A case of gastric trichobezoar causing psychiatric problems / 소아과

Trichobezoar is characterized by the accumulation of hair in the gastrointestinal tract and usually occurs in those who have trichotillomania, other psychiatric disorders, or neurologic problems. Trichobezoar typically presents as gastric obstruction, including abdominal pain, vomiting, anorexia, and weight loss. A 9-year-old girl visited our clinic with the complaint of abdominal discomfort and vomiting. A review of her medical history revealed that she had trichophagia since the age of 5, and she felt that her parents had been strict with her. She underwent gastrotomy, during which a large trichobezoar was removed. This case highlights the importance of psychiatric and comprehensive approaches in patients with trichobezoar.

A Case of Kawasaki Disease with Colonic Edema

Kawasaki disease (KD) is recognized as a systemic vasculitis affecting multi-organ with inflammatory changes. The commonest and most serious complication of KD is coronary artery aneurysm, but KD may cause other organic complications beside cardiac problems. Gastrointestinal tract also present complications of KD in which, for example, hepatic dysfunction, pancreatitis, intussusception, colonic obstruction, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, and bowel edema are included. Among them, colonal wall edema is left unknown in the incidence, and it has been reported even if rare. In this report, we describe a case of KD with colonal wall edema, occurred in 5-yr-old boy who complained of severe abdominal pain and vomiting.

A Case of Jacobsen Syndrome

Jacobsen syndrome is a clinical disorder characterized by a deletion of the terminal band 11q23. The features of the syndrome include growth retardation, psychomotor retardation, trigonocephaly, downward slanting palpabral fissures, retrognathia, micrognathia, hammer toes, thrombocytopenia and cardiac abnormalities. The disorder was first observed by Jacobsen in 1973. We herein report a case of Jacobsen syndrome in male premature neonate born with trigonocephaly, facial dysmorphism, cardiac defects and thrombocytopenia. The chromosomal study revealed 46, XY, del(11)(q23). The thrombocytopenia improved spotaneously by 3 months of age. The infant underwent a palliative operation for Tetralogy of Fallot at 11 months of age. A brief review of literature is included.

A Case of Jacobsen Syndrome

Jacobsen syndrome is a clinical disorder characterized by a deletion of the terminal band 11q23. The features of the syndrome include growth retardation, psychomotor retardation, trigonocephaly, downward slanting palpabral fissures, retrognathia, micrognathia, hammer toes, thrombocytopenia and cardiac abnormalities. The disorder was first observed by Jacobsen in 1973. We herein report a case of Jacobsen syndrome in male premature neonate born with trigonocephaly, facial dysmorphism, cardiac defects and thrombocytopenia. The chromosomal study revealed 46, XY, del(11)(q23). The thrombocytopenia improved spotaneously by 3 months of age. The infant underwent a palliative operation for Tetralogy of Fallot at 11 months of age. A brief review of literature is included.

A Case of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Encephalopathy with Patchy, Nodular Lesion of Periventricular area on Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging / 대한소아신경학회지

Cytomegalovirus(CMV) is the most common cause of congenital viral infections. CMV infection occurs in 0.4% to 2.4% of all live births. CMV causes thin cerebral cortices, diminished volume of white matter, and delayed myelination, bringing on encephalopathy, which may be manifested as seizures in some cases. CT findings in CMV encephalopathy present as irregular intracranial calcifications of the periventricular area. Recently, there are increasingly more reports about MRI findings in CMV encephalopathy and common findings of the encephalopathy are periventricular cysts and dilated lateral ventricles. We experienced a case of congenital CMV encephalopathy with patchy, nodular lesions of the periventricular area on magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). We report this case with a review of associated literature.

The Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis Using Nested PCR in Prematurity and Delivery of Low Birth Weight Infant

PURPOSE: Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) has generally been more sensitive than traditional tests for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis which has been a leading cause of sexually transmitted disease. We performed this study to find out if there is an association between C. trachomatis infection and low birth weight(LBW) or prematurity. METHODS: The study included 98 premature or LBW infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Soonchunhyang Chunan hospital between January and July of 1999. Nasopharyngeal swab specimens were obtained from 98 neonates with a LBW or prematurity. Endotracheal secretions were obtained from 28 LBW or premature infants. Vaginal swabs were collected from 47 mothers who had given birth to LBW or premature infants. We performed the nested PCR with Chlamydia-CR kit(Bioneer, Korea). PCR products were resolved by electrophoresis on 2% agarose gel. These products were observed by their size which was 345 bp. RESULTS: C. trachomatis was not detected by the nested PCR from 98 nasopharyngeal swabs nor 28 endotracheal secretion specimens. But, C. trachomatis was detected in 2(4.2%) out of 47 vaginal swab specimens from mothers who had given birth to LBW or premature infants. CONCLUSION: The nested PCR is a relatively simple, fast and practical tool for the detection of C. trachomatis, but the positive rates of C. trachomatis were low in LBW or premature infants and also in mothers who had given birth to LBW or premature infants. We suggest two possible conclusions from our study. The first is that nasopharyngeal swabs and endotracheal secretions are improper specimens for C. trachomatis. The second is that C. trachomatis infection is lower in our study.