A randomized trial of fully intermittent vs. daily followed by intermittent short course chemotherapy for childhood tuberculosis.

Fully intermittent short course chemotherapy regimens have been used successfully in adults but not in children. We report the results on 76 children with tuberculosis, excluding central nervous system tuberculosis and primary pulmonary complex. Isoniazid, rifampin and pyrazinamide were used for treatment. They were randomly allocated to Regimen A (52 doses) and Regimen B (94 doses). Overall efficacy of both schedules was greater than 95% in 27 children with lymphatic, 43 with pulmonary and 6 with disseminated tuberculosis. Compliance in 10 children after 2 to 4 months of therapy was poor because rapid improvement was mistaken by parents for cure. Two children died, probably of underlying lung disease. Follow-up for up to 2 years did not reveal any case of relapse or recurrence of the disease. Therapy for 6 months involving administration of only 52 or 94 doses of drugs was found to be economical, effective and safe for treating children with tuberculosis.

Perineal anal transplant in low anorectal anomalies.

Data on 67 female infants who received perineal and transplants for for treatment of low anorectal anomalies over a period of 12 years are presented. The procedure is considered to be safe in neonates and infants. When performed in the first year of life, it does not require a preliminary colostomy and gives good functional and cosmetic results. In older children it should be preceded by a diversion colostomy. The immediate complications are few and are not life threatening; the late results are satisfactory.

Clinical & bacteriological profile of neonatal pneumonia.

In a prospective study of 44 neonates (33 outborn and 11 inborn) with pneumonia, the bacteriology of pneumonia was determined by blood culture and serum counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIEP). Twenty-nine babies also underwent lung aspiration. The lung aspirate was subjected to bacterial culture and CIEP. CIEP was done to detect the bacterial antigens of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Absence of tachypnoea, found more commonly in low birth weight babies, was a poor prognostic sign. Low birth weight babies had a significantly higher mortality than babies with normal birth weight. Altogether, a bacterial etiology of neonatal pneumonia could be established in 25 cases (56.7%). In 10 babies, Strep. pneumoniae antigen was detected in serum and/or lung aspirate. Micro-organisms were cultured from blood and/or lung aspirate from 17 babies. Eleven babies (25%) grew Gram negative bacteria. The common bacteria identified in decreasing order of frequency were Strep. pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Acinatobacter lowfii, Staph. aureus, Pseudoamonas aeruginosa etc. All the Gram negative bacteria as well as staphylococci were sensitive to amikacin while only 23.5 per cent was sensitive to gentamicin. All staphylococci isolated were sensitive to methicillin.

Randomized controlled trial of intrapleural streptokinase in empyema thoracis in children.

AIM: To compare intrapleural streptokinase and placebo in paediatric empyema. METHODS: Children with empyema greater than stage 5 received intrapleural streptokinase (n = 19) or normal saline (n = 21) along with intercostal drainage. Clinical and serial sonographic outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Although there was no difference in clinical and sonographic outcome, none of the children with stage 7 empyema (multi-loculated empyema) who received streptokinase developed pleural thickening 30 d later. CONCLUSION: There is no short-term clinical benefit of intrapleural streptokinase in paediatric empyema; this therapy may be reserved for those with stage 7 empyema to prevent pleural thickening in the long term.

Extrarenal Wilms' tumor.

A rare case of retroperitoneal extrarenal Wilms' tumor with an unusual presentation is reported. The tumor contained a large cystic component and mimicked ascites clinically.

Ultrasound guided intrauterine transfusion.

Intrauterine transfusion was performed on 12 occasions in 9 Rh-sensitizedwomen. Under constant real-time ultrasound guidance, a 17G Touhy needle was negotiated through a placenta-free area and advanced into the foetal abdomen to reach the peritoneal cavity. After confirming the position of the needle, either by aspiration of foetal ascitic fluid or by injecting air into the peritoneal cavity, an epidural catheter was passed through the needle and the transfusion was accomplished. This procedure was successful in 11 (91%) of the 12 instances. In one patient the needle could not be placed in the foetal peritoneal cavity despite repeated. attempts; she developed pyrexia and went into spontaneous labour. The neonatal survival rate was 22% (2/9). The ultrasound guided technique not only eliminates the risk of radiation hazards, but also helps in precise placement of the needle in the uterus and foetal peritoneal cavity, which makes intrauterine transfusion safe.

Ultrasound in obstructive jaundice.

One hundred and twenty-five consecutive patients with obstructive jaundice were prospectively studied by ultrasonography to determine the level and cause of obstruction. These were diagnosed precisely in 80 (72%) and 52 patients (41.6%) respectively. The results were compared with cholangiography. The final diagnosis was established at surgery (97 cases) and fine needle aspiration cytology (28 cases). While US is an excellent screening modality in distinguishing obstructive and non-obstructive jaundice, cholangiography is still the gold standard for determining the precise anatomic level and cause of obstruction.

Ultrasound versus physical examination in staging carcinoma of the mobile tongue.

Surgical therapy for early lesions of the tongue should have the potential to be both oncologically sound and easy to rehabilitate. Obviously, the amount of tongue left behind after surgery is proportional to the post-operative function. Hence accurate mapping of the diseased tongue is of paramount importance in order to limit or extend the resection margins. We have evaluated the use of ultrasound in carcinoma of the tongue, and also compared its relative accuracy with physical examination for determining the extent of growth, keeping the histopathological size as a gold standard. We found that ultrasound is more accurate in detecting T2 and T3 tumours than T1 lesions. Intraoral sonographic mapping may be the answer for such small lesions. In addition, ultrasonography is beneficial in showing spread to contiguous areas of the tongue. However, post-radiation fibrosis and frank residual disease were not differentiated accurately by ultrasound. Thus ultrasonography can be an effective investigative tool and together with physical examination it can increase diagnostic accuracy leading to precise surgery for carcinoma of the tongue.

Mirizzi syndrome: a rare cause of obstructive jaundice.

Mirizzi syndrome is an uncommon cause of extra-hepatic obstructive jaundice. Gall stones impacted at the neck of gall bladder, causing compression in the common hepatic duct (CHD) was diagnosed on endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreaticography (ERCP). There was necrosis of the septum between the CHD and gall bladder neck, which was seen at surgery. Cholecystectomy and serosal patch of gall bladder to cover the CHD defect was performed. Patient's management and review of the literature is discussed.

Postasphyxial encephalopathy in preterm neonates.

OBJECTIVE: Perinatal asphyxia is an important determinant of infant neurological outcome. There are very few studies looking exclusively at postasphyxial encephalopathy in preterm neonates. METHODS: We studied the neurologic and sonographic abnormalities in 40 preterm babies with severe birth asphyxia during their hospital stay and till 3 months corrected age. RESULT: 87.5 % of the asphyxiated preterm babies had neonatal neurologic abnormality, compared to only 17% of the control babies (p<0.0001). Generalised hypotonia and reduced activity were the commonest abnormalities (observed in 85% of asphyxiated babies) while depressed sensorium (60%) and seizures (35%) were seen in more severe cases. White matter disease (WMD-including periventricular flare, cerebral edema and periventricular leucomalacia) was significantly more frequent in the study cases (34.5% in study cases vs 7.5% in controls, p<0.0001) as was grade 3/4 intraventricular hemorrhage(IVH) (25% in study cases vs 2.5% in controls, p<0.0001). There was 11 fold higher mortality among the asphyxiated babies (23 deaths in study cases vs 2 in controls, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The survivors had a significantly higher incidence of both mild and severe neurological abnormalities at corrected age of 3 months among the asphyxiated babies. There was a good correlation between the severity of the neonatal encephalopathy as well as the sonographic findings and the outcome.

Simple clinical signs of lower respiratory infection.

We studied the reliability of some simple clinical signs in the diagnosis of paediatric lower respiratory infection (LRI). Seventy infants and 148 children attending the outpatient department for cough of less than 15 days duration were studied. These children were examined by a paediatrician, and a proforma of simple clinical signs of LRI was filled in. A chest X-ray was taken on the same day and interpreted by a radiologist who did not know the clinical features of the patient. Clinical signs were then compared with X-ray changes, the latter being taken to indicate the presence of LRI. Respiratory rates of greater than 40/min in infants and greater than 30/min in older children were found to be the best indicators of LRI as revealed by a receiver-operating-characteristic curve. Chest indrawing and nasal flaring were found to be associated with moderate and severe disease.

Sonography in pyogenic meningitis.

In this prospective study to evaluate usefulness of ultrasonography for early diagnosis and monitoring of complications of acute pyomeningitis, we performed serial sonographic examinations of skull in 50 infants (with open fontanelle) with proven pyomeningitis. One or more abnormal sonographic findings were detected in 32 infants. These were echogenic sulci (26%), ventriculomegaly with some or other complication (26%), brain abscess (20%), ventriculitis (14%), subdural effusion (6%) and cerebral edema (10%), and were detected mostly after the first week of illness. Ultrasonographic findings were in complete agreement with CT scan diagnosis of ventriculomegaly, ventriculitis, solitary brain abscess and cerebral edema. However, sonography missed cases of subdural effusion (2 out of 5), multiple brain abscesses (1 out of 2), and cerebral infarction (all the four), which were detected on CT Scan. Serial sonographic findings were useful in documenting progressive increase in ventricular size in all the 13 infants with ventriculomegaly and monitoring response to anti-edema therapy in 5 infants with cerebral edema. Sonography is a useful tool for diagnosis of complications of pyomeningitis after the first week of illness, and for monitoring the progress of ventriculomegaly.

The role of ultrasonography in the management of tumors of the neck.

By themselves, clinical examination and palpation do not provide an accurate assessment of metastatic neck nodes. They do not yield sufficient information to ascertain the benign or malignant nature of nodes or to determine the presence of extracapsular spread and vascular invasion. The use of real-time ultrasonography with high-frequency transducers can significantly improve the evaluation of patients with neck masses. We studied the use of ultrasound in evaluating metastatic neck disease in 25 patients. We found that it is useful not only in detecting neck nodes, but in assessing their characteristics and the degree of vascular invasion. We recommend that ultrasonography be routinely performed as part of the evaluation of all patients with head and neck masses. It is also valuable in the postoperative or postirradiation followup of patients whose necks are otherwise difficult to evaluate.