Hypercalcemia: an unusual complication of hyperthyroidism in a child

Although well known in adults the association of hypercalcemia with hyperthyroidism has not been reported in children. We described how its occurrence in a hyperthyroid child obscured the manifestations of hyperthyroidism and discuss the factors that led to its appearance and regression.     

Perforated gastric ulcer in the child: a rare complication, a case report]

Perforated gastric ulcer is unusual in children. We report a case in a girl with an unexpected evolution. CASE REPORT: A 13-year-old girl was admitted for abdominal pain. She had no particular personal history but her father had a perforated ulcer. On admission she was not painful, her abdomen was soft on palpation. The white blood cell count was 1.7 x 10(3)/mm3. A right pneumoperitoneum was seen on an abdominal X-ray film. Because of her good general status and the normalization of the abdominal X ray film six hours later, no surgical exploration was performed. On the fourth day, a gastrointestinal endoscopy showed an anterior gastric ulcer which was perforated. Biopsies did not isolate H. pylori. The patient was given a treatment with amoxicillin-metronidazole (7 d) and oméprazole (7 weeks). An endoscopic control, one month later, showed a total healing of the gastric ulcer. CONCLUSION: Peptic ulcerations and their complications are underdiagnosed in childhood. This could lead to delay in diagnosis or inappropriate treatment specially in case of perforation.     

Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis: a rare complication in a child with nephrotic syndrome

A 2-year-old boy with new-onset nephrotic syndrome developed recurrent vomiting, apathy and papilloedema. Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis was diagnosed on cranial CT and MRI. He gradually recovered after treatment with heparin, fresh frozen plasma and warfarin with complete resolution of the thrombosis after 1 month. Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis is an extremely rare complication of nephrotic syndrome in children. Early diagnosis is essential for institution of anticoagulation therapy and a successful outcome. Received: 21 November 2000 Accepted: 19 March 2001     

Extramedullary hematopoiesis of the liver in a child with sickle cell disease: A rare complication

We present the case of a 7‐year‐old Cameroonian girl with sickle cell disease (SCD) who presented with progressive abdominal distension, fever, severe anemia, respiratory distress, and fatigue. Abdominal ultrasound showed a 15.3 cm × 11.5 cm × 15.5 cm solid echogenic mass within the left lobe of the liver. Fine‐needle aspiration showed features of extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH). Despite transfusions, antibiotics, and initiation of hydroxyurea the patient died of respiratory failure during the hospital stay. There is a paucity of information on EMH in the pediatric sickle cell population, especially from resource‐limited settings such as western Africa. EMH, however, is a known complication of SCD and should be considered in patients presenting with mass lesions in the setting of chronic anemia. With limited therapeutic interventions for EMH, including radiation and hydroxyurea, the emphasis should be on improving overall treatment of patients with chronic and untreated hemolytic anemia, especially in low‐income countries.     

A rare complication of intrathecal methotrexate in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Methotrexate (MTX) is an essential component of chemotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Both intravenous and most commonly intrathecal routes of MTX have been implicated in acute, subacute, and chronic neurotoxicity syndromes. Subacute MTX neurotoxicity occurs within days to weeks after the intravenous or intrathecal therapy and characterized by a distinct presentation with remarkable clinical resemblance to stroke, including hemiparesis, hemisensory deficits, aphasia, dysarthria, dysphagia, and diplopia. Herein the authors describe the clinical and typical neuroimaging features of a female patient with ALL who presented with subacute MTX neurotoxicity that rapidly progressed to a severe clinical condition in a few hours but eventually resolved completely with dexamethasone and folinic acid. Subacute MTX neurotoxicity is a transient neurological dysfunction that should be considered in patients presenting with stroke-like and various neurological symptoms 10 to 14 days after intrathecal therapy and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging should be undertaken for the correct diagnosis and exclusion of possible ischemic infarct. Discontinuation of subsequent intrathecal MTX therapies should be considered in severe cases and treatment with dexamethasone and folinic acid may help to resolve the symptoms.     

Renal pseudoaneurysm following laser lithotripsy: Endovascular treatment of a rare complication

Hemorrhagic complications of renal transplantation can be life threatening and require prompt and timely intervention. This brief report describes the exceedingly rare formation of an extrarenal pseudoaneurysm of a transplant renal artery following laser lithotripsy for nephrolithiasis in a teenage male. The pseudoaneurysm ruptured into the renal collecting system. Transarterial coil embolization of the wide-neck saccular pseudoaneurysm of the extraparenchymal renal artery with the assistance of a ‘safety microguidewire’ was successfully performed and the allograft was preserved.     

Priapism: a rare complication of Fabry's disease

A boy with Fabry's disease (alpha-galactosidase A deficiency) who developed priapism as a complication of this disorder is presented.John Christodoulou holds a Medical Postgraduate Research Scholarship with the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia. Offprint requests to: J. Christodoulou     

Perforation: a rare complication of choledochal cysts in children

Purpose  

Spontaneous perforation is a rare complication of choledochal cyst (CDC) which is difficult to diagnose due to its nonspecific clinical presentation. The surgical treatment can be either single-staged cyst excision or two-staged procedure with an initial drainage followed by delayed cyst excision. Both biliary duct obstruction and irritation due to refluxed pancreatic juice have been proposed as possible aetiology. In this report, we describe six cases of CDC perforation in hope to have a better understanding on the clinical features and cause of this complication.     

Backache: a rare diagnosis and unusual complication

We report an adolescent girl who presented with an acute exacerbation of a chronic backache of 6 months duration. She complained of dribbling micturition, constipation, and an irresistible urge to strain for 72 h. In the waiting area of the local hospital she developed sudden, severe chest pain with progressive swelling of the upper torso. This proved to be the mode of presentation of a haematocolpos due to an imperforate hymen with the unusual complication of mediastinal emphysema. Imperforate hymen is a rare diagnosis, but should be considered when dealing with an adolescent girl with lower abdominal symptoms or backache. Accepted: 25 July 1997     

Hypercalcaemia and hypertransaminasaemia in a child with hyperthyroidism

Hypercalcaemia and hypertransaminasaemia are well recognized and not infrequent findings in hyperthyroidism in adults. Both conditions are seldom reported in children. Here we report the case of a 4-year-old girl with hyperthyroidism associated with hypercalcaemia and hypertransaminasaemia which were reversed after euthyroid state was achieved. We recommend that serum calcium and liver function should always be monitored in children with hyperthyroidism.     

Intrahepatic hematoma: a rare complication of exchange transfusion

A four-day-old male neonate who underwent three exchange transfusions for jaundice owing to ABO incompatibility on three consecutive days is presented. A large intrahepatic hematoma developed as a complication of the third exchange transfusion. The baby fully recovered.     

Arterioportal hypertension: a rare complication of partial hepatectomy

An arterioportal fistula (APF) with arterialisation of the portal-venous system is a rare cause of portal hypertension (PH) in children. The condition may be a congenital isolated fistula or occur as part of a more generalised haemangiomatous malformation. We report a case of PH secondary to an APF, which presented with bleeding gastric varices 6 years after partial hepatectomy for hepatoblastoma. The diagnosis was established by angiography and the fistula occluded by embolisation. Accepted: 15 February 1999     

Pott's puffy tumor: a rare complication of mastoiditis

Pott's puffy tumor is rarely seen in the modern era of antibiotics. It is usually seen as intracranial complication following inappropriately treated frontal sinusitis. Up until 2001 there have been only 21 pediatric cases reported in the literature and most have been secondary to frontal sinusitis. Only 1 case has been reported following a latent mastoiditis and that has been in an adult [1]. We report a case in a child who developed Pott's puffy tumor following mastoiditis.     

Pulmonary hemorrhage: a rare complication of opioid overdose

Children and adolescents with pulmonary hemorrhage are infrequently encountered in the emergency department (ED). We describe a case of a 16 year-old boy who presented to a pediatric ED with pulmonary hemorrhage and respiratory distress. The patient's unusual initial presentation resulted in the consideration of a broad differential diagnosis for his symptoms, including traumatic, neurological, respiratory, and toxicological causes. After resuscitation in the ED, a prolonged admission, and extensive testing, no cause could be found other than severe opioid toxicity. This case illustrates a rare, life-threatening presentation of opiod toxicity in a healthy adolescent and underlines the potentially serious nature of such exposures.     

Left segmental omental infarction in a child: conservative treatment]

Omental infarction is a rare cause of acute abdomen that usually occurs on the right side. Left omental ischemia is rare in adults and to our knowledge not yet described in children. Its diagnosis, although difficult, is important because it can avoid surgery. We report a case of left segmental omental infarction in an 11-year-old child, diagnosed by imaging studies, treated conservatively, and followed up by ultrasound until complete disappearance of the lesion.