Early experience using telemedicine for neonatal surgical consultations.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Telemedicine affords the opportunity to extend the presence of surgical evaluation to centers without an on-site pediatric surgeon. However, concern for cost, accuracy of diagnosis, and physician acceptance have limited its use. METHODS: Using a low-cost, desktop computer-based system, this study was designed to test the effectiveness of telemedicine in neonatal surgical consultation. RESULTS: Early experience with six video-teleconference (VTC) and six store-and-forward consultations are presented. Diagnosis was established accurately in all cases. With the three intestinal cases (jejunal atresia, duplication cyst, and r/o malrotation), diagnostic studies were guided by the images transmitted with the consult. Earlier care could be implemented in other cases. Technical problems were encountered primarily with the VTC modality, which also proved more consuming of physician time. CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine was used successfully in each case and proved accurate in diagnosis and guiding further evaluation. This is the first report of the use of telemedicine for surgical consultation in the intensive care nursery.

Prevalence of prematurity, low birthweight, and asphyxia as perinatal risk factors in a current population of children with cerebral palsy.

To test the hypothesis that increasing survival of infants at highest risk for long-term neurological sequelae has strengthened the associations between perinatal events and subsequent cerebral palsy (CP), we compared the prevalence rates for prematurity, low birthweight, congenital malformations, and perinatal asphyxia from a current population of children with CP with those reported nearly 30 years ago by the National Collaborative Perinatal Project (NCPP, 1959-1966) of the National Institute of Neurologic and Communicative Disorders and Stroke. Although we saw no differences in the proportion of children who were born prematurely, we did find a significant shift in the birthweight and gestational age distribution, with a nearly threefold greater prevalence of births less than 1501 g in our population (31.1% and 95% confidence interval [CI] of 20.6 to 41.7% vs 9.1% and 95% CI of 5.0 to 13.2%). Nearly half (43.5%) of these very low birthweight infants had evidence of brain injury (intraventricular hemorrhage), a diagnosis not commonly recognized in the NCPP. On the other hand, birth asphyxia and congenital malformations occurred no more frequently in our population than that reported earlier. Furthermore, the majority (60%) of full-term infants who develop CP continue to be the products of normal pregnancies and have no perinatal events that may have caused their neurological impairment. The increasing prevalence of births less than 1501 g among children with CP may well reflect the improving survival of very small infants over the last 30 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Progressive sensorineural hearing loss in survivors of persistent fetal circulation.

The purpose of this study was to discover whether sensorineural hearing loss was a significant complication in survivors of persistent fetal circulation. Eleven patients were followed to 36 months. Hearing assessments were performed on at least two occasions using brain stem auditory evoked response testing and behavioral audiometry. Three of 11 babies had bilateral, progressive sensorineural hearing loss. No clear relationship could be found between hearing loss and any of the clinical variables examined in this study.

A human umbilical cord with four arteries.

An unusual case of a newborn infant with four umbilical arteries is presented. Multiple catheterizations revealed that triplication of the right umbilical artery was responsible. There were no associated malformations, and follow-up at 9 months of age revealed age-appropriate growth and development. This case extends the spectrum of observable umbilical artery anomalies.

Developmental outcome of infants with grade III intraventricular hemorrhage.

To determine the developmental outcome of premature infants weighing 1,750 gm or less at birth and who had grade III intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), we followed up ten infants with IVH confirmed by computed tomography (CT) and ten CT-negative control infants until they were 12 months corrected age. The infants were evaluated at three-month intervals with neurologic examinations; hearing, speech, and language assessments; Bayley testing; and evoked response studies. Normal criteria were defined in each area. Eight of the ten grade III IVH survivors had identifiable defects, with a predominance of motor deficits, as assessed by two or more parameters. Only three of the ten patients without IVH had two or more suspicious or abnormal assessments. Infants with grade III IVH may have widespread damage. A multidisciplinary approach to evaluating these patients is mandatory to determine the full extent of various deficits. Similar studies of infants with all degrees of IVH may help to define its full impact on their long-term development.