Severe Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia in a Multiparous Female With No Prior History.

Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (NAIT) is the most common cause of severe thrombocytopenia in newborns. It is also the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in full-term infants that present with severe thrombocytopenia, given its association with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). NAIT can present in many ways depending on the severity of platelet destruction. The patient's presentation can range from asymptomatic or can include more serious symptoms such as petechial rash and ICH. Due to potentially fatal outcomes of undiagnosed severe NAIT, it is imperative that patients are identified, diagnosed, and treated in a timely and efficient manner. We report a case of NAIT in a newborn male infant who initially was asymptomatic and eventually developed a petechial rash that encompassed the torso and groin as the only signs of disease. Given the importance of the timely diagnosis and treatment of NAIT and its potentially fatal outcomes, the aim of this case report is to help clinicians recognize the presentation of NAIT and the steps in treating it.

Comparison of A-mode and B-mode Ultrasound for Measurement of Subcutaneous Fat.

With lower-cost devices and technologic advancements, ultrasound has been undergoing a resurgence as a method to measure subcutaneous adipose tissue. We aimed to determine whether a low-cost, 2.5-MHz amplitude (A-mode) ultrasound, designed specifically for body composition assessment, could produce subcutaneous fat thickness measurements comparable to an expensive, 12-MHz brightness (B-mode) device. Fat thickness was measured on 40 participants (20 female, 20 male; 29.7 ± 11.1 y of age; body mass index 24.9 ± 4.5 kg/m2) at 7 sites (chest, subscapula, mid-axilla, triceps, abdomen, suprailiac and thigh) with both devices. Intraclass correlations exceeded 0.75 at all measurement sites. Mean differences in fat thickness were not significantly different (p > 0.05) and within ± 1.0 mm. Variability between devices was greatest at the abdomen, the site with the greatest thickness. The low-cost, low-resolution A-mode ultrasound provides subcutaneous fat thickness measurements similar to the more expensive, high-resolution B-mode ultrasound.