Peripheral blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in preterm infants with intraventricular hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVES: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) remains a major complication of prematurity, affecting 20-25% of premature infants of very low birth weight. Preterm infants with IVH are at risk for developing significant complications, including posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus and seizures. Multiple studies have reported an association between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in peripheral blood and outcomes after acute intracranial hemorrhage in adults. However, the prognostic value of the NLR in preterm infants, particularly those with IVH, has not been investigated previously. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective, observational cohort study included premature infants with IVH and a neonatal reservoir placed between January 2013 and January 2018. For each patient, peripheral blood and available cerebrospinal fluid laboratory results within 50 days of IVH diagnosis were averaged. NLR was calculated by dividing the absolute neutrophil count by the absolute lymphocyte count. Differences in NLR levels for patients with seizures or shunt placement were analyzed. RESULTS: Data for 13 surviving preterm infants (mean gestational age, 26.5 ± 3.0 weeks) were analyzed. The mean peripheral NLR (n = 13) was 1.6 ± 1.3 for all patients. Patients who experienced seizures had significantly higher peripheral blood NLR (p = 1.2 × 10-6, t-test) than those who did not, and an NLR > 3 correlated with seizure outcomes (p = 0.0035, Fisher's exact). Patients with sepsis or meningitis also had NLR values >3 (p = 0.01 and 0.005, respectively) but there was no correlation between the sepsis/meningitis and seizures patients. No significant correlation was found between NLR and the development of hydrocephalus. CONCLUSION: The development of seizures in preterm infants with IVH is known to significantly increase morbidity. In this study, higher peripheral blood NLR (>3) correlated with the development of seizures, independent of sepsis or meningitis. Further prospective validation of the role of NLR as a predictive marker for seizures in preterm infants is warranted.

Variation in management of in-hospital newborn falls: a single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE There are only 3 small case series in the literature that report on the management of in-hospital newborn falls (NFs), and recommendations are unclear. The authors performed a retrospective review to determine outcome and differences in management and to understand why management of NFs varies at their institution. METHODS All NFs occurring within the authors' institution over a 3.5-year period were reviewed. Post-fall management and outcomes of each incident were compared. RESULTS There were 24 NFs out of 40,349 deliveries (5.9 NFs/10,000 deliveries). The mechanism of injury was nearly identical in 22 of 24 falls (the newborn fell to the floor from a parent in a bed or chair), and physical examination findings were normal or benign in all cases. Unexplained management variation based solely on clinician preference was noted, including observation only (in 13 cases), skull radiograph (in 7), head CT scan (in 6), bone survey (in 4), and head ultrasound examination (in 1), with some babies having more than 1 study. Two babies had nondepressed linear parietal fractures diagnosed by skull radiograph, and 2 babies had small subdural hemorrhages diagnosed by head CT scan. All 24 babies had normal findings on examination at discharge. CONCLUSIONS There is a high incidence of nondepressed linear parietal skull fractures associated with NFs. However, since associated intracranial injury is uncommon, imaging studies may not be routinely performed. Neonatal intensive care unit admission, head CT, and neurosurgical evaluation are reserved for the rare baby with abnormal physical examination or neurological findings.

Traumatic Frontal Epidural Hematoma Caused by Multiple Arterial Injuries in the Anterior Fossa.

BACKGROUND: This case report illustrates the need to evaluate the possibility of multiple arterial sources when presented with a frontal epidural hematoma associated with facial trauma. CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient presented after being struck in the face by a baseball. Computed tomography of the brain revealed a large frontal epidural hematoma. Intraoperatively, bleeding from a frontal branch of the middle meningeal artery was encountered and cauterized, and the hematoma was removed. Routine follow-up imaging performed the next day showed a residual frontal hematoma; however, the epidural hematoma was in a more medial location than the initial hematoma. The patient was taken back to the operating room; after frontal lobe retraction and extensive exploration, a different source of bleeding from posterior ethmoidal artery feeders was encountered. After the second operation, the patient's hematoma did not recur, and he was discharged home with no neurologic deficits 3 days later. CONCLUSIONS: We report a case of an epidural hematoma caused by 2 distinct arterial feeders. We discuss radiologic review and operative management of anterior fossa epidural hematomas and stress the importance of considering arterial bleeding from sources other than the middle meningeal artery in anterior fossa epidural hematomas. We discuss the utility of preoperative angiography for these patients and reinforce the need for acute postoperative imaging to ensure successful operative and patient outcomes.

Risk factors for infection and the effect of an institutional shunt protocol on the incidence of ventricular access device infections in preterm infants.

OBJECT: Intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants often leads to progressive ventricular dilation and the need for ventricular reservoir placement. Unfortunately, these reservoirs have a higher rate of infection than ventriculoperitoneal shunts in premature babies. The authors analyzed the risk factors for infection in this population and studied whether the implementation of an institutional protocol for shunt placement had a corollary effect on ventricular access device (VAD) infection rates in premature neonates with intraventricular hemorrhage. METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective cohort review of consecutive premature neonates in whom VADs were inserted in the operating room at Primary Children's Hospital between June 2003 and June 2011 to identify risk factors for infection. Medical records were reviewed for information on infection (culture proven or eroded hardware at 90 days), gestational age at birth, weight, gestational age at surgery, intrathecal antibiotics, hemorrhage, death, and surgeon. The institution used a pilot protocol for shunt infection reduction in 2006-2007, and then the full Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network protocol from June 2007 to 2011, and the rates of infection during these periods were analyzed. Confounding factors such as sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and a history of meningitis were also analyzed. RESULTS: The overall infection rate was 10.5% (11 patients) in the 105 patients identified. Gestational age at procedure was a significant risk factor for infection (p=0.05). Meningitis was significantly associated with infection, with 63% of the infected group having had prior meningitis compared with 7% for the noninfected group (p<0.001). Concurrent with the implementation of the protocol to reduce shunt infection, the VAD infection rate decreased from 14.7% to 5.4% (p=0.2). CONCLUSIONS: Gestational age at procedure and previous meningitis were significant risk factors for VAD infections. In addition, the implementation of an institutional standardized shunt protocol for ventriculoperitoneal shunts may have altered the operating room team's behavior, indicated by a nonmandated use of intrathecal antibiotics in VAD surgeries, contributing to a reduced VAD infection rate. Although the observed difference was not statistically significant with the small sample size, the authors believe that these findings deserve further study.

Risk factors and rates of bone flap resorption in pediatric patients after decompressive craniectomy for traumatic brain injury.

OBJECT: Decompressive craniectomy with subsequent autologous cranioplasty, or the replacement of the native bone flap, is often used for pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who have a mass lesion and intractable intracranial hypertension. Bone flap resorption is common after bone flap replacement, necessitating additional surgery. The authors reviewed their large database of pediatric patients with TBI who underwent decompressive craniectomy followed by bone flap replacement to determine the rate of bone flap resorption and identify associated risk factors. METHODS: A retrospective cohort chart review was performed to identify long-term survivors who underwent decompressive craniectomy for severe TBI with bone flap replacement from January 1, 1996, to December 31, 2011. The risk factors investigated in a univariate statistical analysis were age, sex, underlying parenchymal contusion, Glasgow Coma Scale score on arrival, comminuted skull fracture, posttraumatic hydrocephalus, bone flap wound infection, and freezer time (the amount of time the bone flap was stored in the freezer before replacement). A multivariate logistic regression model was then used to determine which of these were independent risk factors for bone flap resorption. RESULTS: Bone flap replacement was performed at an average of 2.1 months after decompressive craniectomy. Of the 54 patients identified (35 boys, 19 girls; mean age 6.2 years), 27 (50.0%) experienced bone flap resorption after an average of 4.8 months. Underlying parenchymal contusion, comminuted skull fracture, age ≤ 2.5 years, and posttraumatic hydrocephalus were significant, or nearly significant, on univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis identified underlying contusion (p = 0.004, OR 34.4, 95% CI 3.0-392.7), comminuted skull fractures (p = 0.046, OR 8.5, 95% CI 1.0-69.6), posttraumatic hydrocephalus (p = 0.005, OR 35.9, 95% CI 2.9-436.6), and age ≤ 2.5 years old (p = 0.01, OR 23.1, 95% CI 2.1-257.7) as independent risk factors for bone flap resorption. CONCLUSIONS: After decompressive craniectomy for pediatric TBI, half of the patients (50%) who underwent bone flap replacement experienced resorption. Multivariate analysis indicated young age (≤ 2.5 years), hydrocephalus, underlying contusion as opposed to a hemispheric acute subdural hematoma, and a comminuted skull fracture were all independent risk factors for bone flap resorption. Freezer time was not found to be associated with bone flap resorption.

Diffusion tensor imaging correlates with cytopathology in a rat model of neonatal hydrocephalus.

BACKGROUND: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a non-invasive MRI technique that has been used to quantify CNS abnormalities in various pathologic conditions. This study was designed to quantify the anisotropic diffusion properties in the brain of neonatal rats with hydrocephalus (HCP) and to investigate association between DTI measurements and cytopathology. METHODS: DTI data were acquired between postnatal day 7 (P7) and P12 in 12 rats with HCP induced at P2 and in 15 age-matched controls. Animals were euthanized at P11 or P22/P23 and brains were processed with immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule (Iba-1), and luxol fast blue (LFB) to assess astrocytosis, microglial reactivity and degree of myelination, respectively. RESULTS: Hydrocephalic rats were consistently found to have an abnormally low (at corrected p-level of <0.05) fractional anisotropy (FA) value and an abnormally high mean diffusivity (MD) value in the cerebral cortex (CX), the corpus callosum (CC), and the internal capsule (IC). Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated trends of increasing astrocyte and microglial reactivity in HCP rats at P11 that reached statistical significance at P22/P23. A trend toward reduced myelination in the HCP rats was also found at P22/P23. Correlation analysis at P11 for the CC demonstrated statistically significant correlations (or trends) between the DTI measurement (the decreased FA and increased MD values) and the GFAP or Iba-1 rankings. The immunohistochemical rankings in the IC at P22/P23 were also significantly correlated or demonstrated a trend with both FA and MD values. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of employing DTI on the brain in experimental hydrocephalus in neonatal rats and reveals impairments in multiple regions of interest in both grey and white matter. A strong correlation was found between the immunohistochemical results and the changes in anisotropic diffusion properties.

Tethered cord syndrome: a review of the literature from embryology to adult presentation.

Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) is a clinical condition of various origins that arises from tension on the spinal cord. Radiographic findings may include the conus medullaris in a lower than normal position, fatty infiltration of the filum terminale, lipomyelomeningocele, myelomeningocele, myelocystocele, meningocele, split cord malformations, dermal sinus, anorectal malformations, and intraspinal tumors. The clinical constellation of signs and symptoms associated with TCS may include dermatologic, urological, gastrointestinal, neurological, and orthopedic findings. The current review focuses on TCS by age group of the more common causes of the condition, including myelomeningocele, lipomyelomeningocele, as well as the adult presentation of occult TCS. Pertinent review of the neuroembryology and normal anatomical position of the conus medullaris is included.

Cyclooxygenase-2 expression in hamster and human pancreatic neoplasia.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been implicated in the development of gastrointestinal malignancies. The aim of the present study was to determine COX-2 expression/activity throughout stages of experimental and human pancreatic neoplasia. COX-2 immunohistochemistry was performed in pancreata of hamsters subjected to the carcinogen N-nitrosobis-(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) and in human pancreatic tumors. COX-2 activity was determined by prostaglandin E2 assay in tumor versus matched normal pancreatic tissues. The activity of the COX inhibitor sulindac was tested in the PC-1 hamster pancreatic cancer model. COX-2 expression was elevated in all pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs) and adenocarcinomas. In BOP-treated hamsters, there were significant progressive elevations in COX-2 expression throughout pancreatic tumorigenesis. In human samples, peak COX-2 expression occurred in PanIN2 lesions and remained moderately elevated in PanIN3 and adenocarcinoma tissues. COX-2 activity was significantly elevated in hamster and human pancreatic cancers compared to pair-matched normal pancreas. Furthermore, hamster pancreatic tumor engraftment/formation in the PC-1 hamster pancreatic cancer model was reduced 4.9-fold by oral administration of sulindac. Increased COX-2 expression is an early event in pancreatic carcinogeneses. The BOP-induced hamster carcinogenesis model is a representative model used to study the role of COX-2 in well-differentiated pancreatic tumorigenesis. COX inhibitors may have a role in preventing tumor engraftment/formation.