrating mild-to-moderate cytologic atypia and increased mitotic activity.

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Introduction: Prior data suggest that infants with gastroschisis are at high risk for hypothermia and infectious complications (ICs). This study evaluated the associations between perioperative hypothermia (PH) and ICs in gastroschisis using a multi-institutional cohort.

Methods: Retrospective review of infants with gastroschisis who underwent abdominal closure from 2013-2017 was performed at 7 children's hospitals.

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Purpose: Pain control is challenging after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE). Cryoanalgesia, which temporarily ablates peripheral nerves, improves pain control and may accelerate post-operative recovery. We hypothesized that cryoanalgesia would be associated with shorter length of stay (LOS) in children undergoing MIRPE.

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Purpose: Repetitive painful stimuli and early exposure to opioids places neonates at risk for neurocognitive delays. We aimed to understand opioid utilization for neonates with gastroschisis.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of infants with gastroschisis at a tertiary children's hospital (2017-2019).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study compares two types of maternal skin incisions—low transverse (LT) and midline longitudinal (ML)—used during in utero spina bifida repair, focusing on their short- and long-term outcomes.
  • It involved 72 patients from a single institution, measuring operative time, pain scores post-surgery, length of hospital stay, and wound complications, with the LT group having longer operation times but no differences in other outcomes.
  • Ultimately, the research concluded that ML incisions reduce surgery time without negatively impacting patients' long-term perception of their scars.
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