[Cardiac hydatid cyst in a child]. / Quiste hidatídico cardíaco en un niño.

Cardiac hydatid cyst is an uncommon disease, especially in children. The interventricular septum region is the most frequent localization. The cysts usually involve other organs making the etiologic diagnosis easier. Our young patient presented a single hydatid cyst. The etiologic diagnosis was difficult due to the negativity of the serologic tests and there were no other organs affected. Surgical ablation of the cyst was performed and histopathological analysis achieved.

Chronic granulomatous disease of childhood. Report of two cases with unusual involvement of the gastric antrum and spleen.

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) of childhood is a rare entity. The disease is characterized by recurrent infections with granuloma and abscess formation caused by an inherited defective neutrophil leukocyte function. The most common sites of involvement are the lungs, lymph nodes, skin, liver, spleen and bones. Rarely are other organs affected. Two children with CGD are presented. The children were cousins, the older with bone, lung and splenic involvement. The younger had circumferential thickening of the gastric antrum. Some of the lesions were well delineated with ultrasonography. The unusual gastric antrum wall and focal splenic involvement in this disease are emphasized.

[Extrarespiratory manifestations of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection]. / Manifestaciones extrarrespiratorias de la infección por Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Three patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, documented by CF antibody titers greater than 128, developed severe extrapulmonary manifestations. Two of them had a Stevens-Johnson syndrome seven and two days after the beginning of respiratory symptoms and the third a demyelinating polyradicyloneuropathy three weeks later. One of the patients with Stevens-Johnson syndrome and serious respiratory involvement also had hemolytic anemia associated with a cold agglutinins titer of 128. Authors determined lymphocytes subpopulations in one of the cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and in the patient with polyradiculoneuropathy. In both of them they found a reduced number of T-helper lymphocytes, and in the patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome an increase in suppressor T cells was also demonstrated.

[Boutonneuse fever in childhood]. / La fiebre botonosa en la infancia.

35 cases of botonneuse Fever admitted in our hospital during the course of a year and a half are presented. They were all children between the age of 18 months and 11 years. The most common features were: fever, maculopapulous rush and "tache noir". Weil Felix test was not of diagnostic value in one third of the cases. 71 per cent of the children recieved etiological treatment (doxicicline or cloramfenicol); the remaining 29% only got simptomatic measures. A cure was achieved in every case. Nevertheless, the manifestatios lasted longer in those not treated with antibiotic therapy.

[Wilms' tumor: a series of 79 cases (author's transl)]. / Tumor de Wilms. Estudio de 79 casos.

79 cases of Wilms' tumor with age at diagnosis between 0 and eight years, are reported. 76 of them are evaluable for therapeutic results. 54 (71%) are alive and disease-free, with a mean survival of 53 months. Group A (35 patients) received pre-surgical treatment with radiotherapy and the survival rate is 77%. Group B (32 patients) were not treated before surgery and the survival rate is 84%. Both groups received post-surgical treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy (vincristine and actinomycin D). Patients in group C, chronologically the oldest, did not receive chemotherapy and its survival rate was 20%. Prognostical significance of age, sex, site, clinical stage and histology are examined. Classical concepts on histological classifications are revised and present criteria are shown, along with its' therapeutic and prognostic implications.

[Leukemia and hypercalcemia (author's transl)]. / Leucemia e hipercalcemia.

Two cases of childhood leukemia with hypercalcemia are reported. In the first case who died by acute granulocytic leukemia, autopsy showed a generalized calcinosis. The other case was an acute lymphocitic leukemia with hypercalcemia and destructive lessions of bones with pathologic fractures. Response to chemotherapy was good. Literature about mechanismes which can induce hypercalcemia in malignancy is reviewed.

[Long-term survival in childhood acute lymphocitic leukemia (author's transl)]. / Supervivencia a largo plazo en la leucosis linfoblástica aguda infantil.

Long-term results in the treatment of 116 patients of acute lymphocitic leukemia with ages between six months and seven years are reported. A first group A, formed by 76 patients, was treated with prednisone and vincristine as induction protocol and maintenance therapy with 6-mercaptopurine or methotrexate. No neuromeningeal prophylaxis was made, except some cases in which intratecal methotrexate was applied. 27 patients are alive, 21 of them (27,6%) remain in complete remission for more than three years. A second group B, formed by 40 patients, was treated more recently; with an induction protocol composed by prednisone, vincristine and L-asparaginase. All patients in this group received cranial irradiation and intratecal methotrexate. 31 patients are alive (77,5%), 13 of them (32,5%) remain in complete remission for more than two years. The evolution period in this group B is shorter, but some features are exposed which suggest the possibility of long-term better results.