Pseudotumor cerebri in the paediatric population: clinical features, treatment and prognosis.

INTRODUCTION: Pseudotumor cerebri (PC) in prepubertal patients displays certain characteristics that differentiate it from its presentation at the postpubertal stage. The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics of paediatric patients diagnosed with PC at our centre and to compare them according to their pubertal status. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included patients aged between 1 and 18 years who were diagnosed with PC in a tertiary-level hospital between 2006 and 2019 and who met the updated diagnostic criteria for PC. They were classified according to body weight and pubertal status. Subsequently, we analysed results from lumbar punctures, neuroimaging studies, ophthalmological assessments, and treatments received during follow-up. RESULTS: We included 28 patients, of whom 22 were of prepubertal age and 6 were of postpubertal age. The mean age (standard deviation) was 9.04 (2.86) years. Among the postpubertal patients, 83.3% were boys, 66.7% of whom presented overweight/obesity. In the group of prepubertal patients, 27% were boys, 31.8% of whom were overweight. The most frequent symptoms were headache (89.9%) and blurred vision (42.9%). All patients presented papilloedema, and 21.4% manifested sixth nerve palsy. Possible triggers were identified in 28.6% of cases. Nineteen percent of patients presented clinical recurrence, all of whom were prepubertal patients. Complete clinical resolution was achieved in 55.6% of patients. CONCLUSION: Prepubertal patients with PC show lower prevalence of obesity, higher prevalence of secondary aetiologies, and higher recurrence rates than postpubertal patients.

Pseudotumor cerebri in the paediatric population: clinical features, treatment and prognosis. / Síndrome de pseudotumor cerebri en la población pediátrica: características clínicas, tratamiento y pronóstico.

INTRODUCTION: Pseudotumor cerebri (PC) in prepubertal patients displays certain characteristics that differentiate it from its presentation at the postpubertal stage. The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics of paediatric patients diagnosed with PC at our centre and to compare them according to their pubertal status. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included patients aged between 1 and 18 years who were diagnosed with PC in a tertiary-level hospital between 2006 and 2019 and who met the updated diagnostic criteria for PC. They were classified according to body weight and pubertal status. Subsequently, we analysed results from lumbar punctures, neuroimaging studies, ophthalmological assessments, and treatments received during follow-up. RESULTS: We included 28 patients, of whom 22 were of prepubertal age and 6 were of postpubertal age. The mean age (standard deviation) was 9.04 (2.86) years. Among the postpubertal patients, 83.3% were boys, 66.7% of whom presented overweight/obesity. In the group of prepubertal patients, 27% were boys, 31.8% of whom were overweight. The most frequent symptoms were headache (89.9%) and blurred vision (42.9%). All patients presented papilloedema, and 21.4% manifested sixth nerve palsy. Possible triggers were identified in 28.6% of cases. Nineteen percent of patients presented clinical recurrence, all of whom were prepubertal patients. Complete clinical resolution was achieved in 55.6% of patients. CONCLUSION: Prepubertal patients with PC show lower prevalence of obesity, higher prevalence of secondary aetiologies, and higher recurrence rates than postpubertal patients.

[Infection-triggered familial or recurrent acute necrotizing encephalopathy]. / Encefalopatía aguda necrosante familiar o recurrente desencadenada por infecciones.

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) presents in children after common viral infections. Most cases of ANE are non-familial and non-recurrent and have been mainly reported in Asian patients, although ANE affects children worldwide. Recently, missense mutations in the gene encoding the nuclear pore protein Ran Binding Protein 2 (RANBP2) have been found in several families with familial or recurrent cases of ANE. We describe a Spanish family with familial and recurrent ANE without mutations in RANBP2. Mutations in RANBP2 are not the sole susceptibility alleles for familial or recurrent ANE.

[Reticulocyte haemoglobin content in the diagnosis of iron deficiency]. / Contenido de hemoglobina reticulocitaria para el diagnóstico de la ferropenia.

INTRODUCTION: The detection of iron deficiency is essential in order to start early treatment to prevent long-term systemic complications of iron deficiency anaemia. Reticulocyte haemoglobin content (CHr) has been shown to be a helpful indicator for detecting iron deficiency before the development of anaemia. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficiency of CHr in the assessment of iron deficiency with or without anaemia and to determine the cut-off value with the best diagnostic yield. STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on an urban population of both sexes aged 6 months to 14 years. The study protocol included a questionnaire and taking a venous blood sample for a complete blood cell count with CHr and biochemical indicators of iron status. RESULTS: Samples were obtained for 237 children. A CHr cut-off value of 25 pg had an overall sensitivity of 90.7% and specificity of 80.1% for the diagnosis of iron deficiency with or without anaemia. The value of CHr was below 25 pg in the diagnostic groups with iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia, and above this value in the diagnostic groups with non-iron deficient anaemia or normal. CONCLUSIONS: CHr is a useful hematological marker to identify iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia in childhood. A CHr value of 25 pg showed the best performance to identify iron deficiency with or without anaemia.

[Review of haematology and biochemistry parameters to identify iron deficiency]. / Revisión de los parámetros hematológicos y bioquímicos para identificar la ferropenia.

INTRODUCTION: There has been a continuous improvement in the methods to detect iron deficiency, a common condition in children, in the last decades or so, but it is still difficult to establish which parameters should be included in a diagnostic panel for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of commonly used haematological and biochemical markers, as well as the reticulocyte haemoglobin content (CHr) in the diagnosis of iron deficiency with or without anaemia. STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on an urban population of both sexes aged 6 months to 14 years. A complete blood cell count with CHr was obtained. Biochemical markers of iron metabolism, transferrin saturation, serum iron, ferritin and total iron binding capacity were also measured. RESULTS: Samples were obtained for 237 children. A multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis identified CHr and iron serum as the only parameters independently associated to iron deficiency (P<0.05). CHr was the strongest predictor of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the measurement of CHr may be a reliable method to assess deficiencies in tissue iron supply. CHr together with a complete blood count may provide an alternative to the traditional biochemical panel for the diagnosis of iron deficiency in children.

[Infant botulism]. / Botulismo del lactante.

We report a case of botulism in a 40 day old infant. The patient presented a descending flaccid paralysis requiring mechanical ventilation for 12 days. She is the first European patient treated with Human Botulism Immune Globulin. A few weeks later a second case of infant botulism was detected in our geographical region in Southern Spain. We emphasise the importance of an early diagnosis and treatment with Human Botulism Immune Globulin to decrease morbidity.

Classic and late-onset neurological disease in two siblings with glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency.

Late-onset neurological disease has rarely been reported in patients with glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) deficiency. We present two siblings with GCDH deficiency. One of them presented with the classic neurological disease (patient 1). Routine investigation of family members revealed that her apparently unharmed 13-year-old sister was also affected (patient 2). Patient 2 started to have academic difficulties in the months prior to our assessment. Her clinical examination was normal, with the exception of a cranial circumference of 57 cm (slightly over the 98 th centile). A severe leukoencephalopathy was demonstrated on MRI. Neuropsychological assessment showed an IQ within the normal-low range and a mild impairment of memory and executive function. Previous reports on late-onset neurological disease in GCDH deficiency have revealed that progressive leukoencephalopathy develops over time. Following the recently published guideline for the diagnosis and management of GCDH deficiency, both patients are receiving dietary treatment in combination with L-carnitine supplementation. We emphasize the need to search for chronic neurological changes of late-onset type in apparently unaffected GCDH deficiency cases diagnosed in routine family investigations.

[Möbius syndrome and an apparently life-threatening event]. / Síndrome de Möbius y episodio aparentemente letal.

Möbius syndrome is characterized by congenital facial weakness with impairment of ocular abduction. A subgroup of these patients have associated apneas because of involvement of brainstem respiratory centers located slightly lateral to the abducens nuclei. We report a 7-month old infant admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit because of an episode of cyanosis, hypotonia and unresponsiveness. The patient then became respirator dependent afterwards. On examination, facial diplegia, impairment of ocular abduction and hypotonia were evident. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed abnormal signal intensity in brainstem tegmentum. At the age of 11 months he was discharged but required a home ventilator. He died 5 months later due to an infection. Möbius syndrome is associated with central respiratory dysfunction. The finding of abnormal signal intensity in brainstem tegmentum on MRI is a possible predictor of apnea in these patients.

[Acute cerebrovascular accident associated with drepanocytosis complicated by pneumococcal meningitis in two children]. / Accidente cerebrovascular agudo asociado a drepanocitosis complicada con meningitis neumocócica en dos niños.

INTRODUCTION: Between 6% and 17% of the patients with drepanocytosis will have an acute cerebrovascular accident (ACVA). Precipitating factors have been described including bacterial meningitis, upper respiratory tract obstruction, dehydration, intense exercise, postoperatively, and hypoxia due to altitude. CLINICAL CASES: We report two Negro children with drepanocytosis who, at the ages of 8 and 20 months, had pneumococcal meningitis complicated by an ACVA. The 20 month old boy had been previously diagnosed as having drepanocytosis; the 8 month old girl was diagnosed when she was admitted to hospital with meningitis. In both cases the clinical features of the ACVA were focal epileptic seizures followed by hemiplegia. On cranial CT and MR regions of focal ischaemia of the hemisphere were observed. The boy of 20 months made an excellent recovery with no long term sequelae. The 8 month old girl had severe permanent sequelae: hemiparesia, blindness, mental deficiency and epileptic encephalopathy. CONCLUSIONS: We present two Negro children with drepanocytosis who had ischemic ACVAs, a common complication of the disease, during the course of pneumococcal meningitis but with very different clinical courses. Recent increases in immigration will mean that previously rare illnesses will be more commonly seen in our environment, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

[Vascular malformations of the central nervous system in children]. / Malformaciones vasculares del sistema nervioso central en niños.

OBJECTIVE: To present the experience of vascular malformations (VM) of the central nervous system (CNS) in children obtained in our centre. Since these lesions do not often present clinically in childhood, there are few series described in the literature. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We made a retrospective review of the clinical histories of patients with VM of the CNS shown on MR, angiography and/or morbid anatomy, who were aged 15 years or under. Patients with Sturge-Weber or Von Hippel-Lindau syndromes were excluded. RESULTS: We describe 32 patients with VM of the CNS. Twenty four had arteriovenous malformations (AVM), 5 had cavernous malformations (CM), 2 had malformations of Galeno's vein (MGV) and one patient had a congenital fusiform arterial aneurysm. Twenty two children (68%) presented clinically with hemorrhages. This was the form of presentation in 20 patients with AVM. In 4 of the 5 patients with CM the first sign was epileptic crisis. The two patients with MGV presented with macrocephaly, in one neonate it was associated with heart failure and in on older baby with hydrocephaly. The patient with a congenital arterial aneurysm presented with paroxystic episodes of facial pain. CONCLUSIONS: The AVM are the VM which most frequently cause symptoms in childhood.

[Spinal tumors in infancy. A report of 48 cases]. / Tumores espinales en la infancia. Presentación de 48 casos.

INTRODUCTION: Spinal tumours in infancy are an infrequent oncological disorder. The clinical features, usually of insidious onset, are alterations in gait and a painful spine. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the different histological types of spinal tumours seen in infancy and their form of presentation in our series. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the clinical histories of 48 patients with intraspinal tumours, aged under 15 years, whose reports of histological diagnosis had been sent to our centre. RESULTS: Of the patients studied, 17 were girls (35.4%) and 31 boys (64.6%) with an average age of 7.7 years. The histological diagnoses made most frequently were astrocytomas (22.9%) and lipomas (18.8%) followed by metastases (12.5%), ependymomas (8.3%) and Edwing's sarcoma (8.3%). The clinical features were present prior to diagnosis for between 1 and 6 months in 13 patients, and for less than one month in 9 patients. The presenting symptoms were alterations in gait and back pain in most patients. Exploratory tests were related to the involvement of long vias and second motor-neurone lesions. The main topographical findings were: in the axial plane the lesions were extradural (23 patients) and in the sagittal plane there was dorsal involvement (34 patients). CONCLUSIONS: Insidious, progressive alterations in gait together with continuous, nocturnal back pain are valuable data when a serious spinal disorder is to be suspected. Early diagnosis should be based on neuroimaging tests, essentially MR, in the patients in whom spinal cord involvement is considered.

[Hereditary primary microcephaly type 5. Not everything is Zika virus]. / Microcefalia primaria hereditaria de tipo 5. No todo es virus del Zika.

TITLE: Microcefalia primaria hereditaria de tipo 5. No todo es virus del Zika.

[Multiple cranial neuropathy: a case report of three paediatric patients]. / Neuropatia craneal multiple: descripcion de tres pacientes pediatricos.

TITLE: Neuropatia craneal multiple: descripcion de tres pacientes pediatricos.

[Neurological complications in patients receiving solid organ transplants]. / Complicaciones neurológicas en trasplantados de órgano sólido.

INTRODUCTION: Neurological complications (NC) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in paediatric patients receiving solid organ transplants. Our aim was to describe the experience of our hospital with NC in paediatric patients receiving heart, lung and liver transplants. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 140 paediatric patients who received a solid organ transplant during the period 2000-2011. RESULTS: A total of 23 paediatric solid organ transplant recipients (16.4% of cases), with a median age of 6 years, had NC. The symptoms were, in order of frequency: acute symptomatic seizures (12 patients); acute encephalopathy (11 patients); neuromuscular weakness (4 children), tremor (4 children), headache (2 children), neuropathic pain (2 children), and visual disturbances (2 children). The aetiologies of NC were: the neurotoxicity of the immunosuppressive drugs (12 patients), post-hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (6 patients), infections (2 cases), mechanical compression of peripheral nerve during surgery (2 cases), and a metabolic complication (1 case). The five patients who met the criteria of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome had a favourable outcome. Seven patients died, four of them due to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. CONCLUSIONS: NC are common in paediatric patients receiving heart, liver, lung, and renal transplants, with acute symptomatic seizures and acute encephalopathy being the most common clinical signs. No differences were found in the NC with the different types of transplants. Neurotoxicity of the immunosuppressive drugs and hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy were the main causes of NC, having different management and outcomes. The prognosis was favourable in most of the patients, except for those who had moderate or severe post-hypoxic-ischaemic damage.

B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a girl with the DiGeorge anomaly.

The DiGeorge anomaly (DGA) is occasionally associated with cellular immunodeficiency. We report a female infant diagnosed with complete DGA, who developed fatal, high grade, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that expressed Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma should be considered in children with DGA.

[Dermatomyositis in childhood]. / Dermatomiositis en la infancia.

AIM: The aim of this study is to review the presenting signs and symptoms, laboratory findings and therapeutic regimens of juvenile dermatomyositis in a tertiary hospital. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the available medical records of patients who met the clinicopathologic criteria of Bohan and Peter for definite juvenile dermatomyositis. They were followed between 1986 and july 1999 at the pediatric rheumatology section at our institution. RESULTS: The patient population included 3 male and 6 female patients. The mean age at diagnosis was 7 years. Clinical features demanding medical attention at the hospital were: muscle weakness and pain, with associated general symptoms in 4 cases; isolated muscle weakness in 2 cases; muscle weakness associated to general symptoms in 1 case; and monoarthritis in another case. One patient presented initially only with cutaneous rash. Three patients developed calcinosis. Serum CPK and LDH levels were elevated in 8 patients, aldolase in 7 and aminotransferases in 6. Autoantibodies were undetectable in all the patients. Electomyography demonstrated myopatic or mixed pattern in the 5 patients it was practiced. Muscle biopsy showed features of inflammatory myopathy in all the cases. Seven patients were treated exclusively with steroids and 2 patients with steroids, methotrexate and intravenous gammaglobuline. Actually, 6 patients are asymptomatic, 2 have mild muscle weakness, and 1 has died. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our review agree with other series reported. Juvenile dermatomyositis suspicious should be made upon muscle weakness and general symptoms. Treatment with steroids should be started promptly.