Linfangiectasia intestinal en un paciente afectado de síndrome de Sanfilippo B / Intestinal lymphangiectasia in a patient with Sanfilippo B syndrome

La mucopolisacaridosis tipo III B es una enfermedad de depósito lisosomal causada por la deficiencia de la enzima N-acetil-alfa-d-glucosaminidasa, implicada en el catabolismo del heparán sulfato, que produce su acúmulo en diversos tejidos. Se presenta a un paciente de 8 años, afectado de mucopolisacaridosis tipo III B, con historia de diarrea crónica y hallazgos endoscópicos e histológicos compatibles con linfangiectasia intestinal. Tras tratamiento dietético con restricción de ácidos grasos de cadena larga y rica en triglicéridos de cadena media, presentó mejoría clínica, mantenida hasta la actualidad.La patogenia de la diarrea crónica en pacientes con mucopolisacaridosis tipo III B es aún desconocida. Debe investigarse la presencia de linfangiectasia intestinal en estos pacientes e iniciar, en caso de confirmarse, un tratamiento dietético adecuado para mejorar así su calidad de vida.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB is a lysosomal storage disease caused by a deficiency of the N-acetyl-alpha-d-glucosaminidase enzyme involved in the catabolism of heparan sulfate, causing its accumulation in various tissues. We present an 8-year-old patient with mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB, with a history of chronic diarrhea and endoscopic and histological findings compatible with intestinal lymphangiectasia. After a dietary treatment with a low-fat diet supplemented with medium-chain triglyceride, our patient presents clinical improvement until today. The pathogenesis of chronic diarrhea in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB is still unknown. The presence of intestinal lymphangiectasia in these patients should be investigated, and appropriate dietary treatment should be initiated, if confirmed, to improve their quality of life.

[Mesial temporal sclerosis in paediatrics: its clinical spectrum. Our experience gained over a 19-year period]. / Esclerosis mesial temporal en pediatría: espectro clinico. Nuestra experiencia de 19 años.

INTRODUCTION: Mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) is defined as neuron loss and gliosis in the hippocampus and adjacent structures. Here we report on our 19 years' experience in dealing with this condition. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective, descriptive study was conducted of patients diagnosed with MTS between May 1990 and January 2009. RESULTS: A diagnosis of MTS was established in 16 cases (62.5% males). By location these cases were distributed as follows: 12 were unilateral (seven left temporal and five right) and four were bilateral. It was associated to cortical dysplasia in six patients (37.5%) and to hippocampal arachnoid cysts in two other cases. As regards possible causations, in one case herpes simplex encephalitis was suspected; in three cases, a prenatal cerebral vascular pathology; and in three others, prenatal infection by cytomegalovirus. The distribution of the clinical spectrum was as follows: five patients with isolated clinical epilepsy; one with isolated psychomotor retardation or mental retardation (PMR-MR); one with isolated autism spectrum disorder (ASD); three with epilepsy associated to PMR-MR; one with epilepsy associated to ASD; two with PMR-MR and ASD; and two with the triad consisting of epilepsy together with PMR-MR and ASD. In one case, MTS was discovered in migraine studies, without any other symptoms. Crises were controlled with monotherapy in all the patients who received antiepileptic treatment except in three, one of whom required surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The definitive diagnosis of MTS is pathologic, but the latest neuroimaging techniques have allowed a very reliable approximate diagnosis to be reached. It may be associated to other malformative disorders, such as focal cortical dysplasia or cysts. MTS can be observed in epilepsy (whether refractory or not), but also in ASD, PMR-MR or asymptomatic patients.

[Cerebrovascular accidents in paediatric care. Our experience gained over an 18-year period]. / Accidente cerebrovascular en pediatría. Nuestra experiencia de 18 años.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study reviews our experience over the last 18 years with paediatric patients diagnosed with non-haemorrhagic cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) after the perinatal period. Data were collected for the period between May 1990 and May 2008 (n = 10 270 children) and special attention was given to cases with no previous pathology. RESULTS: We found 41 cases that were diagnosed with post-natal non-haemorrhagic CVA, of which 13 did not present any known pathology at the onset of the symptoms. Nine patients were diagnosed as having ischaemic CVA (ICVA), three cases had thrombosis of the venous sinuses and there was one case of haemorrhagic infarction (HI). No causation was found in five cases, three of which were heterozygotic for the C677T mutation of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. ICVA was caused by fibromuscular dysplasia, aneurysm of the auricular septum and patent foramen ovale, homocystinuria and chickenpox. A recent ear infection and diminished levels of protein C were noted in two cases of venous thrombosis. Five patients with ICVA and the case of HI were treated with oral antiaggregants, anticoagulants were administered in two of the thromboses, and the remaining cases did not receive any treatment. Seven patients (four ICVA, two thromboses and the HI) did not present any kind of sequelae, four ICVA presented different degrees of hemiparesis and two died (one ICVA and one thrombosis). CONCLUSIONS: The scarcity of studies and therapeutic clinical trials in the paediatric age makes it difficult to lay down clear guidelines of conduct, especially from the therapeutic point of view. The different specialists involved must collaborate with each other.