Growing fractures: an unusual complication of head injuries in pediatric patients.

Authors analyze three cases of growing fractures they observed in infants under the age of one year. It is noticeable that in two cases, even if the lesion was already present when babies underwent the first procedure, no specific treatment was adopted, thus resulting in a progressive enlargement of the extracranial mass. Surgical treatment must be performed quickly after the diagnosis of growing fracture is done due to the necessity of an early repair of the bone defect to avoid the eventual onset of neurological deficits since they are not reversible.

Thalamic hemorrhage in a 4-year-old child induced by nephro-vascular hypertension.

A child affected by cardiomyopathy from the age of 12 months suddenly manifested right hemiparesis and dysarthria at the age of 48/12 years. Emergency brain CT showed a hemorrhage in progress in the left thalamic area. A severe form of hypertension was concomitant and resisted all pharmacological treatment. Retrograde transfemoral aortography pointed out an atrophy of the right renal artery. This finding, together with the high renin and aldosterone values, indicated a nephrogenic hypertension causing both the cardiomyopathy found at 12 months of age and the endocranial hemorrhage. Right nephrectomy led to normalization of blood pressure.

Arachnoid cysts: diagnosis and treatment.

Twenty supratentorial and 10 infratentorial arachnoid cysts are reported. The patients were from 0 to 15 years of age. The commonest presenting symptoms in children were cranial enlargement, epileptic seizures, and psychomotor retardation. Neuroradiological evaluation included CT, metrizamide CT, cisternography, and angiography. Echography was performed in 5 newborns. Therapeutic criteria according to the clinical and neuroradiological findings are reviewed. Cystoperitoneal shunting in combination with ventriculoperitoneal shunting for associated hydrocephalus is considered the treatment of choice.

[Acute cerebral hemorrhage in childhood. Neuroradiological studies]. / Emorragia cerebrale acuta in età pediatrica. Indagini neuroradiologiche.

Author presents a ten-year experience in cerebral hemorrhages in infancy and childhood. The importance of congenital vascular malformations is specially remarked and it is also lined out the importance of cerebral hemorrhages due to head injuries, inflammatory process, hemopathies and brain tumors. Neuroradiological procedures are briefly described and the utility of the association computed tomography/cerebral angiography is pointed out. It is too presented a neuroradiological classification of cerebrovascular malformations.

[Brain tumors in children. Neuroradiologic studies]. / Tumori cerebrali infantili. Indagini neuroradiologiche.

194 patients bearing intracranial tumors were reported. Incidence in relation to the age and diagnostic techniques was evaluated and criticized. A serie of a picture concerning CT, Angiography, Pneumoencephalography and Ventriculography with contrast medium are presented.