Powered standing wheelchairs promote independence, health and community involvement in adolescents with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a common neuromuscular disorder involving progressive muscle weakness. A powered wheelchair standing device provides capacity to stand despite increasing muscle weakness. This study used qualitative methods to explore how adolescents with Duchenne muscular dystrophy used a powered wheelchair standing device in their daily lives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 adolescents, 11 parents and 11 teachers. Qualitative thematic analysis using a grounded theory framework was conducted to identify emerging domains. "Capacity to be able" was the central theme that emerged across the dataset: the introduction of the powered wheelchair standing device at a time when motor skills were declining enabled the adolescent to maintain and sometimes extend his independence. There were four underlying themes including (1) Independence, (2) Health, (3) Comfort, and (4) Community belonging and involvement. Each theme was illustrated in data collected from adolescents, parents and teachers. The device appeared to mitigate some of the challenges of progressive muscle weakness by providing the option for the individual with Duchenne muscular dystrophy to choose when and where to stand for participation in a range of activities, beyond what would be possible with existing therapeutic regimes involving standing frames.

The prevalence of mental health disorders and symptoms in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: Mental health conditions and problems are often reported in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). A systematic review was undertaken to describe their prevalence. METHOD: MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases from 1996 to 2016 were searched and reference lists of selected studies were reviewed. Studies were included if they reported point prevalence of mental health diagnoses or symptoms in a general population of children and/or adolescents with CP. Pooled prevalence for mental health symptoms was determined using a random effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: Of the 3158 studies identified, eight met the inclusion criteria. Mental health disorders were diagnosed by psychiatric interview in one study, giving a prevalence of 57% (32 out of 56 children). The remaining seven studies (n=1715 children) used parent-report mental health screening tools. The pooled prevalence for mental health symptoms using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (n=5 studies) was 35% (95% confidence interval [CI] 20-61) and using the Child Behavior Checklist (n=2 studies) was 28% (95% CI 22-36). Evidence was characterized by a moderate level of bias. INTERPRETATION: More studies are needed to ascertain the prevalence of mental health disorders. Mental health symptoms are common and mental health evaluations should be incorporated into multidisciplinary assessments for these children. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Children with cerebral palsy and intellectual disability have a higher risk of mental health symptoms. The prevalence of mental health symptoms for age and severity groups is unclear.

Bilateral agenesis of the internal carotid artery: case report and approach to management.

We present the case of a 13-year-old boy who presented with two episodes of acute onset severe headache. Initial investigation with computerised tomography revealed no apparent abnormality. Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography revealed that this boy had absence of both internal carotid arteries bilaterally. Absence of the internal carotid arteries is an uncommon condition, but does occur with unilateral absence being more common than bilateral absence. The condition is usually diagnosed in adulthood but may be diagnosed incidentally in childhood. When diagnosed in childhood, the main aim of management is to prevent the development of cerebrovascular accidents.