High-frequency ultrasound confirmation of positional plagiocephaly.

OBJECT: Positional plagiocephaly has become an increasing problem for pediatricians and craniofacial specialists. Diagnosis is commonly based on history and clinical features, but may be difficult in some cases when characteristic features are missing and radiographic studies seem to be necessary. Near-field high-frequency ultrasound has been used to evaluate the sonographic findings of suture anatomy and confirm the diagnosis of positional plagiocephaly as well as provide information of prognostic value. METHODS: The authors report on 100 pediatric patients between the ages of 2 and 13 months, who were admitted to their department since 2004 with an abnormal head shape suggesting nonsynostotic plagiocephaly (NSP). Suture anatomy was examined using a 7.5-MHz linear transducer and a Siemens Elegra ultrasound scanner by two independent investigators. Measurements of suture width and bone thickness were obtained, and the findings were correlated with clinical data as well as sonographic and histopathological findings in both normal and fused cranial sutures. Interobserver variability was assessed by means of paired t-tests. Linear regression analyses were used for correlating patient age with suture width and bone thickness. Patency of lambdoid sutures was confirmed in 99 cases in which the clinical findings suggested NSP. Morphological characteristics of the sutures--interosseous hypoechoic areas between hyperechoic bone plates--were comparable to those of normal cranial sutures. In one patient, partial synostosis was diagnosed. Overlapping hyperechoic bone plates were found in 51 patients on the affected side of the skull and in 36 patients on the unaffected side. Suture width decreased over time from 6.5 to 2 mm, and thickness of bone in the affected area increased from 0.6 to 1.2 mm until the age of 13 months. The method was found to be limited by age (upper limit 13 months) and anatomical variations but did not show any interobserver variability (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High-frequency ultrasound is a relatively inexpensive, safe, and easy-to-use tool for confirming the diagnosis of positional plagiocephaly and excluding true synostosis. Overlapping bone plates may be seen on the affected side of the skull in a majority of plagiocephalic patients, but this finding seems to have no prognostic value regarding early fusion of sutures and therefore should not affect treatment decisions. With its lack of interobserver variability and the advantage of not involving ionizing radiation, sonography has the potential to be a standard modality for investigating plagiocephaly in infants and should be offered in craniofacial outpatient clinics.

Short- and long-term results of liver transplantation in infants aged less than 6 months.

BACKGROUND: Despite major surgical and medical advances, it is still a challenge to perform transplantation in small infants. This study, focusing on short- and long-term outcomes, summarizes our 10-year experience with liver transplantation (LTx) in infants aged less than 6 months. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 43 patients aged 6 months or less (range: 12-184 days, median: 136 days) whose median weight at the time of LTx was 5.8 kg (range: 2.8-8.0 kg). The reasons for LTx were biliary atresia (n=27; 62.8%), neonatal hepatitis (n=6; 14%), neonatal cholestasis (n=4; 9.3%), and miscellaneous (n=6; 14%). The patients were followed up for a median time of 3 years and evaluated with respect to graft function, physical, and neurodevelopmental outcome. RESULTS: The patient survival was 90.7% after 1 year and 87.2% after 2 years. The graft survival was 86% after 1 year and 82.1% after 2 years. Twelve patients (27.9%) experienced 15 surgical complications requiring intervention, two of whom demonstrated vascular thrombosis (4.7%). Acute early rejection occurred in 15 patients (34.9%), and chronic rejection occurred in 3 patients (7%); 83.3% of the patients had normal liver function test results at the time of evaluation. Complications such as posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (4.7%) and persistent arterial hypertension (4.7%) were rarely seen. The physical and neurodevelopmental outcomes were good. CONCLUSIONS: LTx in infants aged less than 6 months provides excellent short- and long-term results. Low weight or young age of infants awaiting LTx should not be exclusion criteria for LTx.

Ultrasound in the diagnosis of craniosynostosis.

Diagnosis of craniosynostosis is based on clinical aspects but may be difficult in some cases where characteristic features are missing and radiographic imaging is necessary. In this context near-field high-frequency ultrasound has been used to evaluate the sonographic characteristics of synostotic sutures and its potential confirming the correct diagnosis. Sutures of 26 infants, aged 2-7 months, were investigated by ultrasound (Siemens Elegra, 7.5 MHz linear scanner). Sonographic features of synostotic sutures were correlated to CT imaging and compared to the sonographic and histopathological findings of normal cranial sutures. Hyperechogenic bridging of sutures with or without ridging were the characteristic aspects of synostotic sutures. All 26 patients could be reliable diagnosed showing partial (n = 21) or total fusion (n = 5) of one or more sutures consisting with craniosynostosis. Length of synostosis was identified exactly by sonography and imaging found to enable a classification of ultrastructural details of bony and soft tissue next to the synostotic suture. Ultrasound is a less expensive, nonradiating and easy-to-handle tool ensuring the diagnosis of craniosynostosis. Sonography offers the potential to be a standard investigation for infants with head deformities suspecting a suture pathology and has been therefore integrated in our craniofacial outpatient clinic as a daily routine method.