Complex Congenital Heart Disease and Neurodevelopment. A Case Study of Fraternal Twins.

Congenital heart defects have been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes due to factors that result in a hypoxic-ischemic cerebral cumulative effect. We present a pair of fraternal twins: the first twin was healthy, and the second was born with a complex congenital heart defect (CCHD). They were followed for growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes to determine the comparative effect of exposure to a CCHD. Results show that exposure to a CCHD could be related to a persistent motor deficiency with hypotonia and concurrent height for age delay. CCHD requires a comprehensive neurodevelopmental approach; the pathophysiology and the surrounding stimuli are influential.

Neurodevelopmental outcome of infants without central nervous system anomalies born to symptomatic RT-PCR ZIKV positive women.

An epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection began in Colombia in October 2015. Previous studies have identified a cause-effect relationship between fetal exposure to the ZIKV and the development of microcephaly and other central nervous system (CNS) anomalies with variable degrees of neurodevelopmental delay. Less is known about the neurodevelopmental outcome of infants without CNS anomalies born to symptomatic ZIKV RT-PCR-positive women. We aimed to compare the neurodevelopmental outcome of these infants to a control group of infants without CNS anomalies born to asymptomatic ZIKV RT-PCR negative women who did not seroconvert during pregnancy. Participating infants were categorized according to ZIKV maternal exposure. Women with symptomatology suggestive of ZIKV infection and a positive RT-PCR for ZIKV were categorized as ZIKV-exposed. Maternal controls (ZIKV unexposed) from the same geographic area were subsequently captured during the tail end of the epidemic through a partner project, the ZIKAlliance, whose aim was to determine the prevalence of ZIKV in pregnant women. Infant survivors from these two groups of pregnant women had a neurodevelopmental evaluation at 12, 18, and 24 months corrected age (CA). The ZIKV-exposed women were found to be older, had less subsidized health care, had a higher percentage of women in middle-class socioeconomic strata, had higher technical and university education, were less likely to be living with a partner, and had higher rates of pregnancy comorbidity and premature births than ZIKV unexposed women. Compared to infants born to ZIKV unexposed women (unexposed), infants born to ZIKV exposed women (exposed) were of lower gestational age and required more speech and occupational therapy services. No differences between groups were observed in the proportion of cut-off scores <70 on the Bayley-III Scale at 12, 18, and 24 months for motor, language, and cognitive domains. When a cut-off of <85 was used, a higher percentage of motor and cognitive impairment was observed in unexposed infants at 12 and 24 months CA, respectively. Median and IQR score on the Bayley-III scale showed higher scores in favor of exposed infants for motor development at 12 and 18 months CA, language at 12 months, and cognitive domain at 12, 18, and 24 months. The adjusted median and IQR compound score of the difference between exposed and unexposed was higher in favor of exposed infants at 12 to 24 months CA for motor (3.8 [95% CI 1.0 to 6.7]) and cognitive domains (10.6 [95% CI 7.3 to 13.9]). We observed no differences in the language domain (1.9 [95% CI -1.2 to 5.0]). We conclude that infants with no evidence of microcephaly or other CNS anomalies born to ZIKV-exposed women had normal neurodevelopment up to 24 months of CA, supporting an all-or-nothing effect with maternal ZIKV exposure. Long-term follow-up to evaluate school performance is required. Clinical Trial Registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02943304.

Fetal central nervous system anomalies according to RT-PCR and trimester of maternal infection with Zika virus: A prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: In October 2015, an epidemic of Zika began in Colombia's geographic areas with a high population of mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. We aimed to describe the fetal brain ultrasound findings in pregnant women with active symptoms or a history of symptoms suggestive of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eligible pregnant women were tested with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for ZIKV and followed prospectively using detailed anatomic ultrasound and transvaginal neurosonography to detect structural anomalies of the fetal central nervous system (CNS). RESULTS: A total of 115 symptomatic women with a positive ZIKV RT-PCR and 55 with a negative ZIKV RT-PCR were enrolled in the study; CNS compromise of the fetus occurred in 22% and 17%, respectively (p = 0.255). Callosal dysgenesis (14.5%) was the most frequent anomaly of the CNS, followed by microcephaly (13.6%) and neuronal migration disorders (8.3%). When symptomatic ZIKV RT-PCR-positive women were categorized by trimester of infection, CNS anomalies were present in 40% of first-trimester infections, compared with 21% and 7% in second- and third-trimester infections (p = 0.002). CNS anomalies were also more severe in first-trimester-infected fetuses than in second- and third-trimester-infected fetuses. The high prevalence of CNS anomalies in fetuses of symptomatic ZIKV RT-PCR negative women suggests a high rate of false-negative cases and an even higher prevalence of CNS anomalies than observed in this study. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of fetal CNS anomalies was higher than previously reported in the literature for both symptomatic RT-PCR-positive and -negative pregnant women. Corpus callosum anomalies, microcephaly, neuronal migration disorders, and brain parenchymal hyperechogenicities were the most frequent CNS anomalies detected. In addition, CNS anomalies were more frequent and severe in infected fetuses during the first trimester of pregnancy than during the second or third trimester.

Hemiplejia infantil mixta por hemorragia en ganglios basales / Child paralyzed mixed by bleeding in basal ganglia

Introducción: la hemiplejia infantil es comúnmente producida por fenómenos de hipoxia-isquemia o de hemorragias cerebrales. En el caso de las hemorragias cerebrales, se producen hipertensión endocraneal y déficit en los mecanismos de regulación de la circulación sanguínea intra cerebral lo que ocasiona edema e isquemia cerebral además del fenómeno de masa que genera, por presión, desplazamiento del tejido cerebral. Objetivo: demostrar que la adecuada intervención fisioterapéutica y el compromiso de los padres en la rehabilitación neurológica, produce recuperación funcional motora. Caso clínico: se presenta el caso de un paciente, de género masculino y nueve meses de edad, con hemiplejia mixta del lado derecho, causada por hemorragia en los ganglios basales. Tras siete meses de fisioterapia, inicia la marcha independiente. Conclusión: es pertinente establecer que las características de este cuadro clínico, hacen de la rehabilitación adecuada la principal y mejor medida terapéutica. Además, la satisfactoria evolución del paciente produce mejoría en la calidad de vida del mismo y su familia..

Introduction: child hemiplegia phenomenon is commonly caused by hypoxia-ischemia or cerebral hemorrhages. Particularly, brain hemorrhages produce intracranial hypertension, which generates deficit in the regulation mechanisms of the intra cerebral blood flow. This deficit causes cerebral edema and ischemia in addition to the clinical chart that develops a mass phenomenon by pressure, which displaces the brain tissue. Objective: to demonstrate that an adequate physical intervention and parents’ responsibility about their son neurological improvement increases the benefits of the treatment. Clinical case: a case of a nine-month-old male patient, with mixed hemiplegia on the right side, caused by bleeding in the basal ganglia. After seven months of physiotherapy, the patient starts independent walking. Conclusion: it is pertinent to establish the characteristics of this clinical outcome, shows the adequate rehabilitation as the best and main therapeutic option. Besides, a satisfactory evolution produces improvement in life quality of the patient and his family..