Role of Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Wilms' Tumour.

BACKGROUND: Wilms' tumour or nephroblastoma is the most common renal malignancy encountered in the paediatric population. Imaging findings are of great importance to the surgeon, the oncologist and the radiologist in the diagnosis and the staging and surveillance of this tumour. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was carried out as a 10-year retrospective study of patients who were diagnosed with Wilms' tumour. RESULTS: The study included 12 boys and 11 girls. Ultrasound and computed tomography were performed in all cases. Ultrasonography was found to be superior to the CT examination when approximating the antero-posterior and transverse diameters; the computer-tomographic examination is cited as superior for estimating the invasion of nephroblastomas. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound has been shown to be effective in detecting the rupture of the renal capsule, tumour calcifications and invasion of the renal vein, pelvis and ureter. However, ultrasound cannot replace CT in the detection of lymphadenopathy and the invasion of adjacent organs.

mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Reactogenicity among Healthcare Workers: Results from an Active Survey in a Pediatric Hospital from Bucharest, January-February 2021.

In Romania, health and social workers were prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination. We aimed to describe the vaccine adverse events identified through an active survey (using an electronic questionnaire) conducted among the staff of a pediatric hospital from Bucharest, vaccinated with the mRNA Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Data on the frequency and duration of adverse events were collected and analyzed using Microsoft Excel, Epi Info, and MedCalc. The questionnaire was sent to 426 persons. The participation rate was 81.2% after 1st dose and 63.8% after the 2nd dose. Overall, 81.9% were women, median age 42 (IQR 32-50 years). A total of 48 respondents (14.8%) reported no adverse event after the 1st dose and 35 (14.1) after the 2nd dose. No anaphylaxis was reported. The most frequent adverse event was pain at injection site, being reported by 261 responders (80.3%) after 1st dose and 187 (75.1%) after 2nd dose. Fatigue and headache were reported significantly less frequently in our study compared with data provided by the vaccine manufacturer. The current study has shown higher local reactogenicity after the first dose of the vaccine and higher systemic reactogenicity after the second dose. This real-world knowledge of the reactogenicity and safety profile may increase the vaccine's acceptance rate among healthcare workers.

Predictors of Complicated Appendicitis with Evolution to Appendicular Peritonitis in Pediatric Patients.

Background and Objecitves: Appendicitis is one of the most frequent surgical emergencies in pediatric surgery. Complicated appendicitis can evolve with appendicular peritonitis characterized by the diffusion of the pathological process to the peritoneal cavity, thus producing generalized or localized inflammation of the peritoneum. The capacity to anticipate the possibility of perforation in acute appendicitis can direct prompt management and lower morbidity. There is no specific symptom that could be used to anticipate complicated appendicitis, and diagnostic clues include a longer period of symptoms, diffuse peritoneal signs, high fever, elevated leukocytosis and CRP, hyponatremia, and high ESR. Imagistic methods, particularly US and CT, are useful but not sufficient. There are no traditional inflammation biomarkers able to predict the evolution of uncomplicated to complicated appendicitis alone, but the predictive capacity of novel biomarkers is being investigated. Materials and Methods: The present study represents a retrospective evaluation of children hospitalized between January 2021 and July 2022 in the Grigore Alexandrescu Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis settled based on clinical characteristics, traditional and novel biomarkers, and ultrasonographic features. The children were subsequently grouped into two groups based on the existence of appendicular peritonitis on intraoperative inspection of the abdominal cavity. The aim of this report is to establish the predictors that may aid physicians in timely identifying pediatric patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis at risk for developing complicated appendicitis with evolution to appendicular peritonitis. Results: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte radio (PLR) are representative severity markers in infections. This report analyzes the benefit of these markers for distinguishing uncomplicated appendicitis from complicated appendicitis in pediatric patients. Conclusions: Our study suggests that a value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio greater than 8.39 is a reliable parameter to predict the evolution to appendicular peritonitis.

Dysplasia Epiphysealis Hemimelica (Trevor's Disease) in Children, Two New Cases: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Literature Review.

Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica (DEH), also known as Trevor's disease, is a rare nonhereditary skeletal disorder affecting one side of the epiphyses or the epiphyses-equivalents. It is often misdiagnosed for traumatic injuries, infections, or other tumors because of the nonspecific clinical features. The diagnosis is mostly based on radiographic involvement of one half of the epiphysis displaying an overgrowth; it is hard to distinguish between DEH and osteochondroma on the gross hystopathological exam. There are few immunohistochemical markers, as well as genetic tests, for EXT1 and EXT2 gene expression that can reveal a more accurate diagnosis. No evidence of malignant changes has been reported and no hereditary transmission or environmental factor has been incriminated as an etiological factor. The natural history of the disease is continuous growth of the lesions until skeletal maturity. Without treatment, the joint might suffer degenerative modification, and the patient can develop early onset osteoarthritis. In the present paper, we report two new cases of DEH of the ankle. The aim of this paper is to consider Trevor's disease when encountering tumoral masses in the epiphyses of pediatric patients and to present our treatment approach and results.

Prediction of histopathological local staging by radiological findings and differential diagnosis overview in children with nephroblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Nephroblastoma is the most common renal malignancy in children kidney. They are highly heterogeneous tumors with challenging imagistic and histopathological (HP) differential diagnosis. Imaging is critical for understanding local anatomy, staging and for planning surgical approach. PURPOSE: To determine whether HP staging can be successfully predicted by the imagistic staging using computed tomography. Also, we find it important to make a brief review of the imagistic, HP and immunohistochemical differential diagnosis of nephroblastoma, considering that a correct diagnosis is essential for an appropriate therapeutic strategy in all stages. PATIENTS, MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present a retrospective study of the medical dossiers of 22 patients that underwent surgery at our Center between 2014 and 2020. We provided descriptive data and compared imagistic and HP staging using a Mann-Whitney U-test. An up-to-date literature review was also done. RESULTS: We found that imagistic staging tends to under- or over-stage at similar rates and that the difference between the two staging systems is statistically significant. Immunohistochemistry is necessary for establishing the correct diagnosis, especially in cases with one predominant HP pattern. CONCLUSIONS: HP and imagistic staging are not yet sufficiently similar for successfully predict the former via imagistic means.

Segmental aganglionosis in Hirschsprung's disease in newborns - a case report.

Segmental aganglionosis Hirschsprung's is an extremely rare condition. Described as a segment of normally ganglionated bowel surrounded proximally and distally by aganglionosis, zonal aganglionosis is of interest because it may cause confusion in interpreting surgical margins. Diagnosis of segmental lesions in Hirschsprung's disease may be missed as it is rarely suspected at initial surgery. We report the case of a 2-week-old baby girl admitted to our clinic for abdominal distension and vomiting. Considering the family history (near total colonic aganglionosis in a 2-month-old sister with unfavorable outcome), the suspicion of Hirschsprung's is raised and serial large intestine biopsies are taken. Intraoperatively, a transverse colon stenosis caused by an incomplete web is noticed and segmental colectomy with anastomosis is performed at this level. Histopathological and immunohistochemical results established the diagnosis of segmental transverse colon aganglionosis, with the presence of ganglia cells in the ascending and descending colon. Subtotal colectomy with ascending colon pull-through was performed with favorable postop evolution. In our patient, the association with a transverse colon stenosis raised suspicion concerning the diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease, but considering the family history, extended biopsies were taken and the correct diagnosis of zonal aganglionosis was established. Although zonal aganglionosis lesions are extremely rare, this case illustrates the point that the presence of ganglia cells at the resection line is not sufficient to guarantee postoperative function. Extended intestinal biopsies should be included in the algorithm for management of long segment Hirschsprung's disease and will enable the surgeon to correctly detect zonal aganglionosis.

Unusual finding of a mediastinal T-cell lymphoma in a 13-year-old patient - a case report.

T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma is an aggressive malignancy that represents 85% of all lymphoblastic lymphomas. It usually occurs in late childhood, adolescence and young adulthood with a 2:1 male preponderance and it presents with pleural effusion and respiratory symptoms and in rare cases vena cava syndrome can be encountered. We present the case of a 13-year-old patient who was referred to our clinic from a local hospital where he was diagnosed with a mediastinal tumor. The patient presented with thoracic pain, fever, coughing and fatigability for a month prior to admission, after having underwent surgery for abdominal pain (appendectomy). On admission to our hospital, a thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan was performed and showed the presence of an anterior mediastinal mass measuring 109/76/140 mm, well defined, which came in close contact with the superior vena cava, the ascending aorta and the pulmonary artery, right pleural effusion and a collapsed lung on the right side. The decision was taken to perform a tumor biopsy and a right pleural drain was placed. The patient's post-operative evolution was favorable with the remission of the respiratory symptoms. The histopathological result showed the presence of T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma and the patient was then transferred to the oncology ward where he underwent chemotherapeutic treatment, with a favorable outcome. T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma is an aggressive type of lymphoma and it is usually hard to diagnose considering the fact that the symptoms are often vague. It is essential to establish the diagnosis without delay and start appropriate chemotherapeutic treatment.