EST is a safe and effective nonsurgical mode of therapy in controlling esophageal variceal bleeding in children with EHPVO. Significant variceal bleeding did not occur during the relatively short follow-up in this series.

We prospectively evaluated 139 consecutive children presenting to the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (Lucknow, India) with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding from January 1991 to November 1994. Our aims were to find out whether the causes of GI bleeding in a developing country differed from developed countries and how the application of newer diagnostic techniques would help in the diagnosis of GI bleeding. Barium studies, endoscopy, technetium‐99m‐labelled (erythrocytes and pertechnetate) scans, selective abdominal angiography using a digital subtraction technique and rectal endoscopic ultrasonography were performed. Upper GI bleeding (n = 75) was variceal in 71 (95%) children (extrahepatic portal venous obstruction in 65, cirrhosis in six) and non‐variceal in four (5%) cases (Henoch‐Schonlein purpura, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, drug‐induced gastric erosions and pseudoaneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery due to idiopathic chronic calcific pancreatitis). Causes of lower GI bleeding (n= 64) were colitis (27 cases; 42%), colorectal polyps (26 cases; 41%), enteric fever (n = 3), solitary rectal ulcer (n = 3), portal hypertensive colopathy (n = 2), colonic arteriovenous malformation (n= 1) and internal haemorrhoids (n = 1). One patient remained undiagnosed. Angiography performed in four children was diagnostic in two. In one child with massive lower GI bleeding from portal colopathy, the bleeding site (caecum) was localized by intra‐operative colonoscopy, while in the other child with portal colopathy, rectal endoscopic ultrasonography was performed to substantiate the diagnosis. We conclude that the causes of upper GI bleeding in children in developing countries are different from those in developed countries (variceal bleeding due to extrahepatic portal venous obstruction is the most common cause, while peptic ulcer is rare). However, the spectrum of lower GI bleeding is similar to that of developed countries. Application of newer diagnostic techniques is helpful and safe in the identification of the cause of GI bleeding in children.

Initially considered to be a respiratory disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now recognized as a multisystem disease known to affect all the major organs, including the gastrointestinal system. Based on recent studies, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 causes dysregulation of multiple biological pathways, triggers an exaggerated immune response, and affects multiple organs. The gastrointestinal symptoms in COVID-19 are common but often overlooked. We report the case of a 50-year-old female with a recent history of COVID-19 presenting with complaints of abdominal pain and constipation. Initially, the patient was treated for respiratory symptoms and discharged home. Subsequently, she was re-admitted and diagnosed with colonic obstruction on radiology. Laparotomy revealed descending and sigmoid colonic gangrene requiring left colectomy. This case highlights the uncommon but severe gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19.

Gossypiboma or textiloma denotes the formation of a mass lesion due to the development of foreign body reactions around the retained surgical item in the body. Most of the cases are asymptomatic in the initial postoperative period. Due to the dense adhesions, most of the cases of intra-abdominal gossypiboma are treated by an open approach. Here we present a case of a 38-year-old lady with left iliac fossa pain one month after caesarean section. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen revealed gossypiboma. The patient was successfully treated with laparoscopic removal of the gossypiboma.

Gastrointestinal (GI) schwannomas are very rare. Among GI schwannoma, the most common site is the stomach. Very few cases of intestinal schwannoma have been reported in the literature. Moreover, intestinal schwannoma in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease has rarely been reported. We report a case of ileal schwannoma incidentally detected in a 52-year-old lady with long-lasting ulcerative colitis having intestinal obstruction. On laparotomy, the patient was found to have adhesive intestinal obstruction due to a previous abdominal hysterectomy. On careful inspection of the bowel loops, a 2cm ileal lesion on the mesenteric border was detected. Segmental ileal resection was performed. Histopathology revealed a mesenchymal tumor with immunohistochemical analysis suggestive of schwannoma (CD117-, CD34-, SMA-, and S100+). The patient had an uneventful recovery with no recurrence on follow-up.