title: Management of Wilms' tumor with intracardiac extension.
abstract: We review our experience and the literature in treating 4 patients with Wilms' tumor (WT) with intracardiac extension among 92 patients with this neoplasm. Cardiopulmonary bypass with circulatory arrest and profound hypothermia was used. There were 3 boys (3 years, 4 years 5 months, and 15 years) and 1 girl (6 years). The follow-up periods were 8 months, 3 years, 2 years 6 months, and 15 years, respectively. We had no surgical complications and conclude that the preoperative diagnosis is extremely important. These patients must be transferred to institutions where concomitant cardiac procedures can be performed. In treating patients with WT, Doppler ultrasound must be used preoperatively in all cases, not only those in which clinical and radiologic signs of intravascular involvement are found. We propose that preoperative chemotherapy should be used, as it shrinks the thrombus and causes desirable adherence of the thrombus to the venous wall, reducing the probability of thromboembolism during the surgical procedure. We also find this method safer than in our 1st case, where neither cardiac arrest nor hypothermia was used. Our results agree with the literature that intracardiac extension of WT does not worsen its prognosis when a rational surgical approach is used.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Federal University of São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Brazil.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Schettini
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: da Fonseca
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Abib
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Telles
authors.forename: M X
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Haber
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Saba da Silva
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Petrilli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006324:Heart Arrest, Induced; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009396:Wilms Tumor / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*