Distraction osteogenesis of the mandible for airway obstruction in children.

OBJECTIVES: Objectives of the study were to determine the effectiveness of distraction osteogenesis of the mandible to relieve airway obstruction in children with tongue-base airway obstruction and to describe the new surgical techniques developed for use in infants and young children. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized study. METHODS: Analysis of 11 children with severe airway obstruction secondary to tongue-base obstruction was performed. Patients were between 2 weeks and 5.5 years of age. All patients underwent distraction osteogenesis of the mandible. RESULTS: Twelve distraction procedures in the 11 children in the study were accomplished; decannulation or extubation was successful in all children. CONCLUSION: Distraction osteogenesis of the mandible can be used to treat tongue-base airway obstruction in appropriately selected children.

Management of acute pulmonary hemorrhage in children.

OBJECTIVE: Acute pulmonary hemorrhage can result from a variety of causes. This report offers a diagnosis and treatment plan for children with acute, life-threatening pulmonary hemorrhage resulting from a variety of causes. METHODS: Retrospective review of children with acute pulmonary hemorrhage cared for at a tertiary care children's hospital during from January 1, 1993 to September 1, 1999. PATIENTS: Fourteen children were identified with life-threatening pulmonary hemorrhage during the study period. INTERVENTIONS: Bronchoscopy was the keystone to diagnosis of pulmonary hemorrhage in this series. All of the children underwent multiple procedures to stabilize the airway and control blood loss. These interventions included CO2 laser bronchoscopy, Nd-YAG laser bronchoscopy, endoscopic balloon occlusion of a lobe or main bronchus, topical airway vasoconstrictors, endoscopic tumor excision, transcatheter embolization of bronchial vessels, and lobectomy. OUTCOMES: Three children died and 11 survived without neurological sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: Control of acute pulmonary hemorrhage is a difficult problem and often requires multiple procedures. Endoscopic control is usually required for palliation until more definitive therapy can be undertaken.

Topical ofloxacin versus systemic amoxicillin/clavulanate in purulent otorrhea in children with tympanostomy tubes.

Acute otitis media (AOM) in children with tympanostomy tubes in place typically presents with otorrhea (draining ear). Because therapy is not standardized, various topical and systemic antibiotics of unproven efficacy and safety have been used in this indication. This study compared the safety and efficacy of ofloxacin otic solution, 0.3% (OFLX) with that of Augmentin oral suspension (AUG) in pediatric subjects 1-12 years of age with tympanostomy tubes and acute purulent otorrhea. Subjects were randomized to receive 10d of OFLX, 0.25 ml topically bid, or of AUG, 40 mg/kg per day. Audiometry was performed in subjects > or =4 years of age. Overall cure rate for clinically evaluable subjects was 76% with OFLX (n = 140) and 69% with AUG (n = 146; P = 0.169). Overall eradication rates for OFLX and AUG were similar for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis and were superior with OFLX for Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P<0.05 for both). OFLX had a greater overall pathogen eradication rate (96% vs. 67%; P<0.001). Treatment-related adverse event rates were 31% for AUG and 6% for OFLX (P<0.001). Neither treatment significantly altered hearing acuity. Topical ofloxacin 0.3% otic solution 0.25 ml bid was as effective and better tolerated than systemic therapy with Augmentin oral suspension 40 mg/kg per day in treating AOM in children with tympanostomy tubes.

Results of cleft palate repair with the double-reverse Z-plasty performed by residents.

The double-reverse Z-plasty (Furlow) repair of soft palate clefts has the advantages of lengthening the soft palate while reconstructing the palatal muscle sling to optimize velopharyngeal function. Because soft tissue from the hard palate is not mobilized to lengthen the soft palate, this technique has an additional theoretic advantage of minimizing disturbances of maxillofacial growth. Cited disadvantages of the technique include increased technical difficulty and operating time compared with other procedures. We performed a retrospective study of 20 consecutive Furlow repairs of the soft palate performed by residents under supervision of one attending surgeon between 1989 and 1992. All children had complete cleft of the soft palate; 14 had incomplete cleft and six had complete cleft of the hard palate, which were repaired by a modified Von Langenbeck technique or with vomer flaps. Mean age of patients was 15 months, and mean operating time (including placement of pressure-equalizing tubes) was 162 minutes, with an average estimated blood loss of less than 25 ml. Average time until adequate oral intake was achieved was 1.7 days, and duration of hospitalization averaged 2.4 days. Immediate postoperative complications included transient tongue edema in one patient and atelectasis and pneumonia in one patient with multiple congenital anomalies. Delayed postoperative complications included symptoms of sleep apnea in four patients, which subsequently improved after tonsillectomy and/or superior adenoidectomy. Fistulas occurred in two patients (10%), which compares favorably with published results of other techniques. Preliminary functional evaluations reveal that all repairs appear to have adequate length and good mobility; speech evaluations are in progress.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Orbital complications of sickle cell disease.

Swelling and pain of the peri-orbital tissues in patients with sickle cell disease has been described. This has most often been ascribed to orbital apex syndrome, but there are recent reports in the literature of frontal bone infarctions compounding this syndrome. We will present a case report of a child with sickle cell disease with bilateral orbital abscesses and frontal bone infarctions. The literature pertaining to the diagnosis and treatment of the orbital complications of sickle cell disease is reviewed. We stress that intravenous antibiotics are not adequate therapy for orbital abscesses and that these must be drained surgically.

Gadolinium. The new gold standard for diagnosing cerebellopontine angle tumors.

All physicians involved with the diagnosis and management of patients with tumors in the temporal bone and cerebellopontine angle are faced with the challenge removing these tumors while preserving hearing. Part of the challenge is to make the diagnosis while the tumor is still small enough to attempt a hearing-conservation surgical approach. Air-contrast (air cisternography) computed tomography is the "gold standard" by which all techniques of diagnosis are compared. Most physicians, however, are reluctant to use this test as a screen for tumors because of the associated morbidity, time, and expense. We present three case reports of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of small intracanalicular or cerebellopontine angle tumors, and review the literature of this new and exciting technology. We feel that gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is now the procedure of choice for evaluating patients with suspected temporal bone tumors.

Effects of cleft lip and palate on the nasal airway in children.

Clefts of the lip and palate often produce significant nasal deformities and reduced nasal airway size. The purpose of this study was to assess how type of cleft affects nasal cross-sectional area and mode of breathing. The pressure-flow technique was used to estimate nasal airway size and modified inductive plethysmography was used to determine percent of nasal breathing in 60 children with cleft lip and palate aged 6 to 15 years. Ninety-five normal children served as controls. The data demonstrate that nasal size decreased among cleft types as follows: children with bilateral cleft lip and palate had largest airway, followed by unilateral cleft lip, cleft of the hard and soft palate, cleft of the soft palate, and unilateral cleft lip and palate. The data also indicated that most subjects with cleft were mouth breathers. Results of otolaryngologic examinations suggest that septal deformities affecting nasal valve function are responsible for much of the impairment, especially in the group with unilateral cleft lip and palate. The differences among groups appear to relate to developmental differences associated with the original defect and the surgical procedures used in primary repair.

Exacerbation of sickle cell disease by obstructive sleep apnea.

It is difficult to recognize and treat the factors that exacerbate the vascular crises of sickle cell disease. We describe a 12-year-old black girl with sickle cell anemia who, since the age of 9 years, has been repeatedly hospitalized for pain associated with vaso-occlusive disease. A diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea was suggested by the history and physical examination and was confirmed by polysomnography. Following preoperative transfusion, the patient underwent elective tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. She has been free of vaso-occlusive pain and crises for over two years and has not been hospitalized since her surgery. Post-operative polysomnography has shown no evidence of obstructive sleep apnea. It is our hypothesis that repeated oxygen desaturation during periods of obstructive sleep apnea was the cause of this patient's frequent vaso-occlusive crises. She not only obtained complete relief of her symptoms, but objective sleep study measurements were normal following surgery. Obstructive sleep apnea is a recent diagnosis, and its pathologic effects are only beginning to be known. Physicians taking care of patients with hemoglobinopathies need to be aware of possible contributing factors to their patients' disease, and an aggressive approach to their diagnosis and possible relief should be sought.

Cochlea and heart as end-organs in small vessel disease.

Many studies have been done recently to determine the role of various stresses on the heart and peripheral vasculature. Although damage to coronary arteries and renal vessels has been well described, the ear as an end-organ in small vessel disease has been largely neglected. In a previous study, we examined the effects of noise, hypertension, and an atherogenic diet on the microvasculature of the cochleas in rats. The present study examines the effects of these stresses on the hearts of the same rats. The technique used to examine microvascular blood flow was the injection of unlabeled microspheres prior to killing. We found that the blood flow in the cochleas was reduced significantly in hypertensive animals exposed to noise or an atherogenic diet compared to that of normotensive or hypertensive control animals. The hearts of such animals, however, showed decreased myocardial blood flow only when compared to those of normotensive control animals, not when compared to those of hypertensive control animals.