Asteria Albert

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of in utero tracheal occlusion (TO) on lung tissue blood perfusion, as measured by fractional moving blood volume (FMBV) and conventional spectral Doppler, in a rabbit model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

METHODS: In 50 fetal rabbits, a left CDH was surgically created at 23 days of gestational age (GA). At 28 days of GA, the surviving CDH fetuses were randomly assigned to undergo either TO (CDH+TO group) or a sham operation (CDH group). Twenty ...

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury is a major cause of acute renal failure, causing renal cell death, a permanent decrease of renal blood flow, organ dysfunction and chronic kidney disease. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous product rich in growth factors, and therefore able to promote tissue regeneration and angiogenesis. This product has proven its efficacy in multiple studies, but has not yet been tested on kidney tissue. The aim of this work is to evaluate whether the ...

We report our experience in the postnatal management of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) after fetal endoluminal balloon tracheal occlusion (FETO).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Out of 19 CDH fetuses diagnosed since December 2005, 13 had a lung-to-head ratio (LHR) < 1.1 (0.86 +/- 0.11) and underwent FETO at a mean gestational age (GA) of 27.9 weeks. The balloon was removed in 3 cases through puncture in EXIT (ex utero intrapartum treatment); there were 3 trans-utero punctures, 3 fetoscopies ...

The short, thick, matted bowel, often found in gastroschisis, has been attributed to a variety of factors. We designed an original animal model in order to isolate the effect of amniotic fluid on the fetal bowel. We created experimental gastroschisis in fetal rabbits. Extruded bowel was kept out of the amniotic sac in half of the operated fetuses. At term, 7 days after surgery, 21 surviving fetuses (12 intraamniotic gastroschisis [IAG] and 9 extraamniotic gastroschisis [EAG]) and 16 ...

BACKGROUND: Surgical exeresis is regarded as the first choice treatment for cystic lymphangioma. Surgery may be extremely complex, giving rise to complications. Several therapeutic methods have been described to avoid the complications derived from the conventional surgical approach. The idea of treating lymphangioma by means of suction and injection of fibrin sealant (Tissucol), is an alternative to surgery.

METHODS: The authors present 19 cases of cystic lymphangioma, treated with ...

Wound healing in the fetal period is fundamentally different from that of the adult. In order to better understand this difference, we have studied wound healing in three types of wounds which are the most common in surgical practice, and have paid special attention to tensile strength in the scar. A sutured wound, a nonsutured wound, and an electrocautery burn were performed on a group of 30 rabbit fetuses with a gestational age of 23 days. Seven days later, the resulting scars were ...

Abstract The intestinal damage in gastroschisis (GS) has been attributed to a narrow abdominal wall defect (AWD), among other causes, but this causal effect is difficult to prove in humans. The present experimental study was done to ascertain the damaging effect of clinically extrapolable mild and moderate constriction at the AWD on the intestine of fetuses with GS. AWDs of two different sizes were carried out in the fetal rabbit model: small-ring GS (1.5× bowel diameter, SRG) and ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the false-positive diagnoses of prenatal ultrasound screening of fetal structural anomalies.

METHODS: Pregnancies with fetal structural anomalies either detected prenatally in our center or referred to us, were registered, evaluated, and followed-up prospectively by a multidisciplinary Congenital Defects Committee. After postnatal follow-up was completed, cases were assigned as true positives, false positives or false negatives and categorized by anatomical ...

Care of the patient with cleft lip and/or palate remains complex. Prior attempts at aggregating data to study the effectiveness of specific interventions or overall treatment protocols have been hindered by a lack of data standards. There exists a critical need to better define the outcomes-particularly those that matter most to patients and their families-and to standardize the methods by which these outcomes will be measured. This report summarizes the recommendations of an ...

Skin wound healing has been shown to be a different process in the fetus than in the adult animal. Some of these differences have been attributed to the unique fetal environment (i.e., amniotic fluid). The aim of the present study is to compare fetal skin healing in intraamniotic and extraamniotic wounds. A fetal rabbit model has been used in which three types of skin wounds were induced on 23-day-old fetuses in contact with either amniotic fluid or maternal peritoneal fluid. The wounds ...

The authors present the case of an extremely premature baby affected by severe Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) needing intestinal resection and ileostomy. An enteric fistula developed 3 days after ostomy closure. The baby was started on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), and 7 days later the fistula output remained constant. Somatostatin (SM) was then given intravenously (3.0 micrograms/Kg/hr) and the fistula closed on the 3rd day of treatment. Since SM was introduced in 1986 as an ...

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare tumor. Cure is based solely on radical surgery. The general prognosis is poor. The tongue is an unusual site in adults, but not in children. Tumor removal can cause a severe impact on quality of life, even if reconstruction is possible. ASPS is a highly vascularized tumor and antiangiogenic therapy may have a role. We describe the use of the antiangiogenic combination bevacizumab and celecoxib in the preoperative management of a patient with an ...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the role of urine exposure in gastroschisis on the pathologic and biochemical aspects.

METHODS: The intestines of fetal rabbits with gastroschisis (group G), gastroschisis and urethral ligation (group GL), and normal controls (group C) were studied by measuring weigh and length, intestinal diameter and wall thickness, and thickness of each intestinal layer. Number and length of villi and villi edema were evaluated. Total protein ...