Acute Suppurative Thyroiditis in Children: Clinical Decision-Making.

Acute suppurative thyroiditis are infrequent infections, although their early and proper management are needed to reduce complications and recurrences. We review the clinical presentation, etiology, clinical outcome and management of 9 cases of thyroid infections diagnosed in children, and analyze the existence of predisposing factors for these infections.

Multiple SLC26A2 mutations occurring in a three-generational family.

Multiple epiphyseal dysplasias (MED) are a group of heterogeneous skeletal dysplasias, which share a common phenotype: short stature, skeletal deformities, joint pain and early onset osteoarthritis. Mutations in COMP account for approximately half of autosomal dominant MED cases whilst SLC26A2 mutations account for ∼25% of the recessive cases in the Caucasian population. We present here an interesting family, which was thought to initially have an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia. Using a targeted sequencing skeletal dysplasia panel, the proband was found to be a compound heterozygote for two mutations in SLC26A2, one novel mutation, p.Ser522Phe and the other, the common mutation, p.Arg279Trp. In addition to the classical characteristics of MED, she presented with an atypical feature, bilateral synostoses between the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals. The parents were confirmed to be heterozygous for the two mutations but interestingly, the maternal grandfather, who had MED, was found to be homozygous for the common SLC26A2 mutation.

Acute Lung Toxicity After Intralesional Bleomycin Sclerotherapy.

Bleomycin has progressively been used to treat low-flow vascular malformations in children. No significant systemic side effects have been reported in large series after low doses, but some authors are still concerned about its use. We report a case of a severe acute lung toxicity after a low dose of a second bleomycin intralesional injection in a 5-year-old girl. She had no risk factors and presented a cervical low-flow venous malformation. Twenty-four hours after this second administration, she presented with fever and respiratory distress. A chest radiograph showed bilateral opacities and computerized tomography revealed extensive and diffuse lung ground-glass opacities. The patient started to receive intravenous methylprednisolone, but she experienced progressively increased dyspnea, and montelukast was added. She improved and was discharged from the hospital without oxygen support, with montelukast and prednisolone for tapering doses during months. Five months after onset, the patient is developing well, is active, and walks and talks without dyspnea. A new low-dose computed tomography shows improvement in radiologic findings. This is the second case of pulmonary toxicity observed in a child after bleomycin intralesional administration, and the first reported after the lowest dose of this drug to date (7 mg: 0.28 mg/kg; 10 U: 0.4 U/kg). A delay in the diagnosis and treatment of this complication can be fatal. Any physician who treats these patients must be alert and consider this complication in children with respiratory symptoms after bleomycin sclerotherapy. Early detection of pulmonary toxicity would allow prompt therapy and could avoid pulmonary damage.

Clinical and radiologic manifestations of congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts: a comprehensive review.

Congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (CEPS) is a rare condition in which the portomesenteric blood drains into a systemic vein, bypassing the liver through a complete or partial shunt. Most often, the diagnosis is made primarily with Doppler ultrasonography. Computed tomographic angiography and magnetic resonance angiography are used for further classification of the shunt and assessment of accompanying anomalies. Conventional angiography is necessary when results of the other tests disagree or are inconclusive. CEPS is classified into two types according to the pattern of anastomoses between the portal vein and systemic vein. In type 1, intrahepatic portal venous supply is absent; in type 2, intrahepatic portal venous supply is preserved. Type 1 usually occurs in girls with associated malformations, such as situs ambiguous with polysplenia and congenital heart defects. Associated anomalies are less frequent in type 2, and symptoms usually develop later without a gender preference. Hepatic encephalopathy and liver dysfunction are possible complications of both types and usually develop during adulthood. Both types are also associated with regenerative hepatic nodules. The clinical setting and imaging appearance of these nodules can help one avoid misdiagnosis. Definitive treatment of CEPS is determined by the type of shunt. Liver transplantation is the only effective treatment for symptomatic type 1 CEPS; surgical closure or embolization of the shunt is the therapeutic approach for type 2.

[The halo sign in computed tomography images: differential diagnosis and correlation with pathology findings]. / Signo del halo en la tomografía computarizada de tórax: diagnóstico diferencial con correlación anatomopatológica.

The halo sign is a circular area of ground-glass attenuation that is seen around pulmonary nodules at computed tomography (CT). Although the sign is most often an indication of pulmonary hemorrhage, it may also accompany other lesions associated with different disease processes. Examples are hemorrhagic nodules of infectious origin (mucormycosis, candidiasis, tuberculosis, viral pneumonia, and invasive aspergillosis--the last being the most common cause of the CT halo sign); hemorrhagic nodules of noninfectious origin (Wegener granulomatosis, Kaposi sarcoma, and hemorrhagic metastases); tumor cell infiltration (bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, lymphoma, and metastasis with intra-alveolar tumor growth); and nonhemorrhagic lesions (sarcoidosis and organizing pneumonia). Diagnosis must therefore be based on careful consideration of all the CT chest findings within the context of the patient's clinical state. The aim of this review was to describe and illustrate different disease processes that appear as a halo sign on CT scans, to analyze the value of this diagnostic tool, and to assess its correlation with pathology findings.

Signo del halo en la tomografía computarizada de tórax: diagnóstico diferencial con correlación anatomopatológica / The halo sign in computed tomography images: differential diagnosis and correlation with pathology findings

El signo del halo consiste en un área circular de atenuación en vidrio deslustrado que rodea un nódulo pulmonar. Aunque la causa más frecuente es la hemorragia pulmonar, dicho signo se asocia a numerosas entidades, que corresponden a diferentes procesos anatomopatológicos: nódulos hemorrágicos de etiología infecciosa (aspergilosis invasiva ¿la causa más frecuente de nódulos pulmonares con halo¿, mucormicosis, candidiasis, tuberculosis, neumonías víricas), nódulos hemorrágicos de etiología no infecciosa (granulomatosis de Wegener, sarcoma de Kaposi, metástasis hemorrágicas), nódulos con halo debido a infiltración de células neoplásicas (carcinoma bronquioloalveolar, linfoma, metástasis con crecimiento tumoral intraalveolar) y nódulos con halo debido a lesiones inflamatorias no hemorrágicas (sarcoidosis, neumonía organizada). Por lo tanto, el diagnóstico debe realizarse integrando todos los hallazgos de la tomografía computarizada de tórax en el contexto clínico del paciente. El objetivo de la presente revisión es describir e ilustrar enfermedades que pueden manifestarse como nódulos pulmonares con el signo del halo, analizando su utilidad diagnóstica y discutiendo su correlación radiopatológica

The halo sign is a circular area of ground-glass attenuation that is seen around pulmonary nodules at computed tomography (CT). Although the sign is most often an indication of pulmonary hemorrhage, it may also accompany other lesions associated with different disease processes. Examples are hemorrhagic nodules of infectious origin (mucormycosis, candidiasis, tuberculosis, viral pneumonia, and invasive aspergillosis¿the last being the most common cause of the CT halo sign); hemorrhagic nodules of noninfectious origin (Wegener granulomatosis, Kaposi sarcoma, and hemorrhagic metastases); tumor cell infiltration (bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, lymphoma, and metastasis with intra-alveolar tumor growth); and nonhemorrhagic lesions (sarcoidosis and organizing pneumonia). Diagnosis must therefore be based on careful consideration of all the CT chest findings within the context of the patient's clinical state. The aim of this review was to describe and illustrate different disease processes that appear as a halo sign on CT scans, to analyze the value of this diagnostic tool, and to assess its correlation with pathology findings (AU)

Blast injuries from Madrid terrorist bombing attacks on March 11, 2004.

Blast injuries after terrorist attacks are seen with increasing frequency worldwide. Thousands of victims were attended in the hospitals of Madrid, Spain, on March 11, 2004 after the bombing attacks against the commuter trains. Thirty-six patients were attended in our institution. Seventeen of them suffered from severe or life-threatening injuries, and 19 had mild injuries. The most common lesions were thoracic trauma and blast lung injury, acoustic trauma, and orbital and paranasal sinus fractures. Other findings were hepatic and splenic lacerations, and vertebral and limb fractures. Emergency radiology had an important role in the correct management of the victims. Prompt radiological diagnoses of these complex lesions are crucial to efficient treatment. Therefore, radiologists have to become familiar with the injury patterns and specific lesions caused by blast wave.

Pediatric liver transplantation: a pictorial essay of early and late complications.

Orthotopic liver transplantation is currently the treatment of choice in patients with end-stage liver disease for which no other therapy is available. In children, segmental liver transplantation with living donor, reduced-size cadaveric, and split cadaveric allografts has become an important therapeutic option. However, the resulting expansion of the donor pool has increased the risk for postoperative vascular and biliary complications, which affect children more frequently than adults. Early recognition of these complications requires radiologic evaluation because their clinical manifestations are frequently nonspecific and vary widely. Doppler ultrasonography (US) plays the leading role in the postoperative evaluation of pediatric patients. Current magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques, including MR angiography and MR cholangiography, may provide a wealth of pertinent information and should be used when findings at US are inconclusive. Computed tomography is a valuable complement to US in the evaluation of complications involving the hepatic parenchyma as well as extrahepatic sites and is commonly used to guide percutaneous aspiration and fluid collection drainage. Familiarity with and early recognition of the imaging appearances of the various postoperative complications of pediatric liver transplantation are crucial for graft and patient survival.

Multidetector CT in the evaluation of potential living donors for liver transplantation.

Living donor liver transplantation is increasingly being used to help compensate for the increasing shortage of cadaveric liver grafts. However, the extreme variability of the hepatic vascular systems can impede this surgical procedure. Evaluation of potential living donors was conducted in which a two-detector-row computed tomographic (CT) scanner was used to obtain arterial phase and portal dominant phase images following the intravenous injection of contrast material, after which three-dimensional maximum-intensity-projection and volume-rendered images were created. The vascular anatomy was evaluated, with special attention given to the origin and course of the artery to segment IV and the presence of variants, especially those considered relative or absolute contraindications for donation, those requiring reconstruction, or those potentially altering the surgical approach. In addition, graft and remnant liver volumes were determined and the liver parenchyma evaluated. Multidetector CT is proving to be valuable in the evaluation of potential living liver donors, contributing to donor safety and providing comprehensive information about the hepatic vascular anatomy, the liver parenchyma, and graft and remnant liver volume. This information is critical in choosing the most suitable potential donor, in surgical planning, and in obtaining an optimal graft that maintains the balance between blood supply and venous drainage.