Penicillin anaphylaxis

Sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer: time has come to systematically perform it before planned axillary clearance

Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a simple and relatively safe technique that emerged as a standard in the management of early breast cancer. Indications are becoming larger and because this particular node provides significant epidemiological, clinical, pathological, educational and prognostic information efforts must be done to identify it even when a a complete axillary clearance is planned.

Seizure exacerbation related to beta-lactam antibiotics in a child with cerebral dysgenesis

A three-year-old boy with right hemimegalencephaly, developmental delay and left hemiparesis had well-controlled left focal seizures. Occasionally he had generalized seizures if he was given beta-lactam antibiotics. An EEG with simultaneous penicillin injection was performed to examine this apparent association: a secondarily generalized seizure was documented within two minutes of intravenous administration of the penicillin. This procedure confirmed the suspicion of a causal link between antibiotic treatment and seizures. The factors increasing susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotic-induced seizures are reviewed.