Subarachnoid neurolytic block under general anesthesia in a 3-year-old with neuroblastoma.

CASE REPORT: A 3-year-old boy with neuroblastoma complained of severe pain in the left lower extremity. Pharmacologic management had previously been attempted, but severe pain continued, and further upward titration was complicated by sedative effects. METHODS AND RESULTS: Because the focus of treatment had become the controlling of pain, a lumbosacral subarachnoid neurolytic block was performed under general anesthesia. One-time neurolysis was more acceptable to the family than a procedure like epidural analgesia, that requires greater management. Contrast medium was used to monitor the spread of the neurolytic. An epidural catheter was inserted during the neurolytic block procedure for possible future use. The short-term results were good--pain reports and opioid doses decreased greatly, although with increased incontinence. The boy had new abdominal distention and pain 5 days after neurolysis. Opioid doses and sedatives were increased. He died 3 days later.

Delayed splenic rupture: real or imaginary?

Although splenic injury is the most frequent abdominal injury resulting from blunt trauma, delayed splenic rupture is a rare event. From 1981 to 1990, 75 patients treated at St. Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center (Youngstown, OH) had blunt splenic injury. Splenic rupture was delayed in six of these patients (8%). More severe trauma, such as occurs with motor vehicle accidents, is more likely to lead to immediate rupture. Lesser trauma resulting from minor falls or fights is more likely to lead to delayed rupture. Subcapsular hematoma is the most common etiology for delayed splenic rupture. Although there is no reliable symptom or sign during the latent period, abdominal pain occurs almost uniformly and Kehr's sign is quite common. Peritoneal lavage and abdominal computerized axial tomography scan are accurate in diagnosing splenic rupture. Unfortunately, they are not always reliable in predicting delayed rupture.