The Risk Factors of Periventricular Leukomalacia among Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Purpose@#Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is an important morbidity in preterm infants. Its reported prevalence in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants is 3% to 15% in VLBW infants. PVL develop seizure disorder, intellectual disability, visual problem, and cerebral palsy. This study was done to describe the risk factors of PVL in VLBW infants. @*Methods@#Medical records of 172 VLBW infants at Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital neonatal intensive care unit were reviewed retrospectively from January 2010 to December 2014. Patients were divided into the non­PVL group (n=155) and the PVL group (n=17). The PVL group included both cystic and non­cystic forms. Demographic findings and factors associated with PVL were compared between these groups. @*Results@#The incidence of non­cystic and cystic PVL was 9.8%. The mean gestational age was significantly lower in the PVL group. The mean birth weight was not significantly different between the groups. The incidences of premature rupture of membrane and pregnancy induced hypertension were not significantly different between the two groups. The number of histologic chorioamnionitis was significantly higher in the PVL group (P<0.05). Other conditions such as respiratory distress syndrome, patent ductus arteriosus, early­onset sepsis, and hypotension were not significantly different between the two groups. The incidence of intravascular hemorrhage (IVH) (grade ≥3) was more significant in the PVL group (P<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that histologic chorioamnionitis (odds ratio [OR], 6.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 36.3) and IVH (grade ≥3) (OR, 16.9; 95% CI, 1.9 to 153.1) were significant risk factors of PVL. @*Conclusion@#Histologic chorioamnionitis and IVH (grade ≥3) increase the risk of PVL in VLBW infants. Strategies to prevent these conditions could attenuate the incidence of PVL.

The efficacy of wet wrap therapy in children with atopic dermatitis in a single center

PURPOSE: Wet wrap therapy is a well-known treatment for severe atopic dermatitis (AD). However, wet wrap therapy with usual bandage was a troublesome and time-consuming process of application. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety and convenience of wet wrap therapy with new garments in children with moderate-to-severe AD. METHODS: We compared 56 AD children treated with wet wrap therapy and 14 AD children treated with only conventional therapy. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features, change of SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, adverse effects and parent's reports. RESULTS: The initial mean SCORAD index was 60.3±15.3 points. No significant differences in sex, age, initial SCORAD index, total eosinophil count, total IgE level, food allergen sensitization, inhalant allergen sensitization or associated allergic diseases were found between the wet wrap and conventional groups. The pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions except wet wrap therapy were same in the 2 groups. Wet wrap therapy with garments or tubular bandage was easily done one time per day overnight in 10.6±3.5 days by parents. Improvement in total SCORAD index, intensity, subjective symptoms and pruritus were significantly higher in the wet wrap group than in the conventional group (36.2 vs. 26.9, 6.0 vs. 4.0, 9.9 vs. 7.4, and 4.8 vs. 3.6 points). No folliculitis and serious adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSION: Wet wrap therapy with new garments could be easily done by parents. Wet wrap therapy may be effective and safe in controlling moderate-to-severe AD in children.

Rotavirus-Induced Neonatal Seizures with Cerebral White Matter Abnormalities on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Case Report

Rotavirus is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in infancy and early childhood. Febrile seizures can occur in some infants or children exhibiting rotavirus gastroenteritis even without severe electrolyte imbalance, hypoglycemia or abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) finding. Some reports have described diffuse cerebral white matter lesions on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) in neonates with rotavirus-associated encephalopathy/encephalitis. In this case study, a 6-day-old male neonate was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit after having a fever lasting 24 hours. On hospital day two, the seventh day after birth, the patient had his first seizure. The pregnancy and delivery were uneventful. The lab findings, including a CSF exam, were normal, but a stool antigen test for rotavirus was positive. The electroencephalography (EEG) examination result was normal. DW-MRI of the brain showed bilateral symmetric diffusion restriction in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum as well as in the periventricular white matter of the lateral ventricles. Multiple scattered high-signal-intensit foci on T1-weighted image/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) in the periventricular white matter were also seen bilaterally. He is now 17 months old, and there were no further seizures. He did not show any neurodevelopmental delay. This case reports that the patient with rotavirus-induced neonatal seizures with cerebral white matter abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a normal neurodevelopmental outcome on the follow-up.

The Effectiveness of Brain MRI in Children and Adolescents with Headache / 대한소아신경학회지

PURPOSE: In this study, the authors classified the pediatric headache patients according to the presence of associated symptoms or signs, and the duration of headache. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical usefulness of brain MRI in pediatric headache. METHODS: Total 1859 patients diagnosed with headache, migraine, other headache syndromes were recruited in the patients at the age of 4–14 years who visited Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital between 2012 and 2016. 216 patients who met the exclusion criteria were excluded. Of total 1643 patients, 304 patients had brain MRI, and the brain MRI results were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of 304 patients who had brain MRI was 9.4 years. Among the 316 brain MRI results of total 304 patients, the most common finding was normal in 58.5%, followed by incidental findings (23.4%) and pathologic findings (18.0%). The patients group with associated symptoms or signs with headache showed less normal findings, more incidental and pathologic findings than those without associated symptoms or signs. The MRI findings of two groups showed significant difference (P=0.049). The patients group with less than 3 months of headache showed less normal findings, more incidental and pathologic findings than those with more than 3 months of headache. The MRI findings of the two groups showed significant difference (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Brain MRI should be performed with careful history taking and neurologic evaluation to rule out the underlying intracranial diseases especially in case of headaches with associated symptoms or signs.

The influence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists on anthropometric change in girls with central precocious puberty / 소아과

PURPOSE: The potential effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) treatment on the weight of girls with central precocious puberty (CPP) remains a controversy. We investigated anthropometric changes during and after GnRHa treatment among girls with CPP. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated data from 127 girls with CPP who received GnRHa treatment for ≥2 years. Height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) values were compared at the baseline (visit 1), after 1 year of GnRHa treatment (visit 2), the end of GnRHa treatment (visit 3), and 6–12 months after GnRHa discontinuation (visit 4). RESULTS: The height z score for chronological age (CA) increased continuously between visit 1 and visit 4. No significant differences were observed in BMI z score for CA between visits 1 and 4. However, an increasing trend in the BMI z score for bone age (BA) was observed between visits 1 and 4. The numbers of participants who were of normal weight, overweight, and obese were 97, 22, and 8, respectively, at visit 1, compared to 100, 16, and 11, respectively, at visit 4 (P=0.48). CONCLUSION: Among girls with CPP, the overall BMI z score for CA did not change significantly during or after GnRHa treatment discontinuation, regardless of their BMI status at visit 1. However, the BMI z score for BA showed an increasing trend during GnRHa treatment and a decreasing trend after discontinuation. Therefore, long-term follow-up of BMI changes among girls with CPP is required until they attain adult height.

The Incidence, Treatment and Risk Factors of Candidiasis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

PURPOSE: Candidiasis is an important morbidity among very low birth weight infants (VLBWI). There is a little data on the risk factors in VLBWI. This study was done to describe the incidence, treatment, and risk factors of candidiasis in VLBWI. METHODS: From September 2008 to December 2011, medical records of 130 infants with VLBWI in Inje University Ilsan Paik hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were reviewed retrospectively. Seventeen infants were diagnosed with candidiasis and treated with antifungal agent. Patients were divided into the candidiasis group (CAN, n=17), the bacterial sepsis group (BAC, n=34), and the non-sepsis group (Non-SEP, n=74). Demographic findings and factors associated with candidiasis were compared between these groups. RESULTS: The mean gestational age was significantly low in the CAN group, but birth weight was not significantly different between the groups. The maternal demographic findings were not significantly different between the groups. The incidence of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is higher in the CAN group compared to these groups (P<0.05). The durations of intubation and central venous line were significantly longer in the CAN group than in the other groups (P<0.05). In the logistic regression analysis, the duration of central venous line is the significant factor for candidiasis (P=0.003, odd ratio: 1.56, 95% confidence interval: 1.39-1.68). CONCLUSION: The incidence of candidiasis in VLBWI was 13.1 % and the risk factor for candidiasis was longer duration of central venous line in our study.