Primary Children's Hospital

About: Primary Children's Hospital is a healthcare organization based out in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 1770 authors who have published 2594 publications receiving 107857 citations. The organization is also known as: Intermountain Primary Children's Medical Center & Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital.

Surgical protocol violations in children with renal tumors provides an opportunity to improve pediatric cancer care: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Abstract: Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency and characteristics of surgical protocol violations (SPVs) among children undergoing surgery for renal tumors who were enrolled on the Children's Oncology Group (COG) renal tumor biology and classification study AREN03B2. Methods AREN03B2 was opened in February 2006, and as on March 31, 2013, there were 3,664 eligible patients. The surgical review forms for 3,536 patients with unilateral disease were centrally reviewed for SPVs. The frequency, type, number of violations, institutional prevalence, and quartiles for SPVs were assessed. Results Of the 3,536 patients, there were a total of 505 with at least one SPV (564 total SPVs reported), for an overall incidence of 14.28%. The types of SPVs included a lack of lymph node sampling in 365 (64.7%), avoidable spill in 61 (10.8%), biopsy immediately before nephrectomy in 89 (15.8%), an incorrect abdominal incision in 32 (5.7%), and unnecessary resection of organs in 17 (3.0%). The SPVs occurred in 163 of 215 participating institutions (75.8%). For centers with at least one SPV, the mean number of SPVs reported was 3.10 ± 2.39 (mean ± standard deviation). The incidence of protocol violation per institution ranged from 0 to 67%. Centers with an average of ≤1 case/year had an incidence of SPVs of 12.2 ± 3.8%, those with an average of >1 to 0.05). Conclusions SPVs that potentially result in additional exposure to chemotherapy and radiation therapy are not uncommon in children undergoing resection of renal malignancies.

Orthopedic procedures after rhizotomy.

Abstract: The goal of selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is to reduce surgically abnormal excitatory impulses to the lower extremities and thus to decrease spasticity in patients with cerebral palsy. One hundred thirty-one patients underwent SDR from 1986 to 1994 and were retrospectively reviewed for changes in tone, requirements for orthopedic intervention, and changes in ambulatory status. One hundred twelve patients had adequate follow-up. Postrhizotomy tone was decreased in all of the 112 patients, as measured by the Ashworth scale. No statistically significant change in ambulatory status was found. A total of 71 (65%) of 112 patients required orthopedic intervention for continued contractures and deformity. Of those judged "hypotonic" by the physiatrist postoperatively, 37% required subtalar stabilization for severe planovalgus. Hip subluxation was noted and treated (by femoral or pelvic osteotomy or both) in 27 (25%) of 112. Despite appropriately completed SDR, parents must understand the importance of periodic long-term follow-up and the possible, if not likely, need for additional surgery to alleviate contractures and stabilize subluxation of joints.

Conjoined twins: Morphogenesis of the heart and a review

Abstract: Five cases of conjoined twins have been studied. These included three thoracopagus twins, one monocephalus diprosopus (prosop = face), and one dicephalus dipus dibrachus. The thoracopagus twins were conjoined only from the upper thorax to the umbilicus with a normal foregut. These three cases shared a single complex multiventricular heart, one with a four chambered heart with one atrium and one ventricle belonging to each twin with complex venous and arterial connection; two had a seven chambered heart with four atria and three ventricles. The mono-cephalus diprosopus twins had a single heart with tetralogy of Fallot. The dicephalus twins had two separate axial skeletons to the sacrum, two separate hearts were connected between the right atria with a shared inferior vena cava. Thoracopagus twinning is associated with complex cardiac malformations. The cardiac anlagen in cephalopagus or diprosopus are diverted and divided along with the entire rostral end of the embryonic disc and result in two relatively normal shared hearts. However, in thoracopagus twins the single heart is multiventricular and suggests very early union with fusion of the cardiac anlagen before significant differentiation. Cardiac morphogenesis in conjoined twins therefore appears to depend on the site of the conjoined fusion and the temporal and spatial influence that determines morphogenesis as well as abnormally oriented embryonic axes.