role of surgery in rhabdomyosarcoma of the ear

Two cases of Rhabdomyosarcoma of the ear are reported. The tumor was localized to the ear In one, and the patient was treated by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The second had metastases in the neck in addition to ear involvement and was treated with Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy, Radical Mastoidectomy and Radical neck dissection. Both patients are well and alive for more than 5 years. We believe that surgery in addition to chemotherapy and radiotherapy may improve the prognosis

Vasculitis in a young child with adult type Gaucher's disease: a case report and review

Immunological phenomena have been reported in patients with Gaucher"s disease.This is the first reported case of Vasculitis occurring in a child with type I or adult type Gaucher's disease. Possible mechanisms are discussed

Intellectual functions of cancer patients treated by triple intrathecal therapy

Adverse intellectual effects have been noted in survivors of childhood lymphoblastic leukemia as a result of prophylactic radiation to the central nervous system. Triple intrathecal therapy [IT] was used as an effective and safe alternative to radiotherapy. In this study 16 children with cancer who received triple intrathecal therapy were tested. A group of 16 normal children matched for age, sex, socioeconomic,. and educational background served as controls. The tests administered were as follows : Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised [Wisc-R], Kauffman achievement test [K-ABC] and Binet figure for the Stanford-Binet Scale. No significant differences were noted between the two groups in any of the tests

Pediatric cancer registry at Jordan University Hospital: first year experience

Ninety seven cases of cancer in children were diagnosed or referred to the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at the Jordan University Hospital in 1985. Leukemias, lymphomas, and brain tumors were the commonest tumors in children. Burkitt's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease occurred more frequently in young children. Seroepidemiologic studies suggest a viral etiology for both tumors. Among 67 children treated, 35 [52%] remain in remission at the end of one year and 20 [30%] have died. Causes of death were advance disease at diagnosis, infections, and bleeding. A comprehnsive cancer center and a tumor. registry are important to establish in Jordan

Vater association with unique lower limb amelia: report of a case

The case of a newborn who had the Vater association with complete amelia of the left lower extremity is presented. A review of the literature concerning this condition disclosed that our case is unique in that it is the first case to have survived. The possible causative factors of this syndrome are discussed

Staphylococcal infection in children with diamond blackfan syndrome

Five cases of congenital hypoplastic anemia [Diamond-Blackfan syndrome] were diagnosed and managed at the Jordan University Hospital between 1978 and 1980. Four cases suggested an autosomal pattern of inheritance. Anemia in these four cases started very early in life and diagnosis was made before the age of six months in all cases. The fifth case was diagnosed at the age of three years and the onset of anemia was at the age of six months. All patients responded to steroids. Three patients developed Staphylococcus aureus sepsis, and one expired. The others are in continuous full remission. Two are off steroids 14 and six months, respectively. The association of Staphylococcal infection with Diamond-Blackfan syndrome has not been reported before

Liver span in school age Jordanian children

Liver span was determined in 504 healthy school age Jordanian children. Percussion was used to determine the upper and lower borders of the liver. Liver span increased in both sexes with age, height, and weight. In boys, liver span ranged from a mean of 6 cm at six years to a mean of 7.7 cm at 12 years of age. The range for girls was from 4.2-6.8 cm. The liver projected below the right costal margin in 6.6% of boys and 3.8% of girls. The spleen was not palpable in any of the children examined. Liver span in children has been estimated using the techniques of percussion, palpation, and roentgenography[1-4]. Peternel et al[5]. reported that percussion in the midclavicular line was superior to palpation in determining the liver size. Lawson et al[6]. found that percussion is adequate and suggested its regular use for determining liver size in infants and children. Because there is no data about liver size in Jordanian children, this study was undertaken to determine the liver size in healthy school age Jordanian children using the percussion method

Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn - an unusual presentation

A 20 day old neonate was admitted to the Jordan University Hospital in shock because of bleeding in the left thorax. Laboratory investigations supported the diagnosis of hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. The patient responded to the intravenous administration of vitamin K. This case focuses attention on the unusual late presentation of hemorrhagic disease of the newborn and the necessity of routine vitamin K administration to newborns. Vitamin K deficiency in normal neonates results in failure of the vitamin K dependent coagulation factors to develop calcium-binding sites essential to their function in the coagulation process[1]. This decreased activity of vitamin K-dependent factors leads to the entity known as hemorrhagic disease of the newborn and is found exclusively in breast-fed infants who have not received prophylactic vitamin K[2]. A delayed form of hemorrhagic disease of the newborn occurs beyond the neonatal period[3] Such infants may have concomitant factors contributing to the significant bleeding[4,5]. We report the first case of an infant who presented with life-threatening left hemothorax secondary to vitamin K deficiency