Gastrointestinal disorders in Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is the most common human chromosomal disorder. Among clinical findings, one constant concern is the high prevalence of gastrointestinal system alterations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders at a Down syndrome outpatient clinic during a 10-year follow-up period. Data from medical files were retrospectively reviewed from 1,207 patients. Gastrointestinal changes occurred in 612 (50.7%). The most prevalent disorder was chronic intestinal constipation. Intestinal parasite occurred in 22% (mainly giardiasis), gastroesophageal reflux disease in 14%, digestive tract malformations occurred in 5%: 13 cases of duodenal atresia, 8 of imperforate anus, 4 annular pancreases, 2 congenital megacolon, 2 esophageal atresias, 2 esophageal compression by anomalous subclavian and 1 case of duodenal membrane. We had 38/1,207 (3.1%) patients with difficulty in sucking and only three with dysphagia that resolved before the second year of life. Peptic ulcer disease, celiac disease, and biliary lithiasis were less prevalent with 3% each. Awareness of the high prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders promotes outstanding clinical follow-up as well as adequate development and greater quality of life for patients with Down syndrome and their families.

Early Postnatal Ventricular Dysfunction Is Associated with Disease Severity in Patients with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess patterns of postnatal ventricular function and their relationship to prenatal and postnatal markers of disease severity in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). STUDY DESIGN: In this observational case-control study of cardiac function in infants with CDH in the first 5 days of life, systolic and diastolic function in the right ventricle (RV) and left ventricle (LV) were assessed using speckle tracking echocardiography-derived global strain and tissue Doppler imaging. Correlation between cardiac function and prenatal observed:expected total fetal lung volume (TFLV), oxygenation index (OI), duration of intubation, and hospital length of stay were assessed. RESULTS: All measures of systolic and diastolic function were significantly reduced in the CDH group (n = 25) compared with controls (n = 20) at <48 hours, and were improved by 72-120 hours. LV global systolic longitudinal strain (GLS) correlated with prenatal TFLV (R2 = 0.32; P = .03), OI (R2 = 0.35; P < .001), duration of intubation (R2 = 0.24; P = .04), and length of stay (R2 = 0.4; P = .006). Mean (SD) LV GLS at <48 hours was significantly lower in infants with CDH who did not survive and/or required ECMO compared with those who did not: -11.5 (5.3)% vs -16.9 (5.3)% (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: RV and LV function are impaired in the transitional period in infants with CDH. Early LV systolic function correlates with prenatal and postnatal markers of clinical disease severity and may be an important determinant of disease severity and therapeutic target in CDH. These findings support regular assessment of cardiac function in CDH and investigational trials of targeted cardiovascular therapies.

Anesthetic management for surgery of esophagus atresia in a newborn with Goldenhar's syndrome / Manejo anestésico para cirurgia de atresia de esôfago em um recém-nascido com síndrome de Goldenhar / Manejo anestésico para la cirugía de atresia de esófago en un neonato con síndrome de Goldenhar

Goldenhar's syndrome is a polymalformative condition consisting of a craniofacial dysostosis that determines difficult airway in up to 40% of cases. We described a case of a newborn with Goldenhar's syndrome with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula who underwent repair surgery.

A síndrome de Goldenhar é um quadro de polimalformação que consiste em uma disostose craniofacial que determina uma via respiratória difícil em até 40% dos casos. Nós descrevemos um caso de um recém-nascido com síndrome de Goldenhar com atresia de esôfago e fístula traqueoesofágica para a qual foi feita cirurgia de reparo.

El síndrome de Goldenhar es un cuadro polimalformativo consistente en una disostosis craneofacial que condiciona una vía aérea difícil hasta en el 40% de los casos. Describimos un caso de un neonato con síndrome de Goldenhar con atresia de esófago y fístula traqueoesofágica al que se practicó cirugía de reparación de la misma.

Anesthetic management for surgery of esophagus atresia in a newborn with Goldenhar's syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Goldenhar's syndrome is a polymalformative condition consisting of a craniofacial dysostosis that determines difficult airway in up to 40% of cases. We described a case of a newborn with Goldenhar's syndrome with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula who underwent repair surgery. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 24-h-old newborn with Goldenhar's syndrome. He had esophageal atresia with distal tracheoesophageal fistula. It was decided that an emergency surgery would be performed for repairing it. It was carried out under sedation, intubation with fibrobronchoscope distal to the fistula, to limit the air flow into the esophagus, and possible abdominal distension. Following complete repair of the esophageal atresia and fistula ligation, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit and intubated under sedation and analgesia. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of a patient with Goldenhar's syndrome and esophageal atresia assumes an exceptional situation and a challenge for anesthesiologists, since the anesthetic management depends on the patient comorbidity, the type of tracheoesophageal fistula, the usual hospital practice and the skills of the anesthesiologist in charge, with the main peculiarity being maintenance of adequate pulmonary ventilation in the presence of a communication between the airway and the esophagus. Intubation with fibrobronchoscope distal to the fistula deals with the management of a probably difficult airway and limits the passage of air to the esophagus through the fistula.

Microdeletion 11q13.1.q13.2 in a patient presenting with developmental delay, facial dysmorphism, and esophageal atresia: possible role of the GSTP1 gene in esophagus malformation.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal atresia is a major congenital malformation characterized by a complete interruption of the esophageal continuity. It is frequently observed in associations and syndromes. As an isolated finding, it has a multifactorial etiology whose genetic factors are poorly known. Recently, the GST family, especially the GSTM1 null genotype (but not the GSTP1 polymorphism I105V), has been associated with esophageal atresia. These enzymes play a role in phase II detoxification of xenobiotics. Here we present the clinical and molecular findings observed in a patient suggesting that the loss of the GSTP1 allele might predispose to this malformation. CASE: We describe a patient presenting with esophageal atresia associated with developmental delay and facial dysmorphism, whose mother used tobacco and alcohol during the first 2 months of her pregnancy. Microdeletion/microduplication analysis was performed using comparative genomic hybridization and a 180K Agilent array. It detected a de novo 2 Mb chromosome 11q13.1.q13.2 deletion. CONCLUSION: The deleted chromosomal segment includes the GSTP1 gene. We hypothesize that the deletion of one GSTP1 allele (an isoform highly expressed in embryonic tissues), associated with specific environmental factors, such as tobacco and alcohol, could cause the esophageal atresia observed in our patient.

Sirenomelia and cyclopia cluster in Cali, Colombia.

Sirenomelia and cyclopia share etiologic and pathogenic characteristics. A cluster of these two patterns of malformation in the city of Cali, Colombia, is described. Four sirenomelia and four cyclopia cases were born within a 165 days period in one hospital in Cali. The lapse between conception dates of first and last cases was shorter for sirenomelia (53 days) than for cyclopia (231 days). Based on ECLAMC (Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations) published data, the observed/expected ratio (5.7) for both defects is statistically significant (P < 0.001). Mother's residence during the first trimester of pregnancy is concentrated in a same city quarter for four of the eight cases, close to a know polluting active landfill, and the other four cases, along the Cauca river, downstream from this landfill. Birth prevalence rates for two sentinel anomalies, that is, anal and esophageal atresia for sirenomelia and oral clefts for DeMyer holoprosencephaly spectra, were not higher in Cali than in the rest of ECLAMC material. The Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing was applied to mothers of the 8 patients, and 32 matched controls. Seven of 295 variables were associated with sirenomelia, 3 of them related to house tap water, one to exposure to street drugs, one to physical injury, and 2 secondary to abnormal pregnancy outcome. None was associated with cyclopia. Results from hair dosage of heavy metals in the 8 patient's mothers were inconsistent. The time-space cluster is nonrandom for sirenomelia, and possibly random for cyclopia. The polluting landfill remains as a possible etiological factor.

Atresia esofágica: experiencia en el hospital "Dr. Domingo Luciani" / Esophageal atresia: experience in the hospital \"Dr. Domingo Luciani\"

En el período comprendido de abril 1988 a octubre 1995, se trataron cuatro pacientes con atresia esofágica, tres del sexo masculino y uno del sexo femenino. La edad de gestación varió de 35 a 39 semanas, con un promedio de 37, el peso al nacer abarcó desde los 1900 hasta los 3300 g (con promedio de 2500). No se observaron otras anomalias congénitas asociadas. Todos los casos correspondieron a atresia esofágica con fístula traqueoesofágica distal, ameritando intensiva neonatal. La sobrevida fue del 50 por ciento. En un solo caso se realizó seguimiento posoperatorio con evolución satisfactoria

Malformaciones congénitas del tubo digestivo observadas en necropsias / Congenital malformations of the digestive tract observed in autopsies

En la revisión de 3,301 autopsias se encontraron 866 casos de malformaciones de los cuales 230 se localizaron en el tubo digestivo. Los 230 pacientes presentaron 257 malformaciones, el 75% de ellas con serias implicaciones fisiopatológicas. Las más frecuentes fueron: atresia de ano y/o recto, atresia de esófago y atresia intestinal segmental