Arterial spin labelling: predictive role in surgical bleeding of paediatric optic pathway gliomas.

AIM: To analyse the performance of arterial spin labelling (ASL) in predicting surgical bleeding in a paediatric cohort of optic pathway glioma (OPG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Preoperative ASL data were obtained for 51 OPG in 40 patients, aged from 9 months to 16 years. The relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the tumour areas with the highest CBF (maximum rCBF) was measured and then correlated with qualitative local bleeding (graded no, moderate, and major by the neurosurgeon) and quantitative global surgical bleeding (assessed in millilitres using haematocrit data). RESULTS: Intratumoural maximum rCBF was significantly higher when qualitative local bleeding was high (median value in the no, moderate, and major bleeding groups equal to 0.81, 1.39 and 4.22, respectively, p=0.004), but there was no difference in global quantitative bleeding (p=0.7 for the total blood loss). The maximum tumour rCBF cut-off value of 1.1 yielded a sensitivity of 73%, a specificity of 78%, and an accuracy of 76% (39/51 tumours) in detecting haemorrhagic OPG. Choosing a maximum tumour rCBF cut-off value > 1.7 improved the specificity in diagnosing tumours with high bleeding risk with a specificity of 94%, a sensitivity of 53%, and an accuracy of 82% (42/51 tumours). CONCLUSION: ASL tumoural rCBF is a useful and simple diagnostic tool to help predict high intraoperative tumoural bleeding risk in paediatric OPG.

Severe macroglossia after posterior fossa and craniofacial surgery in children.

Massive swelling of the tongue can occur after posterior fossa and craniofacial surgery. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the occurrence of such severe postoperative macroglossia, but this phenomenon is still poorly understood. Severe postoperative macroglossia can be a life-threatening condition due to upper airway obstruction. Three cases of severe postoperative macroglossia that occurred after cervical spine, craniofacial, and posterior fossa surgical procedures are reported here. These cases required specialized maxillofacial management and a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit. Causal factors involved in this condition are reported, in order to highlight appropriate prevention and treatment options adapted to the management of paediatric patients. An overview of the current literature on severe postoperative macroglossia in paediatric populations is also provided.

Stroke volume variation and indexed stroke volume measured using bioreactance predict fluid responsiveness in postoperative children.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative fluid management can be challenging in children after haemorrhagic surgery. The goal of this study was to assess the ability of dynamic cardiovascular variables measured using bioreactance (NICOM®, Cheetah Medical, Tel Aviv, Israel) to predict fluid responsiveness in postoperative children. METHODS: Children sedated and mechanically ventilated, who require volume expansion (VE) during the immediate postoperative period, were included. Indexed stroke volume (SVi), cardiac index, and stroke volume variation (SVV) were measured using the NICOM® device. Responders (Rs) to VE were patients showing an increase in SV measured using transthoracic echocardiography of at least 15% after VE. Data are median [95% confidence interval (CI)]. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were included, but one patient was excluded because of the lack of calibration of the NICOM® device. Before VE, SVi [33 (95% CI 31-36) vs 24 (95% CI 21-28) ml m(-2); P=0.006] and SVV [8 (95% CI 4-11) vs 13 (95% CI 11-15)%; P=0.004] were significantly different between non-responders and Rs. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of SVi and SVV for predicting fluid responsiveness were 0.88 (95% CI 0.71-0.97) and 0.81 (95% CI 0.66-0.96), for a cut-off value of 29 ml m(-2) (grey zone 27-29 ml m(-2)) and 10% (grey zone 9-15%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that SVi and SVV non-invasively measured by bioreactance are predictive of fluid responsiveness in sedated and mechanically ventilated children after surgery.

[Standard perioperative management of patients treated with lithium can lead to hyperosmolar coma]. / Une prise en charge périopératoire "usuelle" peut conduire à un coma hyperosmolaire chez les patients traités par lithium.

A 55-year-old woman with bipolar disorder who had been taking lithium for several years developed hyperosmolar coma following osteosynthesis of a hip fracture. The coma was attributed to decompensation of undiagnosed nephrogenic diabetes insipidus due to chronic lithium intake. The lengthy perioperative fasting and large fluid loading (necessitated by the anesthetic technique) led to acute hypernatremia. Closer monitoring and a different anesthetic strategy might have avoided this classical complication of chronic lithium therapy. The patient recovered after symptomatic treatment. We discuss the perioperative management of patients taking (or having taken) lithium, based on a review of the literature.