Skeletal dysplasias with osteopenia in the newborn: the value of alkaline phosphatase.

Alkaline phosphatase is a commonly measured enzyme in clinical practice. Normal, excessively elevated and depressed serum or plasma levels have clinical value in the approach to the differential diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias associated with osteopenia in the newborn period. Two cases are described to illustrate this contention. In the first case we describe a neonate with congenital hypophosphatasia and markedly depressed levels of plasma alkaline phosphate, and in the second case we report a patient with a fracture of the femur, congenital rickets and an elevated alkaline phosphate level. In skeletal dysplasias with osteopenia, the nature of the abnormality in alkaline phosphate values, in association with that of calcium and phosphate, is an invaluable diagnostic aid in differential diagnosis.

A study of congenital cardiac disease in a neonatal population--the validity of echocardiography undertaken by a neonatologist.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the incidence of, and profile the spread of, congenital cardiac defects, and to assess the accuracy of the echocardiographic diagnosis as performed by a neonatologist. DESIGN: Hospital-based study. METHODS: All neonates meeting our criterions, specifically those with a persistent murmur 48 hours after birth, underwent an echocardiographic examination to exclude an underlying congenital cardiac defect. All scans performed by the neonatologist were videotaped and reviewed by a paediatric cardiologist. We assessed concordance according to inter-rater agreement. RESULTS: Out of 11,085 live births, there were 83 infants with a congenital cardiac defect, giving an incidence of 7.49 per 1000 live births, with 95% confidence interval from 5.88 to 9.09. Of the infants with a murmur persisting at or greater than 48 hours after birth, who had a median age of 4.5 days, 75% had a congenital heart defect, with ventricular septal defect being the commonest, encountered in 56.7% of cases. Concordance between the neonatologist and the cardiologist was good, with Cohen's Kappa coefficient being calculated at 0.68, and 95% confidence interval from 0.51 to 0.85. CONCLUSION: The incidence of congenital cardiac malformations as determined in our hospital-based study in the United Arab Emirates is similar to that described in the Gulf region and worldwide. A persistent murmur at or greater than 48 hours after birth is strongly suggestive of an underlying congenital cardiac malformation. Our experience shows that a neonatologist appropriately trained in echocardiography can perform as well as a paediatric cardiologist. Where specialist resources are limited, this allows for early diagnosis, earlier referral if necessary, and early institution of appropriate therapy.