The effect of endoscopic renal and ureteral stone surgeries on renal blood flow in children: a prospective trial.

AIM: To assess the impact of endoscopic stone surgeries on renal perfusion and blood flow in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Children who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), ureterorenoscopy (URS), endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS) were included to the study. Renal Doppler ultrasonography (RDUS) was performed one day before the operation, and on the postoperative 1st day and 1st month. Peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end-diastolic velocity (EDV) were measured, and resistive index (RI) was calculated with the (PSV-EDV)/PSV formula. RDUS parameters were compared before and after surgery and between ipsilateral and contralateral kidneys. RESULTS: A total of 45 children with a median age was 8 (2-17) years were included (15 (33.3%) girls, 30 (66.7%) boys). PCNL was performed in 13 children (28.9%), RIRS 11 (24.4%), URS 12 (26.7%), and ECIRS 9 (20%). There was no significant difference in renal and segmental PSV, EDV and RI values of operated kidney in the preoperative, postoperative periods. There was no significant difference between RDUS parameters of the ipsilateral and contralateral kidneys in preoperative or postoperative periods. PSV and EDV values were significantly higher in the 1st postoperative month in the group without preoperative DJ stent than in the group with DJ stent (p = 0,031, p = 0,041, respectively). However, RI values were similar. The mean RI were below the threshold value of 0.7 in each period. CONCLUSION: RDUS parameters didn't show a significant difference in children. Endoscopic surgeries can be safely performed in pediatric stone disease.

The role of cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings in pediatric epilepsy: A single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in different age groups and genders in pediatric epilepsy, to determine the percentages of etiologic factors, and to evaluate the association between MRI positivity and treatment resistance. METHODS: Cranial MRIs of 359 patients with epilepsy aged 1 month to 18 years were retrospectively evaluated. Etiologic factors as an underlying cause of epilepsy were classified as previous parenchymal damage, hippocampal sclerosis, malformations of cortical development, tumor, neurocutaneous syndrome, myelination disorder, vascular anomaly, metabolic/genetic/neurodegenerative diseases, encephalitis, and an uncategorized "other" group. Data were transferred to IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), and descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, chi-square, and t-tests were performed. RESULTS: Among the patients included in the study, 141 (39.3%) had pathological findings on MRI related to the etiology. Previous parenchymal damage (39.7%) was the most common etiologic cause in all age groups. Regarding the relationship between drug resistance and MRI positivity, MRI positivity was observed in 72% of drug-resistant cases, while a complete response to therapy was found in 67.6% of MRI-negative cases. CONCLUSION: MRI guides clinicians to determine the presence of an etiologic factor as the underlying cause of childhood epilepsy before treatment planning. MRI positivity is a remarkable indicator of response to antiseizure drug treatment and drug resistance.

Management of acute metabolic crisis in TANGO2 deficiency: a case report.

OBJECTIVES: TANGO2 deficiency is a rare inborn error of metabolism, with distinct clinical features. The clinical presentations of TANGO2 deficiency are developmental delay, speech difficulties, intellectual disability, non-life-threatening paroxysmal neurologic episodes (TANGO2 spells), acute metabolic crises, cardiac crises, seizures and hypothyroidism. Patients may die in acute metabolic crises. Here we report our experience in the management of an acute metabolic crisis in TANGO2 deficiency. CASE PRESENTATION: A 9-year-old patient diagnosed with TANGO2 deficiency was admitted with fever, fatigue, unable to walk. In follow up, encephalopathy, rhabdomyolysis and arrhythmia were detected. Vitamin B-complex was started. Our patient's mental status and rhabdomyolysis improved dramatically, and cardiac crises ended without Torsades de pointes, ventricular tachycardia and/or fibrillation or myocardial dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: With this report, we aimed to show the effectiveness of vitamin B-complex in the management of acute metabolic crises.

Brain death in children: is computed tomography angiography reliable as an ancillary test?

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of brain death is primarily clinical. Sometimes ancillary tests are needed. OBJECTIVE: This study compared sensitivity and interobserver agreement of the 10-, 7- and 4-point CT angiography scoring systems for the diagnosis of brain death in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT angiography examinations of 50 pediatric patients with a clinical diagnosis of brain death were evaluated according to 10-, 7- and 4-point scoring systems. Images were evaluated by two radiologists who considered the vessel opacification first in the arterial phase (A0-V50) and then in the venous phase (A0-V50). We evaluated interobserver agreement for the assessment of vessel opacification and diagnosis of brain death. We compared the differences among brain death diagnoses between children with craniotomy-craniectomy defects, open fontanelles and preserved bone integrity. We subdivided children into two groups according to age: ≤ 2 years and > 2 years. We calculated sensitivities according to age groups. RESULTS: Using the clinical exam as the reference standard, we found sensitivities for 10-, 7- and 4-point scoring systems to be 70%, 88% and 92% in the A0-V50 method and 40%, 82% and 82% in the A50-V50 method, respectively. Percentage agreement between readers was 78% for the 7-point scale using the A0-V50 method and more than 90% for other scoring systems for both the A0-V50 method and the A50-V50 method. The sensitivity was much lower in children with open anterior fontanelles compared to the groups with preserved bone integrity and with a craniotomy-craniectomy defect. CONCLUSION: Just as in adult age groups, in children the 4-point scale appears to be more sensitive than the 10- and 7-point scales for CT angiography-based assessment of brain death. Because the scoring systems have similar sensitivities, they could be used as ancillary tests in pediatric cases.

First afebrile seizures: Clinical and radiological view with emergent testing.

BACKGROUND: The first afebrile seizures in children are an important and common reason for emergency department admissions. We aim to examine the presentation, laboratory/neurodiagnostic investigation, and emergency management of children with first afebrile seizures. METHODS: The retrospective study included 333 patients aged 1 month to 18 years admitted with a first afebrile seizure to the pediatric emergency department of Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital between January 2017 and January 2020. Age, gender, seizure duration and type, treatments for seizures, laboratory, neurophysiological, and radiological investigations, ward or intensive care unit hospitalizations, and antiepileptic drugs on discharge were recorded. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 81.6 ± 62.9 months; 187 (56.2%) were male and 146 (43.8%) were female. Two hundred and sixty-one (78.4%) patients had only one seizure. In 45 (13.5%) of the patients, the seizure recurred in the emergency department. Hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, and hypocalcemia were detected in 13 (3.9%) patients. Patients with clinically significant cranial computed tomography results were at an increased risk for seizures lasting longer than 5 min. Patients with focal seizures had more recurrences, were given more antiepileptic drugs during the emergency, had better known etiology, more intensive care unit hospitalization, and greater post-discharge antiepileptic drug prescription. CONCLUSIONS: Biochemical abnormalities remain in the background in the etiology of afebrile seizures. Patients with abnormal neuroimaging on cranial tomography tended to have longer seizures. Patients with focal seizures followed a more complicated course as they had more recurrences and more hospitalization in the intensive care unit.

Successful Treatment of Fasciola hepatica with Metronidazole in a Child: A Case Report.

Fasciola hepatica is a zoonotic liver trematode that usually causes infection in cattle and sheep, and is transmitted to humans by consuming water and aquatic plants contaminated with metacercaria. The detection of Fasciola eggs in stools, serological evaluation and radiological evaluation are essential for diagnosis. Triclabendazole is the first-line therapy for fascioliasis. However, as triclabendazole is not an easily accessible drug in countries such as Turkey, it reveals a quest for alternative therapies. In this report, we present a 10-year-old boy with fascioliasis successfully treated with a course of metronidazole 1.5 g/day for 3 weeks in 2020. During the follow-up, eosinophilia and radiological findings completely recovered. Here we report a case of pediatric fascioliasis that was cured with metronidazole successfully.

Silent anatomic variations of the pediatric chest: They might not be congenital.

AIM: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of silent anatomic variations of the chest wall, to estimate frequency in different age groups, and to answer are these variations more prominent with age? MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thorax CT scans of 592 children were retrospectively reviewed. 82 children who underwent CT for evaluation of the suspected chest wall deformities, chest wall lesions, prominent scoliosis, and who had chest wall surgery, thoracotomy, or trauma causing chest wall or clavicular fracture were excluded from the study. The frequency of silent anatomic variations was evaluated and compared with age subgroups and sex. RESULTS: 118 of 510 patients had variations of the chest wall (23.1%). The most common silent variation was the prominent convexity of the costal cartilage (n = 36, 30.5% of the variations). A significant difference existed in the frequency of variations between age subgroups (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A high rate of silent variations indicates that asymptomatic asymmetries of the chest wall are mostly benign and there is no need for further imaging. An increase in the frequency of the variations with age supports the hypothesis that these findings are mostly developmental instead of congenital and become more prominent with growth.

Cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum in children: Etiology, clinical and radiological features, and prognosis.

OBJECTIVES: Cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum (CLOCCs) are secondary lesions associated with entities like infection manifested by restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted cranial magnetic resonance imaging. Our objectives are to evaluate the clinic-radiological spectrum of pediatric patients with cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum (CC). METHODS: Children (0-18 years) admitted between February 2017 and May 2020 with splenial lesions showing diffusion restriction on MRI, either isolated or within involvement of other parts of the brain, were included retrospectively. The primary lesions of the CC (e.g. acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, acute ischemic infarction, and glioblastoma multiforme) were excluded. CLOCCs were divided into infection-associated, metabolic disorder-associated, and trauma-associated lesions, as well as CLOCCs involving other entities. Data were collected from the medical databases. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were determined to have CLOCCs. Twenty-five (61%) were infection-associated, nine (22%) were trauma-associated, and three (7%) were metabolic disorder-associated cases, including 2 inherited disorders of metabolism. There were four (10%) patients with other entities, three with epilepsy, and one had an apparent life-threatening event. Six patients had a known etiology among the infection-associated group; one had multisystem inflammatory syndrome caused by COVID-19 and one had been infected by COVID-19 without any complications. All the infection-associated patients with isolated splenial lesions recovered totally, although six patients required intensive care hospitalization. Four trauma-associated patients had sequela lesions. CONCLUSIONS: CLOCCs are associated with a spectrum of diseases, including the new coronavirus, COVID-19 infection. Infection-associated CLOCCs has the best prognosis, although severe cases may occur. Sequelae are possible based on the etiology.

Diffusion tensor imaging of cysts, hemangiomas, and metastases of the liver.

BACKGROUND: Although diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging imaging (DW-MRI) is commonly used to characterize hepatic lesions, the literature is sparse about the use of MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in this regard. By using DTI, one is able to obtain not only apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) but also fractional anisotropy (Fa) values. PURPOSE: To evaluate DTI using ADC and Fa values in the imaging of hepatic cysts, hemangiomas, and metastases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-six patients with 77 lesions were examined with DTI. There were 32 metastases, 13 cysts, and 32 hemangiomas. Two radiologists performed ADC and Fa measurements. Inter-observer agreement was evaluated using Bland-Altman plots. ADCs and Fa values were correlated using Pearson correlation. The differences were compared using ANOVA and Tukey tests. A ROC analysis was applied; sensitivities and specificities were calculated. RESULTS: The inter-observer agreement was very good. The correlation between ADC and Fa was negative, weak, and significant (r = -0.36). The mean ADC value of cysts (3.30 ± 0.8 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s) was significantly higher than that of hemangiomas (2.23 ± 0.5 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s) and metastases (1.62 ± 0.4 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s). The mean Fa value of cysts (0.2 ± 0.05) was significantly lower than hemangiomas (0.37 ± 0.1) and metastases (0.46 ± 0.1). The Az values for discriminating metastases from benign hepatic lesions for ADC and Fa value were 0.885 and 0.731, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of ADC and Fa were 87.5% and 84.4%, and 78.1% and 57.8%, respectively. The Az value for discriminating cysts from hemangiomas for Fa was 0.96. The sensitivity and specificity were 90.6% and 92.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Fa values may play a supportive role in the imaging of liver lesions. Whereas metastases tend to have low ADCs and high Fa values, cysts have high ADCs and low Fa values and hemangiomas have high ADCs and high Fa values.