Staging laparotomy for Hodgkin's disease in children

Staging laparotomy in patients with Hodgkin's disease continues to be a controversial procedure in their management. Between 1970 and 1986, 67 patients up to 18 years of age were seen with Hodgkin's disease. The results of staging laparotomy performed on 39 of these children are reviewed. The clinical stage was changed as a result of laparotomy in 43.6% of cases, with 12.8% of cases upstaged and 30.8% of cases downstaged. All changes in stage modified the proposed treatment for the patient. In 20.5% of patients the laparotomy was positive, and in all cases the spleen was involved. Preoperative lymphangiography did not accurately identify nodal disease. Of the patients with negative laparotomies, 10% developed relapse in the abdomen. Major complications included three episodes of bacterial sepsis, with one death due to Streptococcal pneumonia and one to Neisseria gonorrhea. All septic events occurred prior to the use of pneumococcal vaccine and prophylactic antibiotics. One patient required reoperation for intestinal obstruction with bowel resection. None of the currently used noninvasive tests accurately identifies intraabdominal disease. Therefore, staging laparotomy continues to play an important role in the early management of Hodgkin's disease.