A Nationwide Survey on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Practice Patterns among Pediatric Endoscopists in South Korea / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Purpose@#Gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is an important tool for diagnosing and treating GI diseases in children. This study aimed to analyze the current GI endoscopy practice patterns among South Korean pediatric endoscopists. @*Methods@#Twelve members of the Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition developed a questionnaire. The questionnaire was emailed to pediatric gastroenterologists attending general and tertiary hospitals in South Korea. @*Results@#The response rate was 86.7% (52/60), and 49 of the respondents (94.2%) were currently performing endoscopy. All respondents were performing esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and 43 (87.8%) were performing colonoscopy. Relatively rare procedures for children, such as double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) (4.1%), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) (2.0%), and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) (2.0%), were only performed by pediatric gastroenterologists at very few centers, but were performed by adult endoscopists in most of the centers; of all the respondents, 83.7% (41/49) performed emergency endoscopy. In most centers, the majority of the endoscopies were performed under sedation, with midazolam (100.0%) and ketamine (67.3%) as the most frequently used sedatives. @*Conclusion@#While most pediatric GI endoscopists perform common GI endoscopic procedures, rare procedures, such as DBE, ERCP, and EUS, are only performed by pediatric gastroenterologists at very few centers, and by adult GI endoscopists at most of the centers. For such rare procedures, close communication and cooperation with adult GI endoscopists are required.

Korean Children and Adolescents with Crohn's Disease Are More Likely to Present with Perianal Fistulizing Disease at Diagnosis Compared to Their European Counterparts / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Association of Interleukin-1alpha-889, beta-31, beta-511 Polymorphism with Risk of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

PURPOSE: Although improvements in neonatal care techniques have increased the survival rate of preterm infants, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains an important factor in neonatal mortality and morbidity. BPD is a multifactorial disease associated with genetic and clinical risk factors related to lung development and perinatal inflammation. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a crucial cytokine in the early stages of inflammation. In the present study, we aimed to determine the association between the IL-1 polymorphisms, clinical risk factors, and BPD in preterm infants. METHODS: The study was performed who consented infants born at less than 34 weeks' gestation. The alleles of the 3 sites of the IL-1 gene (IL-1alpha-889, IL-1beta-31, and IL-1beta-511) were determined using Taqman(R)-based allelic discrimination assays. Clinical data were reviewed from the medical records. RESULTS: A total of 31 infants with BPD and 73 control infants were enrolled in the study. The gestational age (P=0.001) and birth weight (P=0.001) were lower in the BPD group compared to those in the control group. The incidence of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS; P=0.002), patent ductus arteriosus (P=0.01), and retinopathy of prematurity (P<0.001) was higher in the BPD group compared to that in the control group. The frequency of IL-1alpha-889TT was higher in the BPD group (6.5% vs. 0.0%, P=0.028) compared to that in the control group. The frequencies of IL-1alpha-889T, IL-1beta-31T, and IL-1beta-511T did not differ between the BPD and control groups. In logistic regression analysis, gestational age and RDS were found to be associated with BPD. CONCLUSION: IL-1alpha-889, IL-1beta-31, and IL-1beta-511 polymorphisms are not associated with the development of BPD in preterm infants.

A Case of Combined Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis and Acute Flaccid Paralysis associated with Enteroviral Infection

Enterovirus infection is often aggravated and manifests as various neurological complications such as aseptic meningitis, brainstem encephalitis, poliomyelitis-like acute flaccid paralysis, transverse myelitis, and severe systemic diseases. There are a few reports indicating that enterovirus is associated with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), acute flaccid paralysis, or Guillain-Barre syndrome separately. However, none of these report ADEM and acute flaccid paralysis occurring simultaneously. Here, we present a case of combined ADEM and acute flaccid paralysis associated with enteroviral infection in a child and reviewed the relevant literature. A 5-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital for headache and vomiting with evident meningeal irritation signs. Despite of antibiotic therapy, his mental state rapidly declined to coma with abnormal upper motor neuron (UMN) signs. During 5 consecutive days of steroid pulse therapy, his abnormal UMN signs abruptly changed to flaccid paralysis. Suspected acute flaccid paralysis due to enterovirus prompted the addition of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). On hospital day 33, he was discharged with full recovery of muscle tone and strength with an alert mental state.