Surgical outcomes of very-early-onset ulcerative colitis: retrospective comparative study with older pediatric patients

• Published in: Pediatric surgery international Vol. 40; no. 1; p. 73
• Main Authors: Fumita, Takashi, Terui, Keita, Shibata, Ryohei, Takenouchi, Ayako, Komatsu, Shugo, Oita, Satoru, Yoshizawa, Hiroko, Hirano, Yuichi, Yoshino, Yusaku, Saito, Takeshi, Hishiki, Tomoro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 07.03.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Central Venous Catheters; Child; Child, Preschool; Colitis, Ulcerative - surgery; Humans; Infant; Inflammatory bowel disease; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Ostomy; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Retrospective Studies; Surgery; Surgical outcomes; Treatment Outcome; Ileostomy; Catheter-related infection; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Pediatric ulcerative colitis; Early-onset
• ISSN: 1437-9813; 0179-0358; 1437-9813
• DOI: 10.1007/s00383-024-05662-8

Purpose The study compares the surgical outcomes of very-early-onset ulcerative colitis (VEO-UC), which is a rare disease diagnosed in pediatric patients < 6 years, with those of older pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods A retrospective observational study of 57 pediatric patients with UC was conducted at a single center. The study compared surgical complications and postoperative growth between the two groups. Results Out of the 57 patients, 6 had VEO-UC, and 5 of them underwent total colectomy. Compared with the surgical cases of older patients with UC ( n  = 6), the rate of postoperative complications in patients with VEO-UC ( n  = 5) was not significantly different, except for high-output ileostomy (80% vs. 0% at 3 weeks postoperatively, p  = 0.02). The rate of postoperative central venous catheter (CVC) placement at > 90 days was higher in patients with VEO-UC (100% vs. 17%, p  = 0.02). The median change in the Z -score of height before and 2 years after colectomy was not significantly different between VEO-UC and older patients (1.1 vs. 0.3, p  = 0.13). Conclusion With regard to complications and outcomes, total colectomy for VEO-UC patients and that for older pediatric UC patients is comparable. However, high-output ileostomy and the long duration of CVC placement may pose management challenges.