[Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome as a possible cause of paresis in a child]. / La "sindrome da anticorpi antifosfolipidi" come possible causa di una paresi in un bambino.

The Authors report on the case of a 4-year-old boy, admitted to the pediatric department for left hemiplegia. CT scan of the brain was negative on the day of admission but, on the following day, showed 3 small hypodense focal lesions in the posterior branch of the internal capsule, in the knee of the internal capsule and in the posterior parietal region of the cortex. The acute phase almost completely resolved in 10 days. Twenty days after presentation, cerebral angiography showed a thrombosis of an anterior, right perforating vessel, together with the hypoplasia of the horizontal portion of the cerebral anterior artery. The determination of anti-cardiolipin antibodies, even though performed far from the acute phase of the disease, showed a low IgG positivity. Two months after the onset the neurological symptoms completely resolved. In the presence of hypoplasia, narrowing and other lesions of cerebral vessel, it is possible to hypotesize that the occurrence of thrombotic fenomen, ascribable to anti-phaspholipid antibodies, is responsible for the neurological symptoms. The association of thrombosis and anti-phospholipid antibodies suggest that the assessment of anti-phospholipid antibodies should be routinely performed in the presence of thrombotic phenomena.

[Transient idiopathic hyperphosphatasemia in infancy. Presentation of a case]. / Iperfosfatasemia transitoria idiopatica dell'infanzia. Segnalazione di un caso.

One case of a 13-months-old-female infant with transient idiopathic hyperphosphatasemia is described. This syndrome is characterized by: 1) increased serum alkaline phosphatase activity not associate with an organic disease; 2) normalization of the enzyme activity within 12 weeks. Familial hyperphosphatasemia, a permanens disease, is also excluded because of ALP normal values in both parents. Rickets, hepatic and biliary diseases are excluded by clinical, radiologic and laboratory data.