Uz Children Research Articles

Primary Duhamel-Martin operations in neonates and infants.

With advances in neonatal anesthetic and surgical care, a safe, one stage, definitive procedure has been possible in Hirschsprung's disease. Since 1996, we have performed this type of operation in the neonatal and early infancy period. We aimed to review our data to state the feasibility of this operation in these age groups. At Dr Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, we treated 10 patients with a single stage Duhamel-Martin operation between 1996 and 2000. Of the 10 patients, seven were boys. Six patients were diagnosed in the first week of the neonatal period. We evaluated these 10 patients by means of age, sex, age at diagnoses, operational age, diagnostic tools, properties of operation, complications and results. The patients were all full-term delivery and had a mean birthweight of 3 kg. The presenting clinical features were abdominal distention (100%), constipation (100%) and vomiting (70%). One patient was a Down syndrome patient, while another patient showed familial Hirschsprung's disease. Contrast enemas gave positive results in eight patients. Definitive diagnoses were performed with rectal biopsy specimens. The extension of the disease was rectosigmoid in nine patients and descending colon in one patient. Five patients were in the newborn period at the time of the operation, while the oldest one was 7 months old. In the postoperative period, two children were treated because of early abdominal eventration and evisceration of the wound. Postoperative enterocolitis occurred in two patients. These 10 patients have been followed-up for a period of 3 years, and spontaneous defecation and weight gain was observed in all of the patients. Our study confirmed the published data that this operation could be performed as an easy and safe procedure in the neonatal and early infancy period.

The Importance of Specific Lge Investigation on Diagnosis of Allergic Diseases

When suspecting an allergic disease, it should be confirmed using special tests. in this study, 79 pati­ ents who were followed up by outpatient department of Allergy of Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital was examined. Twenty healthy children were served as the control group. We aimed to determine the importance of skin tests by comparing specific lgE and total IgE levels by EIA of patients having allergic complaints. The 47 (59%) of the patients was male and 32 (41%) female. Average age was 107.55 ±27.82 months. The 13 (65%) ofthe control group was male, 7 (35%)female and the average age was 108.5 ±24.5 months. Patients were dispersed in a broad range diagnosis spectrum from asthma bronchiale (AB) to AB+allergic rinit, urticaria, allergic conjunctivitis. Levels of total and specific JgE were determined, scratch and intradermal skin tests were performed to the patients. Total and specific lgE levels of the control group were studied. in laboratory findings which were made for supporting the diagnosis, 59% was positive for total lgE, 52% and 85% was positive for scratch and intradermal skin tests respectively. Specific lgE levels were found 7I % positive. in our study, while the sensitivity and specifity of total lgE were found 58.2% and 33.3% respectively, for specific lgE, they were found 80.5% and 83.3%. Since specific lgE which was determined by EL/SA method was found highly specific and effective, we can easily claim that it is a reliable diagnostic technique which can be used in the diagnosis of allergic diseases.