Vertebrobasilar infarcts in infancy: a case report and review of the literature.

We report a rare case of a child with cerebellar infarction confirmed by vertebral angiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The etiology of this case is unknown. The relevant literature is reviewed.

Irreversible respiratory failure in an achondroplastic child: the importance of an early cervicomedullary decompression, and a review of the literature.

The authors report the case of a girl with achondroplasia suffering from a progressively worsening hypotonic quadriparesis. CT scan showed slight dilatation of ventricular and subarachnoid spaces, with well-defined evidence of cortical sulci and gyri. This aspect was compatible with the diagnosis of macrocrania and megalencephaly (CP being 51 cm). The foramen magnum was narrowed, the transverse diameter measuring 15 mm and the 50th percentile being, for age, 26 mm. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) revealed bilaterally prolonged interpeak latencies Erb-N13, slowing of central conduction time N13-N20 from right median nerve stimulation, and block from left median nerve. The suspicion of cervicomedullary compression was confirmed by MRI, showing a very marked stenosis with compression exerted by the odontoid process. Further, a stenotic cervical canal and optic nerves verticalization were manifest. The patient underwent neurosurgical decompression by suboccipital craniectomy and cervical-C1 laminectomy. In spite of treatment, both neurologic and respiratory problems (rapid, shallow and almost abdominal breathing) were unchanged. The girl died 4 1/2 months later. The authors emphasize the important role of SEPs in detection of cervicomedullary compression in achondroplastic children and also stress the necessity of an early surgical treatment as the only condition for possible clinical improvement and/or full recovery.

[Statistics on 123 children with febrile convulsions from 1976 to 1981 with possible advantages of continuous prophylaxis with valproic acid and/or phenobarbital]. / Rilievi statistici condotti dal 1976 al 1981 sulle convulsioni febbrili in 123 bambini e sui possibili vantaggi della profilassi continua con dipropilacetato e/o fenobarbital.

All children (6 months to 5 years of age) presenting with febrile seizures have been followed for 3-5 years. Analysis of the data of 123 children gave the following results: -in 20 cases the duration of the convulsions was longer than 20 minutes; -males were prevalent (60,2%) and characterised by a longer duration of convulsive manifestations (20,2% of cases); -valproic acid (20-30 mg/kg/die) or phenobarbital (3-5 mg/kg/die) prophylaxis for a minimum of I year protect against recurrence of convulsions (26,6% of new episodes in non treated vs 10,2% in treated patients); -irrespective of drug prophylaxis, recurrence is minimal and approaches zero, when the first episode occurs in children older than 3 years; -only one case (0,8%) had recurrence not associated with fever, during valproic acid treatment two years after the first episode.

Use of indeterminate Padè approximations in the analysis of diffraction at the mirror edges of an optical resonator.

A method is presented for analysis of the diffraction of waveguide modes at the open end of a two-dimensional metallic waveguide, based on a rational approximation of the field diffracted outside the open end. We believe that this method can be used for waveguides with nonplane walls, and it should prove a useful tool in the analysis of optical resonators.