[The clinico-radiological aspects of tuberculosis in infants and young children]. / Aspecte clinico-radiologice în tuberculoza sugarului si copilului mic.

The primary pulmonary tuberculosis in the infant and small child is a reality we have to consider. Although the success in the antituberculosis struggle is evident and real in Romania, the contamination risk as this age is present and may lead to very severe forms. The bacteriologic investigation is the only way of establishing a certain diagnosis. But, since in the infant and the small child the etiologic agent is isolated only in 50% of cases, the clinical criteria with the test at tuberculin, radiologic examination, anamnestic data and epidemiologic inquiry increase considerably in importance. The study presents clinical-radiological observations on 6 cases of primary pulmonary tuberculosis in children under 3 years old.

[The clinico-biological, etiological and therapeutic aspects of acute purulent meningitis in newborn and older infants]. / Unele aspecte clinico-biologice, etiologice si terapeutice în meningitele acute purulente ale nou-nascutului si sugarului.

Acute purulent meningitis of the newborn and infant still raise difficult diagnosis problems due to the often misleading onset, and require an energetic and early intervention, adapted, as much as possible, to the etiologic aspects. The study reports on 90 cases of acute purulent meningitis in the newborn and infant, admitted to the pediatric ward of the Bistrita County Hospital, for 6 years (1983-1988). The clinical and biological aspects were various, sometimes blurred by the antibiotic administration. The study of CSF was the only valuable and compulsory parameter for supporting the diagnosis of meningeal infection and its etiology. In 63.3% cases, the meningeal infection was secondary to a primary infectious focus. Living gram-negative bacilli had the most frequent etiology, both in the newborn and in the infant. Meningitis with nonspecific etiology still hold 45.5%, and the most useful therapy in this situation seemed to be ampicillin + gentamicin + Biseptol and ampicillin + chloramphenicol. The age of the newborn and infant, the male sex, the biologic defects, the type and virulence of the etiologic agent were favouring factors in the appearance and severe evolution of the meningeal infection. Mortality was of 18.8% and the early found sequelae 8.8%. The evolution was favourable, when the diagnosis was precocious and the therapeutic intervention was energetic.