Whole pulmonary assessment 1 year after paediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome: prospective multicentre study

Background

Long-term pulmonary sequelae, including 1-year thoracic computed tomography (CT) sequelae of paediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remain unknown. The purpose of the study was to determine pulmonary abnormalities in child survivors of pulmonary (p-ARDS) and extra-pulmonary ARDS (ep-ARDS) 1 year after paediatric intensive care unit discharge (PICUD).

Methods

Prospective multicentre study in four paediatric academic centres between 2005 and 2014. Patients with ARDS were assessed 1 year after PICUD with respiratory symptom questionnaire, thoracic CT and pulmonary function tests (PFT).

Results

39 patients (31 p-ARDS) aged 1.1–16.2 years were assessed. Respiratory symptoms at rest or exercise and/or respiratory maintenance treatment were reported in 23 (74%) of children with p-ARDS but in 1 (13%) of those with ep-ARDS. Thoracic CT abnormalities were observed in 18 (60%) of children with p-ARDS and 4 (50%) of those with ep-ARDS. Diffuse and more important CT abnormalities, such as ground glass opacities or mosaic perfusion patterns, were observed in 5 (13%) of children, all with p-ARDS. PFT abnormalities were observed in 30 (86%) of patients: lung hyperinflation and/or obstructive pattern in 12 (34%) children, restrictive abnormalities in 6 (50%), mild decrease in diffusing capacity in 2 (38%) and 6-min walking distance decrease in 11 (73%). Important PFT abnormalities were observed in 7 (20%) children, all with p-ARDS. Increasing driving pressure (max plateau pressure—max positive end-expiratory pressure) was correlated with increasing CT-scan abnormalities and increasing functional residual capacity (more hyperinflation) (p < 0.005).

Conclusions

Children surviving ARDS requiring mechanical ventilation present frequent respiratory symptoms, significant CT-scan and PFT abnormalities 1 year after PICUD. This highlights the need for a systematic pulmonary assessment of these children.

Trial registration The study was registered on Clinical Trials.gov PRS (ID NCT01435889)

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13613-022-01050-4.

Minoxidil versus placebo in the treatment of arterial wall hypertrophy in children with Williams Beuren Syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

Background

Insufficient elastin synthesis leads to vascular complications and arterial hypertension in children with Williams-Beuren syndrome. Restoring sufficient quantity of elastin should then result in prevention or inhibition of vascular malformations and improvement in arterial blood pressure.

Methods

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of minoxidil on Intima Media Thickness (IMT) on the right common carotid artery after twelve-month treatment in patient with Williams-Beuren syndrome. We performed a randomized placebo controlled double blind trial. All participants were treated for 12 months and followed for 18 months. The principal outcome was assessed by an independent adjudication committee blinded to the allocated treatment groups.

Results

The principal outcome was available for 9 patients in the placebo group and 8 patients in the minoxidil group. After 12-month treatment, the IMT in the minoxidil group increased by 0.03 mm (95% CI -0.002, 0.06) compared with 0.01 mm (95%CI - 0.02, 0.04 mm) in the placebo group (p = 0.4). Two serious adverse events unrelated to the treatment occurred, one in the minoxidil and 1 in the placebo group. After 18 months, the IMT increased by 0.07 mm (95% CI 0.04, 0.10 mm) in the minoxidil compared with 0.01 mm (95% CI -0.02, 0.04 mm) in the placebo group (p = 0.008).

Conclusion

Our results suggest a slight increase after 12 and 18-month follow-up in IMT. More understanding of the biological changes induced by minoxidil should better explain its potential role on elastogenesis in Williams-Beuren syndrome.

Trials registration

US National Institutes of Health Clinical Trial Register (NCT00876200). Registered 3 April 2009 (retrospectively registered).

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12887-019-1544-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Osteoid osteoma of the proximal femur: treatment by percutaneous bone resection and drilling (PBRD). A report of 44 cases

INTRODUCTION

Osteoid osteoma is a benign osteogenic tumor that is mainly located in the lower limbs. According to Campanacci the proximal femur is involved in 25% of cases. We present a series of 44 cases of osteoid osteoma located in the neck of the femur or the lesser trochanter treated by the minimally invasive method, CT-guided percutaneous bone resection and drilling (PBRD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This series included 44 patients, 20 girls and 24 boys, treated between 1987 and 2012. The average age at surgery was 12.7 years old (range 4-34). The diagnosis was based on the "association" of scintigraphy (hyperfixation) - CT scan (nidus located on the femoral neck or near the lesser trochanter). These patients underwent CT-guided PBRD under general anesthesia. Specific ancillary material was used to reach and remove the nidus and a cylinder of bone was sent to the pathologist for assessment. A lateral or anterior approach was used in all cases except one in which a posterior incision was made. Histological confirmation was obtained in 23 cases (the bone fragment was damaged in 21 cases).

RESULTS

Forty-two patients were reviewed after a minimum follow-up of one year (12-56 months). Two patients were lost to follow-up. Results were evaluated clinically and on CT scan 1 year after surgery: there were 35 cures with complete and permanent pain relief. There were 5 failures and 1 case of recurrence requiring a second CT-guided PBRD procedure as well 2 complications involving femoral fracture (one associated with failure).

DISCUSSION

The proximal femur is a common location of osteoid osteoma. Treatment requires careful preoperative planning to determine the surgical approach for safe removal. PBRD is a minimally invasive technique, allowing complete resection with suitable ancillary equipment. This method should be compared with thermoablation, which is a similar technique.

CONCLUSION

CT-guided PBRD is a therapeutic option in case of osteoid osteoma of the proximal femur.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.

Osteoid osteoma of the acetabular fossa: five cases treated with percutaneous resection

BACKGROUND

Osteoid osteoma is a painful benign osteogenic tumour for which the treatment objective is surgical resection of the nidus. The acetabular fossa is an uncommon site of involvement where surgical access can prove challenging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We report a case-series composed of five patients with osteoid osteoma of the acetabular fossa treated with percutaneous bone resection and drilling under computed tomography guidance.

RESULTS

All five patients had an uneventful postoperative course with immediate pain relief that was sustained over time.

DISCUSSION

The outcomes achieved using our percutaneous technique compare favourably with those of other percutaneous methods, most notably regarding pain relief and patient tolerance of the procedure.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous bone resection and drilling under computed tomography guidance proved effective for the treatment of osteoid osteoma involving the acetabular fossa.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.

Hypertensive crisis, hepatitis B virus and polyarteritis nodosa in a child

We report on a case of hepatitis B virus-related polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) in a 4-year-old Turkish boy who was first admitted because of severe arterial hypertension. The diagnosis of PAN was provided by conventional renal arteriography and the child was successfully treated with intensive sequential therapy combining short-term prednisone, plasma exchange and interferon-alpha-2b. Nine years later, he had no sign of PAN, normal blood pressure and normal renal function in the absence of any treatment.

[Screening of congenital dislocation of the hip in the newborn. A systematic and rigorous clinical examination. A restricted use of imaging]

(1) Clinical examination of the hips should be systematically performed in the newborn, in order to detect a possible congenital dislocation. This translates into hip joint instability, which can be evidenced by both Ortolani's and Barlow's signs, the latter being more sensitive. Special attention should be paid for abduction range, as limited abduction is a warning sign. (2) Use of imaging, especially sonography will be restricted to specific cases only. It's prescription, technical realization as well as interpretation have to be carefully done, so that it is actually relevant to uncertain or "at risk" situations. (3) Treatment if needed, should be ideally managed by a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon.

[Neurologic signs revealing a Behçet's disease: two pediatric case reports]

Behçet's disease can be revealed by neurologic signs.

CASE REPORTS

We report two pediatric cases of Behçet's disease which initially presented with cerebral venous thrombosis. Glucocorticoïds, associated with anticoagulant treatment allowed a rapid recovery. One of the children presented three years later a thrombotic recurrence.

CONCLUSION

A cerebral venous thrombosis may reveal Behçet's disease.

Transient hyperphosphatasemia after organ transplantation in children

Transient, isolated hyperphosphatasemia is a rare, benign condition of childhood. Few cases have been described in transplant patients. We report six cases: three after liver transplantation and three after kidney transplantation. Such a phenomenon was found to be as benign after organ transplantation as it is in healthy children. Hence, an isolated increase in the serum alkaline phosphatase level following transplantation should not be of concern in this population of patients.

[Testicular microlithiasis and cryptorchism: ultrasound analysis after orchidopexy]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the testicular ultrasound features and frequency of testicular microlithiasis in a population of patients operated several years before for cryptorchidism, in order to define a group at possible increased risk of testicular cancer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This was a retrospective study of 202 patients, 63 of whom were reviewed by ultrasound with a mean follow-up of 9 years 3 months (7 years 5 months to 11 years 7 months).

RESULTS

32% of operated testes were hypotrophic compared to the correctly descended side; their mean volume was 9.42 ml versus 11 ml for the nonoperated side. 14.3% of surgically descended testes presented an ultrasonographically heterogeneous parenchyma and microlithiasis were present in 9.52% of cases.

CONCLUSION

The association between microlithiasis and cryptorchidism is not an incidental finding. Apart from the relative hypotrophy of the testis, ultrasound also revealed, in our study, that the presence of microlithiasis is not an extremely rare finding. Annual ultrasound surveillance is therefore required due to the risk of malignant transformation of these microlithiases.

Vesicoureteral reflux after kidney transplantation in children

BACKGROUND

The prevalence and significance of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) after kidney transplantation in adults varies between authors and there have been few reports in children.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study in a single-centre paediatric cohort. Fifty-five of the 84 children who underwent kidney transplantation over a 5-year period were checked with routine cystography after a median of 8 months post-transplantation. Graft function and urinary-tract infections were assessed during the first 6 years after transplantation.

RESULTS

VUR into the graft was present in 58% of the patients. Graft function and incidence of urinary-tract infections were similar in the two groups, independent of VUR. After having excluded infections attributed to the presence of a catheter, actuarial survival rates without pyelonephritis and without pyelonephritis following a first lower urinary-tract infection were worse in patients with VUR (P:=0.017 and P:=0.0039 respectively). None of the eight patients with VUR treated with antibiotic prophylaxis after a first acute pyelonephritis (APN) episode presented subsequent APN after 4.4+/-3.3 years on therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

VUR to the graft occurred in more than half paediatric renal transplant recipients. This condition was associated with an increased risk of APN. Long-term antibiotic prophylaxis seems to be able to prevent APN in transplanted children with VUR.

[Liver transplantation in infants and children. Evaluation of the first 40 cases (March 1991-March 1997)]

BACKGROUND

Liver transplantation (LT) is the treatment of end-stage liver disease in children. We report our experience with LT using grafts from living related (LRD) and cadaver donors (CD).

POPULATION

From March 1991 to March 1997, 40 children and infants received a total of 42 liver grafts. A reduced-size liver was used in 28 cases. We studied pre-transplantation status, survival rate, and medical and surgical complications in these patients.

RESULTS

The survival rate in our series was respectively 85 and 80% at 1 and 7 years after LT. Low weight infants required a prolonged ventilatory assistance. Five of the six deaths noticed during the first three months after LT occurred in children weighing less than 12 kg. One year after LT, no significant difference in the incidence of rejection was found, neither between low-weight children and the others, nor between patients transplanted from CD or LRD. Biliary tract stricture was the major surgical complication.

CONCLUSION

This series consisted of a majority of low-weight children. The survival rate in the patients weighting less than 12 kg is lower than in the others. This may be explained by the nutritional status of these patients and early postsurgical complications. The use of grafts from living donors offers more flexibility since the operation is performed electively, but it did not seem to modify the incidence of acute rejections and surgical complications.

[Cystic dysplasia of the rete testis and ipsilateral kidney agenesis in children]

BACKGROUND

Cystic dysplasia of rete testis, a rare abnormality, is often associated with renal agenesis.

CASE REPORT

A 5-year-old boy was examined because he presented large scrotum. This was initially considered as hydrocele. Surgery showed a cystic dysplasia of the testis that in this patient was associated with ipsilateral renal agenesis.

CONCLUSION

This congenital abnormality, explained on the basis of embryological development, has been reported in 15 children. The testis appears cystic at surgical exploration; echography can affirm diagnosis and MRI can give specific features. A conservative attitude is proposed as this lesion is benign. Long-term follow-up is recommended for possible painful effects or growth of the lesion.

Long-term airway considerations after treatment of severe pediatric laryngotracheal stenosis in five children

After initial treatment of severe laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS), we evaluated subsequent airway function. Five children between 2 and 11 years were treated previously for severe LTS by T-tube stenting. One case underwent subsequent laryngotracheal reconstruction. All patients demonstrated dyspnea, the severity of which increased with age and duration of time after completion of stenosis treatment. In the most severe cases, magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopy revealed secondary subglottic stenosis. Ventilatory function tests disclosed obstruction of both extrathoracic and pulmonary origin. These findings raise questions regarding the treatment of the initial stenosing tissue and of the secondary stenoses.

[Role of imaging in the management of abdominal trauma in children]

Blunt abdominal trauma is common in children and induces significant morbidity and mortality. Trends in management of solid viscera lesions have changed over the past 15 years and a conservative approach is now preferred whenever possible. Such management has become possible in selected cases due to advances in pediatric intensive care and medical imaging. The authors provide a review-based on international literature data-of the respective roles of medical imaging studies in the initial management of blunt abdominal trauma in children. The place of these investigations is discussed for each organ, with emphasis on the diagnostic value of sonography and computed tomography. Diagnostic pitfalls and limitations in prognostic accuracy are discussed.

[Analysis of the failure of endoscopic treatment of vesico-renal reflux in children using injections of teflon and collagen and the preliminary results of injections of Macroplastic]

This study of 785 cases of vesicorenal reflux in 494 children treated endoscopically over a 7-year period was designed to evaluate the results obtained with three products used successively: Teflon, collagen and Macroplastic. Following Teflon injection, despite a 90% short-term success rate, recurrent reflux was subsequently observed in 16.71% of the ureters reviewed. The failure rate was 52.63% after collagen injection and 11.77% after Macroplastic. After one or two injections, complete resolution of reflux was obtained in 48% of children treated with collagen, versus 85.72% with Teflon and 93.33% with Macroplastic. In one half of cases, failure was related to the quality of the product and its modifications after injection. The marked resorption of collagen accounts for the poor results despite the large doses injected. Apart from one case of partial resorption of Teflon paste, the failures with this product were due to lateralisation or secondary elimination of the product from the injection site due to its fluidity. Macroplastic, due to its higher viscosity and absence of retraction, currently provides the best results with doses of less than 0.20 ml in children.

Treatment with lenograstim (glycosylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) and orthotopic liver transplantation for glycogen storage disease type Ib

A 7 1/2-year-old patient with glycogenosis type lb had chronic neutropenia, recurrent bacterial infections, and severe hypoglycemia in spite of continuous nasogastric feeding. She was treated with lenograstim (glycosylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) and orthotopic liver transplantation. Absolute neutrophil counts and platelet counts rapidly reached normal values, and infectious episodes were reduced. She resumed oral feeding after transplantation and had no subsequent hypoglycemic episodes.