[Orbital cellulitis. A case report]. / Cellulite orbitaria. Descrizione di un caso clinico.

This study describes the case of a 6 years old child, male, with orbital cellulitis and underlines the importance of an early diagnosis and therapy to avoid severe complications often present in this disease. Swelling and redness of the eyelid, pain and ophthalmoplegia are the first sign of an orbital cellulitis and they require rapid diagnostic procedure such as ultrasound and TC scan of the orbital region to evaluate the integrity of the profound orbital tissues. The child was admitted at the Department of Pediatrics, University "La Sapienza" of Rome and underwent an ultrasound, TC scan and serum exams which demonstrated the elevation of the sedimentation rate, reactive C protein and WBC plus the interesting of the profound orbital tissues. The child was treated with antibiotic and antiinflammatory therapy showing a complete recovery within 7 days. An ultrasound performed 7 days later demonstrated a complete resolution of the inflammatory process. In summary, this study would like to stress the necessity of an early diagnosis and an appropriate therapy in order to avoid the severe complications often present in children with orbital cellulitis.

[Colles' fracture in a girl after fulguration]. / Frattura di Colles in una bambina in seguito a folgorazione.

In the present study we describe the case of a 11 years old child, female, who was accidentally fulgurated by the left arm and after has presented an episode of pallor, shaking, confusion, throbbing and tingle of the arms. For this reason she was admitted in our Department of Pediatrics, University of Rome "La Sapienza". The child presented also a moderate pain at the left wrist. For this reason was performed a wrist X Ray which showed an incomplete fracture of the distal extremity of the radial diaphysis, with a small ulnar infraction of the same side. Life parameters and the ECG were normal so as the blood exams, in particular the CPK and the LDH (in fact, they can be indication of muscular necrosis). In summary the Authors with this study would like to remark the necessity of to suspect a fracture in the place of admittance of the electric current, even if not immediately appear clean signs of oedema, pain and functional impotence.

[Anterior scalenus syndrome in pediatric age. Report of a case]. / Sindrome dello scaleno anteriore in età pediatrica. Descrizione di un caso.

This paper aims to describe a case of a twelve-year-old girl affected by "scalenus syndrome" and who, at its outbreak, suffered great pain, cyanosis hyperhydrosis in the affected arm. The patient's follow-up took place at the Children's Hospital of the University of Rome "La Sapienza". The diagnosis, already clear from the anamnesis as well as from both the onset of the symptoms and the general conditions of the patient herself, was then confirmed by a local MR-angiography (MRA), the only test that gave us a positive result. No medical treatment was given the girl; she was only recommended to rest and avoid putting too much weight on the scapular girdle. The outcome of our study is mainly represented by the singling out and recognition of a syndrome which on the one hand is rare, but on the other is gaining more and more social significance, especially because of the so frequent use of often too heavy school bags, weighing on the scapular girdle. The description of this case, therefore, aims also to awake not only medical people, but also teachers and parents to the problem.

[Left pneumonectomy in a child with congenital bronchiectasis]. / Pneumonectomia sinistra in un bambino affetto da bronchiectasie congenite.

A case of diffuse bronchiectasis concerning an entire lung in an eight-year-old boy is described. The disease in this case was widespread in the entire left lung and was considered as consequent to a defect in the development of the left bronchial wall. Because of the frequent respiratory infections, occurring since birth, and given the good anatomical and functional conditions of the right lung, we recommended the surgical excision of the sick lung. After one year, the operation showed good results with regard to respiratory functions. The functioning of the remaining pulmonary parenchyma is quite satisfactory and allows the boy an excellent quality of life.

[The interpretation of a negative intradermal reaction to tuberculin in a case of tuberculous lymphadenitis]. / Interpretazione di una intradermoreazione alla tubercolina negativa in un caso di linfadenite tubercolare.

This work aims at describing a particular case of tuberculous lymphadenitis with negative tuberculin skin test in a five-year child who has afterwards developed Hodgkin disease. BK presence is initially demonstrated through the examination of a first bioptic sample of a lymph-node, then confirmed by the presence in the serum of mycobacterial antigens on the peripheral lymphocytes and monocytes. Nine months later the second bioptic sample puts in evidence the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells. The follow-up of our patient took place at the Pediatric Department of the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and lasted an overall period of twenty days. The child was hospitalized twice and underwent a large number of radiological and laboratory tests. The therapy consisted only of medical specific treatment. Our study results lead us to evaluate the presence of immunological suppressive mechanisms in some particular tuberculosis cases, justifying the tuberculin skin-test negativity. When Hodgkin's disease has turned up, it has been too difficult to outline a precise temporal sequence of events, we could only advance hypothesis.