Cantrell’s Pentalogy

### Incidence:

Rare – the precise incidence is unknown, but is less than 1 in 100,000 live births with a slight male predominance.

###Embryology:
Sternal development begins during the 6th fetal week with paired parallel bands of condensed mesenchyme. By the 10th week of gestation cells migrate from two lateral plates to fuse in the midline from front to back and top to bottom. The plates begin to chondrify immediately. At the same time, at the top of this area, a “presterum” forms. The lateral bands and the presternum fuse at the top at about 7 weeks, and laterally the bands fuse to the rib tips. Fusion is nearly complete by 10 weeks. Bone formation (ossification) occurs much later, and is not complete until puberty. Sternal fusion defects vary; the inferior type is less common.Isolated sternal clefts are probably due to failure of the mesenchymal plate fusion process about the 8th week of gestation. Penatology of Cantrell is actually a “field defect”.

###Genetics:
*Hoxb* gene expression is a possible factor in these abnormalities, but the precise cause is unknown. Sternal clefts are usually isolated; alcohol and drug ( methylcobalamine) use in the mother may be a risk factor for sternal clefts.

Cantrell’s pentalogy is generally sporadic, but familial cases have been described infrequently (X-linked recessive). It has also been associated with: viral infection, maternal abuse of betaaminopropionitrile, and chlorine inhalation, [Engum] as well as associated with trisomies 13, 18, and 21, and Turner syndrome.

###Definition:
1. Supraumbilical omphalocele
2. Lower sternal cleft
3. Diaphragmatic defect anteriorly
4. Pericardial defect
5. Intrinsic structural heart abnormality

All 5 defects may not be present.

###Treatment:
Ventilatory issues are often the major challenge in these patients as well as the most common cause of death. Permissive hypercapnia (as for CDH) is a useful management strategy. Topic escharotomizing agents for the abdominal wall defect, with delayed coverage via skin graft is often necessary. The cardiac defects and their management vary widely.

###Outcome:
The cardiac defect often consists of TOF or VSD abnormalities; in one series (O’Gorman et al PMID 19322603) only 4 of 7 survived, and prolonged mechanical ventilation was required.

###References:
- Classic paper 1958 : Cantrell JR, Haller JA, Ravitch MM. A syndrome of congenital defects involving the abdominal wall, sternum, diaphragm, pericardium, and heart. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1958;107:602-14.
- Engum SA. Embryology, sternal clefts, ectopia cordis, and Cantrell’s pentalogy. Seminars in Pediatric Surgery. 2008;17:154-160.

Marfan’s Syndrome, Clinical Criteria for the diagnosis

Marfan’s Diagnosis
This is a clinical diagnosis, based on the “Ghent criteria”, named after the city in Belgium where doctors decided which features to include on the list.

|Body System |Major Criteria |Minor Criteria |
|:———-| —————————:| —————————:|
|Skeletal System|At least 4 of the following:|minor pectus excavatum|
||pectus carinatum|arched palate and crowded teeth|
||pectus excavatum|typical facies|
||Arm span greater than height, OR Reduced upper to lower segment ratio |very flexible joints|
|| + wrist sign (thumb and little finger overlap when you grasp the other wrist)||
|| + thumb sign (put your thumb on your hand and it extends beyond the palm)||
||scoliosis > 20 degrees||
||spondylolisthesis||
||flat feet (pes planus)||
||protrusion actebula (very deep hip sockets)||
|:———-| —————————:| —————————:|
|Ocular System (eyes)|dislocated lens|Abnormally flat cornea (by keratometry)|
|||US showing abnormally increased axial length of the globe|
|||hypoplastic iris or ciliary muscle, causing decreased miosis |
|:———-| —————————:| —————————:|
|CV|ascending aortic aneurysm or dilation|MV proplapse|
||ascending aorta dissection|enlarged pulm artery at < 40 yo|
|||ca++ in MV before age 40 y|
|||aortic dissection < 50 yo|
|||thoracic or abdomenal Ao aneurysm < 50 yo|
|:———-| —————————:| —————————:|
|Lungs|None|Spontaneous PTX|
|||Apical Blebs|
|:———-| —————————:| —————————:|
|Skin|None|Skin stretch marks|
|||recurrent hernias|
|:———-| —————————:| —————————:|
|Spine|dural ectasia||

Pediatric Urology Handbook

Title: Urology Handbook
Author: Charles L. Snyder

Testicular Microlithiasis

Marker for increased risk of testicular malignancy: The risk is increased if

  1. Symptomatic
  2. History of UDT (10% incidence of CA)
  3. Family history of testicular CA
  4. Other malignancies in patient

Usual management in the absence of the above is

  • US every year
  • monthly self-exam
  • If any of the above, q 3MO US is obtained

24 – Hour Urinary Calcium

Normal value is < 4 mg/kg/day; results needed are wt (in kg), total urine vol (TUV), and Ca++(in mg/dl)

  1. Move the decimal point 2 steps to the left to convert 34 mg/dL to .34 mg/ml
  2. Multiply .34 mg by TUV (eg. 350 ml) to get mg / day
  3. Divide by weight in kg to get mg/kg/day

Bladder capacity for < 2 yrs old BC = (0.5 * Age+6)

IVP in OR

  • 2 cc’s of 25% hypaque/pound

Hemorrhagic Cystitis

  • Alum 1% aluminum potassium sulfate
  • use 30 gms in 3L of sterile water filtered through a sterilizing filter
  • use 2 – 5 L during the 1st hours, then 1 L q 2-5 hrs
  • continue for 5-8 hrs after bleeding stops.

Cystoscopy JJ Stent

  1. Place Cystoscope
  2. 4.5 or 5.5 Pollock Stent
  3. Guidewire w Fluoro
  4. Removal of Pollock stent
  5. Advance JJ Stent over guidewire
  6. Fluoro confirmation of position

Flowmax dose is 0.4 mg po qhs

Urodynamic study – dictation

  1. CMG
  2. Evoked response
  3. EMG sphincter
  4. Urethral Pressure Profile
  5. Uroflowmetry
  6. Voiding pressure
  7. If ditropan is given before or during a urodynamic study

- Do the study without the ditropan, administer 0.2mg/kg of ditropan intravesically, and wait 40 minutes, then repeat the study to see if the ditropan will be beneficial.

Follow-up after ureteral re-implantation

  1. Ultrasound at 2 weeks to r/o dilation of upper tracts
  2. VCUG at 6 months – if still has reflux, wait another 6 mo and repeat before getting excited, since there may still be poor compliance/thickening of the bladder wall, resulting in distortion.

Follow-up for posterior urethral valves
- VCUG at 6 wks post op

Hypospadias – older children or adult

  1. Leave foley in
  2. Send home with leg bag x 2 as well as ‘normal’ bag for nighttime
  3. DC meds
    • Bactrim SS q hs
    • Valium 5mg po qhs – decreases erections in am
    • Ditropan XL 5mg day
  4. Complication risk is significantly increased – probably occurs in about 50% of patients.

Medical Management of Voiding Dysfunction

  1. Timed voiding q 2 – 3 hrs if you feel like it or not
  2. Void 1st thing in the morning and last thing at night
  3. Drink plenty of fluids during the day – 1 oz of fluid per 2 lbs body weight in a 24 hr period, in addition to normal daily intake
  4. Avoid caffeine and carbonated beverages (pop, coffee, tea, cocoa)
  5. Avoid citrus fruits and juices (grapefruit, lime, orange, lemon)
  6. Avoid constipation – goal is one soft stool / day
  7. Support feet while sitting on toliet
  8. Use brans, cereals, grains
  9. Use stool softeners
  10. Foods to avoid
    • Chocolate
    • Caffeine/Soda pop
    • Red dyes in foods and drinks
  11. Limit dairy products to one meal only
  12. Reward dryness and don’t punish wetness
  13. Artificial sweeteners

Penile Size – Normal

Age Length Mean +/- 1 SD (inches) Circumference Mean – 2.5 SD (inches)
0-5 months 1.5 +/- 0.3 0.75
6-12 months 1.7 +/- 0.3 0.9
1-2 years 1.9 +/- 0.3 1.0
2-3 years 2.0 +/- 0.4 1.1
3-4 years 2.2 +/- 0.4 1.3
4-5 years 2.2 +/- 0.4 1.4
5-8 years 2.4 +/- 0.4 1.5
8-11 years 2.5 +/- 0.4 1.5
Adult 5.2 +/- 0.6 3.7

Notes

Phimosis, from the Greek word phimos, meaning muzzle. In ancient Greece physicians deemed circumcision a superfluous procedure, set forth some questions. “Would both the diagnosis and the indication for surgical treatment of phimosis be overestimated? Would surgeons be operating on children unnecessarily?”

Drugs for neuropathic bladder

Cholinergic Minimum Maximum
Urecholine 0.7mg/kg tid 0.8 mg/kg qid
Anticholinergic Minimum Maximum
Propantheline (Probanthine) 0.5 mg/kg bid 0.5 mg/kg qid
Oxybutinin (Ditropan) 0.2 mg/kg bid 0.2 mg/kg qid
Glycopyrrolate (Robinul) 0.01 mg/kg bid 0.03 mg/kg tid
Hycosamine 0.03 mg/kg bid 0.1 mg/kg qid
Sympathomimetic Minimum Maximum
:—- —-: —–:
Phenopropanolamine 2.5 mg/kg bid 2.5 mg/kg bid
Ephedrine 0.5 mg/kg bid 1.0 mg/kg tid
Pseudoephedrine 0.4mg/kg, bid 0.9 mg/kg, tid
Sympatholytic Minimum Maximum
:—- —–: —–:
Prazosin (Minipress) 0.05 mg/kg, bid 0.1 mg/kg, tid
Phenoxybenzamine 0.3 mg/kg, bid 0.5 mg/kg, tid
Propanolol 0.25 mg/kg, bid 0.5 mg/kg, bid
Smooth Muscle Relaxant Minimum Maximum
:—- —–: —–:
Flavoxate (Urispas) 3.0 mg/kg, bid 3.0 mg/kg, tid
Dicyclomine 0.1 mg/kg, tid 0.3 mg/kg, tid
Other Minimum Maximum
:—- —–: —–:
Imipramine (Tofranil) 0.7 mg/kg, bid 1.2 mg/kg, tid

Evaluation and Management of Newborns with Myelomeningocele

  1. Complete history and Physical Exam
  2. Catheterization of the bladder after spontaneous voiding to check residuals. Normal bladder capacity in newborn is 10 – 20 cc’s, with acceptable residual urine vol of < 5 cc.
  3. If baby not observed to spontaneously void, Crede and then check residual cath urine vol.
  4. It may be necessary to perform intermittent cath if: dilated upper tracts on preliminary ultrasound or if back defect not repaired yet and Crede cannot safely be performed.
  5. On 2nd or 3rd day of life – obtain renal ultrasound
  6. On approximately 7th day of life – obtain urine culture and serum creatinine.
  7. VCUG should be obtained during 1st – 2nd week of life.
  8. Urodynamic evaluation can be scheduled at the first MM clinic evaluation.(Should be done early, since it is of great predictive value – see below)

General Points:

  • Level of bony defect does not have any predictive value vis. extent of bladder innervation/function.
  • 87% of newborns with MM have normal urinary tract on initial evaluation: 13% have hydronephrosis, VUR, or enlarged bladder.
  • 3% infants with MM have hydronephrosis secondary to spinal shock after MM repair.
  • Three urodynamic patterns are seen in newborns with MM:
  1. Dyssynergy – Definition: external sphincter fails to decrease or increases its activity during a detrussor contraction or sustained increase in intravesical pressure as the bladder is filled to capacity. Bladder emptying only at high pressures, bladder is poorly complaint, intravesical pressures are high. 71% of these patients have deterioration of the urinary tract within the first 3 years of life.
  2. Synergy – Definition: Sphincter activity is silenced during detrusor contraction or when capacity is reached at the end of bladder filling. Voiding pressures are normal. Only 17% of this group will deteriorate within the first 3 years of life.
  3. Completely denervated – Definition: No bioelectrical potentials whatsoever in sphincter region during voiding cycle or in response to Crede maneuver. 23% of these infants will have urinary tract deterioration within the first 3 years of life.

Almost all infants whose initial urinary tract studies are abnormal have dyssenergic urodynamics.
Reflux is the most common abnormality to occur when urinary tract deterioration occurs within the first year of life.

CIC (Clean Intermittent Cath)
- Should be used liberally in newborn period, even in males. It is done 4 times/day, and nighttime caths can usually be omitted.There is an approx. 30% incidence of asymptomatic infection, but serious infection is rare.
- Overall need for ureteral reimplantation is about 10% if CIC done correctly. Crede is avoided, even with catheter in bladder, since it may cause reflux and upper tract injury.
- If urodynamics show poor bladder compliance and detrusor contractions reach pressures of 80 – 100 cm H2O, Oxybutynin HCL is given in dose of 1.0 mg per year of age, every 12 hours.
It is not at all uncommon for the urologic lesion to be altered as the child ages – dyssynergia may develop, etc. It is important to R/O tethered cord, syrinx or hydromyelia of the cord, increased ICP secondary to hydrocephalus, or partial herniation of the brainstem/cerebellum. Thus, serial neurologic evaluations are of great importance.

Intersex/DSD

Evaluation

  1. Karyotype with specific X and Y probe detection (even if prenatal karyotype already done)
  2. Labs (most of these can be done in 48 hours)
    • 17 OH-progesterone
    • Testosterone
    • Gonadotropin
    • Anti-Mullerian hormone
    • Serum electrolytes
    • Urinalysis
    • Radiographs
  3. Abdominal-pelvic ultrasound
  4. Genitogram / VCUG

Involve multidisciplinary team.

A specific diagnosis is identified in about 1/5th of infants with DSD(disorder of sexual development)

Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney – a Review


History

Incidence

Associations

Genetics

Pathology

Characteristics

Staging

Treatment

Radiation:

Stage IV:

Outcome:

References:

 

History

Clear-cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) was first reported by Kidd in 1970, and is characterized by its bone metastasizing tendencies and propensity for late recurrences.

 

Incidence

3-4% of all primary pediatric renal tumours are clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK); they are classified separately from Wilms tumour. Approximately 20 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States.

 

Associations

Unlike Wilms tumour, it is not associated with hemihypertrophy and sporadic aniridia.

 

Genetics

The genetics of CCSK are entirely different from Wilms tumor. A t(10;17)(q22;p13) and deletion 14q have been found in some patients. Alterations in the p53 tumour suppressor gene are sometimes seen in CCSK. EGFR pathway regulatory abnormalities have been seen in CCSK. The proto-oncogene c-kit is overexpressed in CCSK. However, the is no gene amplification or activating mutations.

Pathology

CCSK tumours are usually fairly large and are unilateral and unicentric, often arising from the central or medullary portion of the kidney. They have a mucoid texture, foci of necrosis and prominent cyst formation. Intracytoplasmicvesicles are often found and are the basis for the term clear cell sarcoma. The tumor kidney junction is classically well-defined. Any area of nephroblastoma excludes the diagnosis of CCSK.

 

There are 3 types of components:

  1. Septal cell (spindle-shaped) in fibrovascular septa
  2. Cord cell (round or oval)
  3. Intercellular matrix (it has MPS or mucopolysaccharide, hence the name clear cell)

 

Most tumours have a classic pattern: monomorphous with cords/nests of a few cells divided by evenly dispersed small vascular septa. There are multiple other histologic patterns:

 

  1. Myxoid pattern (50%)
  2. Sclerosing pattern (35%)
  3. Cellular pattern (26%)
  4. Epithelioid pattern (trabecular or acinar type) (13%)
  5. Palisading (Verocay body) pattern (11%)
  6. Spindle cell pattern (7%)
  7. Storiform pattern (4%)
  8. Anaplastic pattern (2.6%)

 

In most cases more than one pattern is seen.

 

Classic Pattern

 

 

Metastases may exhibit variant histologic patterns.

Characteristics

NWTS-4 - 86 (59 males and 27 females) CCSK patients were in this study. No patient had bilateral disease (stage V).

 

Age

 

<1y

33%

1-2y

34%

> 2y

19%

Male:Female

59:27

Stage

 

I

35%

II

21%

III

28%

IV

2%

 

 

Table 1. Characteristics of CCSK patients in NWTS-4

 

CCSK has a peak incidence between 3 – 5 years of age with a M:F ratio of 2:1.

 

Staging

1/21 patients in NWTS-4 developed brain mets, compared with 11% of patients in earlier studies. More than 30% of the recurrences occurred between 2 years and 37 months; however, none have been reported after 37 months, in contrast to other prior studies. Bone scans are now standard at diagnosis for CCSK patients in NWTS-5.

 

These tumors have a propensity to metastasise to bone (15 – 17% incidence) giving it the name “bone metastasising renal tumour of childhood” (bone mets are seen in < 2% with Wilms tumor). The other sites of metastasis, in order of frequency are: lung, abdomen, retroperitoneum, brain, and liver. Late onset of first relapse is a distinctive feature even in stage-I tumours and regular post-operative follow up is essential. Earlier reports noted that nearly 20% of CCSKmetastases occurred at least 3 years after diagnosis; rarely even up to 10 years later.

 

Stage I: The tumor is limited to the kidney and is completely resected. The renal capsule is intact, and no evidence of rupture is observed. The vessels of the renal sinus are not involved, and no evidence of tumor at or beyond the margins of resection exists.

Stage II: The tumor extends beyond the kidney but is completely resected. Regional extension of tumor has occurred. Blood vessels outside the renal parenchyma (including those of the renal sinus) may contain tumor. Biopsy is performed on tumors (except by fine needle aspiration), or spillage of the tumor occurs before or during surgery; spillage is confined to the flank and does not involve the peritoneal surface. No evidence of tumor at or beyond the margins of resection is noted.

Stage III: Residual tumor is nonhematogenous and is confined to the abdomen. Stage III criteria are (1) the presence of lymph nodes within the abdomen (renal hilar, para-aortic, or beyond) that demonstrate positive results for tumor, (2) the tumor penetrates the peritoneal surface, (3) the tumor implants on the peritoneal surface, (4) gross or microscopic evidence of the tumor is present after resection, (5) resection is incomplete because of involvement of vital structures, or (6) tumor spillage is not confined to the flank.

Stage IV: Hematogenous metastases (eg, lung, liver, bone, brain) or lymph node metastases extend outside of the abdominopelvic region.

Stage V: Bilateral renal involvement is discovered at diagnosis. Each side is staged individually using the above criteria.

[from ref 1]

 

Treatment

All stages of CCSK are treated with radical nephrectomy. Chemotherapy typically is VCR, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and etoposide for 24 weeks. Almost all receive radiation therapy (see below)

Radiation:

Only children who are a) Stage I and b) had negative lymph node biopsies are able to avoid radiation therapy to the tumor bed. (Stage 1 children without lymph node sampling are upstaged to stage II.

 

One study found that children treated on arm DD-RT of NWTS-3 (longer treatment duration – 15 months)  had a 64.6% 6-year RFS (relapse free survival), and concluded that longer tx with vincristine, doxorubicin, and dactinomycin for patients with CCSK provides better RFS than a shorter course (6 months), but unfortunately no improvement in overall survival.

 

COG protocol (AREN0321) for all CCSK non-stage IV patients recommends continued treatment as in NWTS-5.

 

Stage IV:

Patients with stage IV undergo treatment with irinotecan and vincristine in an upfront window approach before treatment with cyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide.

Outcome:

Overall survival is 69%. In one review, 4 independent prognostic factors were identified after multivariate analysis:

  1. Treatment with doxorubicin
  2. Stage
  3. Age at diagnosis
  4. Tumour necrosis

 

Long term follow up is essential – there are late relapses, even in stage 1 disease. Under current treatment protocols most recurrences are seen within 3 years of the completion of therapy. Best outcome is in Stage I tumors, in kids from 2-4 years of age, and who have no tumor necrosis. Stage IV (distant metastases) or multifocal disease have a worse prognosis – 50% long-term 6-year survival rate.

 

 

Agent

MOA

Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar)

N2 Mustard relative. Alkylating agent. Cross-links DNA

Etoposide (Toposar, VP-16)

Inhibits topoisomerase II and causes DNA strand breakage. There is ‘freezing’ of cell proliferation in late S or early G2 cell cycle

Vincristine (Oncovin)

A vinca alkaloid that mainly inhibits mitosis by inhibiting intracellular tubulin function -> binds to microtubules.

Doxorubicin (Adriamycin, Rubex)

Produces free radicals (DNA degradation). Inhibits topoisomerase II.

Mesna (Mesnex)

Blocks acrolein (a metabolite of cyclophosphamide or iphosphamide that causes hemorrhagic cystitis) by virtue of its free thiol groups.

 

 

 

References:

[http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/993245-overview]

Disk-battery ingestion TEF



Battery Ingestion TEF

Why do disc batteries damage the esophagus? The mechanisms include absorption of toxic substances, electrical injury, pressure necrosis, and caustic injury from leaking battery contents. The size of the battery impacts the risk of esophageal entrapment. Lithium batteries generate twice the voltage (3 V) of alkaline batteries, and are more than twice as likely to cause major injury. The increased use of electronic devices has paralleled the increasing incidence of battery ingestions. Timely and prompt removal is critical.

Recent large series studying the epidemiology demonstrated that children under 6 years swallowed batteries: directly from a product (61.8%), loose (29.8%), or were obtained from battery packaging (8.2%). [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20498172]

There is no consensus on the treatment of post disk-battery ingestion TEF, due of course to the rarity of the condition and the variable clinical scenarios. There are reports of spontaneous healing of the fistula after the total rest of esophageal mucosa with nasojejunal or nasogastric tube
feeding have been reported. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11879930] [G. Senthilkumaran, S. Crankson, M. Yousef, Spontaneous closure of acquired tracheo-oesophageal ?stula, J. Laryngol. Otol. 110 (1996) 685—687] Several studies recommend this form of management. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15343469] The duration of esophageal rest is unclear – some have recommended more than 6 weeks of esophageal rest even if the fistula appears closed. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18316130]

Acute primary repair can be associated with a high incidence of stricture, recurrent fistula, breakdown of the repair, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, and a substantial mortality rate.

In general, acquired nonmalignant TEFs are managed with delayed surgical repair since the risk of recurrent fistula is increased when significant inflammation is still present. This may not be possible with large symptomatic fistulae. An adult series of 27 patients with acquired TEF noted a mortality rate of 10 with simple repair. [J. Marzelle, P. Dartevelle, J. Khalife, A. Rojas-Miranda, A. Chapelier, P. Levasseur, Surgical management of acquired post-intubation tracheo-oesophageal ?stulas: 27 patients, Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg. 3 (1989) 499—502, discussion 502—493.]

However, ‘conservative management’ is not risk-free, with a possibility of aspiration and pneumonia, especially with large fistulae, failure of resolution, long hospitalization, or recurrence after confirmed resolution.

When repair is done, in most cases it can be done through the neck. As with congenital TEF, passage of a catheter down the esophagus, through the fistula, and back up the trachea may be helpful in localization.

References:

1. Alkan M, Büyükyavuz I, Dogru D et al: Tracheoesophageal fistula due to disc-battery ingestion. Eur J Pediatr Surg 2004; 14: 274-278.

2. Anand TS, Kumar S, Wadhwa V et al: Rare case of spontaneous closure of tracheo-esophageal fistula secondary to disc battery ingestion. Int. J. Pediatr. Otorhinolaryngol 2002; 63: 57-59.

3. Grisel JJ, Richter GT, Casper KA et al: Acquired tracheoesophageal fistula following disc-battery ingestion: can we watch and wait? Int. J. Pediatr. Otorhinolaryngol 2008; 72: 699-706.

4. Imamoglu M, Cay A, Kosucu P et al: Acquired tracheo-esophageal fistulas caused by button battery lodged in the esophagus. Pediatr. Surg. Int 2004; 20: 292-294.

5. Litovitz T and Schmitz BF: Ingestion of cylindrical and button batteries: an analysis of 2382 cases. Pediatrics 1992; 89: 747-757.

6. Litovitz T, Whitaker N and Clark L: Preventing battery ingestions: an analysis of 8648 cases. Pediatrics 2010; 125: 1178-1183.

7. Okuyama H, Kubota A, Oue T et al: Primary repair of tracheoesophageal fistula secondary to disc battery ingestion: a case report. J. Pediatr. Surg 2004; 39: 243-244.

8. Senthilkumaran G, Crankson S and Yousef M: Spontaneous closure of acquired tracheo-oesophageal fistula. J Laryngol Otol 1996; 110: 685-687.

9. Van Asperen PP, Seeto I and Cass DT: Acquired tracheo-oesophageal fistula after ingestion of a mercury button-battery. Med. J. Aust 1986; 145: 412-415.

10. Yardeni D, Yardeni H, Coran AG et al: Severe esophageal damage due to button battery ingestion: can it be prevented? Pediatr. Surg. Int 2004; 20: 496-501.