Sedation in pediatric CT: national survey of current practice.

To document current sedation practices in computed tomographic (CT) examination of children, a questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 2,000 hospitals with CT scanners in the United States. Responses were received from 834 hospitals (42%). Of these, 450 were reported to conduct pediatric CT with sedation. Approximately one-half of the examinations were conducted in pediatric hospitals or medical schools. Most hospitals did not require signed consent for CT with light sedation, even when intravenously or orally administered contrast medium was used. Signed consent for CT with deep sedation was required in 62% of hospitals. Monitoring techniques and personnel present during CT with sedation varied greatly, as did oral intake protocols for examinations with oral contrast material or no contrast material. Use of intubation during CT with oral contrast medium was rare. Orally administered chloral hydrate was the most frequently used first-line drug for sedation in most types of CT studies. The great variation in practices indicates a lack of settled standards for sedation during pediatric diagnostic examinations. Many procedures reported for pediatric CT with sedation are at variance with recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Intussusception: hydrostatic pressure equivalents for barium and meglumine sodium diatrizoate.

The pressures generated by a barium suspension and various solutions of meglumine sodium diatrizoate in water were measured with a manometer. A pressure of 120 mm Hg was produced by a 3.5-foot (105-cm) column of 60% wt/vol barium and a 5-foot (150-cm) column of either a 1:3 or 1:4 solution of meglumine sodium diatrizoate and water. This is the pressure used to reduce an intussusception with air.

Use of intraoperative ultrasound during hepatic resection in pediatric patients.

Five pediatric patients with primary liver tumors were evaluated preoperatively with ultrasound (US), computerized tomography (CT), and angiography, and tentative operative plans were formulated. Intraoperative US was subsequently used to examine these children, resulting in changes in operative strategy of all five patients despite their extensive preoperative evaluations. Intraoperative ultrasound appears to provide the most accurate assessment of both the extent of tumor and its vascular relationships. Thus, operative strategies may be precisely tailored on the basis of such information, allowing rational resection where appropriate, while futile attempts at removal of inoperable lesions may be averted.

Intraperitoneal bladder rupture in a battered child.

Visceral manifestations of child abuse are less commonly diagnosed than are the characteristic skeletal injuries. We describe a child with intraperitoneal bladder rupture caused by blunt abdominal trauma. Intraperitoneal resorption of the extravasated urine led to laboratory evidence of renal failure.

Herpes simplex encephalitis: CT findings in the neonate and young infant.

The computed tomographic (CT) findings in six cases of neonatal herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) are reviewed and compared with previous reports. The diagnoses were made on the basis of isolation of the virus from a brain biopsy specimen in one case, from cerebrospinal fluid in two cases, from tracheal aspirate in one case, and on clinical grounds in two cases. Five infants survived; all had significant neurologic deficits. CT showed bilateral cerebral involvement with relative sparing of the lower neuraxis in all cases. Bilateral patchy low-density zones involving the periventricular white matter more than the cortical gray matter were seen initially in four of the six infants. Hemorrhage and/or calcifications in the thalamus, insular cortex, periventricular white matter, and along the corticomedullary junction were present in five infants. Severe cerebral necrosis eventually resulted in all six infants. Unlike older patients, only one infant had predominantly temporal lobe involvement. These findings agree with the CT descriptions reported by others.

Pseudoreduction of intussusception: is ileal reflux the end point?

Two cases of unsuccessful hydrostatic reduction of intussusception are reported. Both were associated with barium filling multiple loops of distal ileum, despite lack of complete reduction of the intussusception. The presence of free ileal reflux does not guarantee successful reduction. Careful examination of the cecum for residual intussusceptum and of non-contrast-filled small-bowel loops for evidence of remaining small-bowel obstruction is essential to recognize unsuccessful reduction.