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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 21, 2014; 20(39): 14263-14271
Published online Oct 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i39.14263
Alimentary tract duplications in newborns and children: Diagnostic aspects and the role of laparoscopic treatment
Jan Patiño Mayer, Marcos Bettolli
Jan Patiño Mayer, Pediatric Surgery Division, Helios Klinik Berlin Buch, 13125 Berlin, Germany
Marcos Bettolli, Pediatric Surgery Division, Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L, Canada
Author contributions: All the authors contributed equally to this manuscript.
Correspondence to: Jan Patiño Mayer, MD, Pediatric Surgery Division, Helios Klinikum Berlin Buch, Schwanebecker Chaussee 50, 13125 Berlin, Germany. jpatinomayer@gmail.com
Telephone: +49-30-940114480 Fax: +49-30-940154409
Received: November 29, 2013
Revised: February 22, 2014
Accepted: June 14, 2014
Published online: October 21, 2014
Processing time: 325 Days and 11.6 Hours
Abstract

Alimentary tract duplications are rare congenital lesions normally diagnosed in newborns and children that can occur anywhere from the mouth to the anus and have a reported incidence of approximately 1 in 4500 life births. Symptoms and clinical presentation vary greatly. The presentation varies according to age and location. The treatment finally is surgical; total resection when possible should be the aim of the intervention. In pediatric surgery minimally invasive surgical procedures became more and more important over the last decades. In consequence the operative procedure on alimentary tract duplications changed in this manner. We review on case reports and clinical reports on minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of alimentary tract duplications, determine the importance of minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of this rare entity and rule out that further studies in the field should be performed.

Keywords: Alimentary tract duplications; Gastrointestinal duplication cysts; Laparoscopic surgery; Minimally invasive surgery; Endoscopy

Core tip: Alimentary tract duplications are rare congenital lesions which treatment is surgical. In the last two decades minimally invasive surgery became very important in the field of pediatric abdominal surgery. With this review we want to give the reader an overview on recent literature reporting on minimally invasive surgery in alimentary tract duplications.