Pantoea agglomerans as a cause of septic arthritis after palm tree thorn injury; case report and literature review.

We report the case of a 14 year old healthy boy, who was admitted six weeks after being injured by a palm tree thorn, with limping caused by pain and swelling in his right knee. An ultrasound examination revealed a foreign body in the posterior lateral aspect of the right knee. Pantoea agglomerans was identified in the synovial fluid. The patient underwent two arthrotomies and was treated with amoxicillin-clavulanate intravenously for three weeks. The postoperative course was uneventful, and joint function returned to normal. A review of the literature between 1953 and 2002 revealed that bacterial growth after plant thorn injuries is reported infrequently. Yet when reported, Pantoea agglomearns is the most common organism found. Therefore, it must be considered and suspected in "aseptic" cases of arthritis, when there is a history of a plant thorn injury. We also emphasise the efficacy of ultrasound examination in these cases to identify the presence and location of a plant thorn.     

A case of lower extremity venous thrombosis in the pediatric emergency department: associations with May-Thurner syndrome and isotretinoin use

Unilateral calf swelling and pain is not a common complaint in the pediatric emergency department. We present a case of a 17-year-old adolescent boy with no past medical history who presented with left leg swelling and pain while taking prednisone and isotretinoin. He was found to have an extensive occlusive thrombus throughout the deep venous system in his left leg. He was later diagnosed with May-Thurner syndrome, an anatomic variant in which the right iliac artery compresses the left iliac vein. We review the differential diagnosis, diagnostic workup, and initial ED management of deep venous thrombosis and provide a brief discussion of May-Thurner syndrome and the association of isotretinoin and vascular thrombi.     

Pantoea agglomerans as a cause of septic arthritis after palm tree thorn injury; case report and literature review

We report the case of a 14 year old healthy boy, who was admitted six weeks after being injured by a palm tree thorn, with limping caused by pain and swelling in his right knee. An ultrasound examination revealed a foreign body in the posterior lateral aspect of the right knee. Pantoea agglomerans was identified in the synovial fluid. The patient underwent two arthrotomies and was treated with amoxicillin-clavulanate intravenously for three weeks. The postoperative course was uneventful, and joint function returned to normal. A review of the literature between 1953 and 2002 revealed that bacterial growth after plant thorn injuries is reported infrequently. Yet when reported, Pantoea agglomearns is the most common organism found. Therefore, it must be considered and suspected in "aseptic" cases of arthritis, when there is a history of a plant thorn injury. We also emphasise the efficacy of ultrasound examination in these cases to identify the presence and location of a plant thorn.     

Anomalous aortic origin of the left coronary artery. Apropos of sudden death in an adolescent

A 16 year-old adolescent boy died suddenly after an effort. Autopsy showed an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva. During the 3 years preceding his death, this patient presented symptoms that were apparently induced by physical efforts: digestive troubles, chest pain and syncopes. The latter resulted in the erroneous diagnoses of epilepsy, then hypervagotonia. The incidence of this kind of malformation, the mechanism of death and the necessary investigations are discussed. Thorough autopsy should always be performed in order to elucidate the cause of sudden death in young patients.     

Gliomatosis cerebri

Gliomatosis cerebri is a rare and typically fatal tumor of neuroepithelial origin causing a diffuse infiltration of brain structures with mild or negligible destruction of parenchymal architecture. Very few cases have been reported in children. A 6-year-old boy who presented with worsening hemiplegia, behaviour problems and seizures after an episode of encephalitis-like illness is reported. MRI revealed diffuse signal change and swelling of the left cerebral hemisphere. The diagnosis of gliomatosis cerebri was confirmed by brain biopsy. Parents refused radiotherapy and the child worsened and died 6 months after diagnosis.     

Acute Infantile Encephalopathy Predominantly Affecting the Frontal Lobes (AIEF)

Acute Infantile Encephalopathy Predominantly Affecting the Frontal Lobes (AIEF) is a relatively recent described entity. This article includes case reports of two patients who had bifrontal involvement during acute febrile encephalopathy. Case 1 describes a 1-y-old boy who presented with hyperpyrexia and dialeptic seizures. Imaging revealed significant bilateral frontal lobe involvement while serology proved presence of Influenza B infection. Over a period of one?wk, he recovered with significant cognitive decline and perseveratory behavior. Another 6-y-old boy presented with language and behavioral problems suggestive of frontal dysfunction after recovering from prolonged impairment of consciousness following a convulsive status epilepticus. Bilateral superior frontal lesions with gyral swelling was evident on neuroimaging. These cases are among the very few cases of AIEF described in recent literature and the article also reviews this unique subtype of acute encephalopathy.     

Picture of the Month

A 2?year-old boy had the onset of pain and swelling of his penis during the past 3 days. The swelling and pain increased significantly within the past 24 hours. The child's penis is shown in the Figure. DENOUEMENT AND DISCUSSION PARAPHIMOSIS Paraphimosis is an urologic emergency that results when the foreskin is retracted away from the glans penis and cannot be reduced to its former position. The opening in the prepuce, when forcibly retracted beyond the coronal sulcus, becomes a constricting ring that cannot be reduced. The constricting ring created causes a tension greater than the lymphatic pressure and results in edema of the prepuce, the penile shaft, and the glans penis distal to the incarcerated foreskin.1,2As lymphatic drainage is impaired and tissue swelling increases, reduction of the foreskin becomes more difficult. Pain occurs as a result of swelling, and, eventually, as a result of vascular compromise. If.     

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the orbit

We report the case of an aneurysmal bone cyst of the left orbital roof in a 12-year-old boy who presented proptosis of the left eye and painless swelling of the left orbital rim. A 3-cm-large tumor developed in less than 3 months, with first visible signs about 2 months after a minor head injury. Radiologically, the lesion was osteolytic and multicystic. The cyst, filled with hematic fluid, was surgically removed via left frontal craniotomy and a simple curettage with high-speed bur. The patient recovered well and has been in good health throughout 14 months of follow-up.     

Filarial dance—sonographic sign of filarial infection

A 17-year-old boy presented with a 3-month history of swelling and vague pain in the scrotum. US revealed multiple anechoic cyst-like lesions in the body of left epididymis. These cysts showed tubular echogenic internal structures with peculiar twirling motion. This was recognised as the sonographic filarial dance-sign of live adult filarial worms. The boy subsequently underwent needle aspiration of the lesion, which microscopically demonstrated microfilaria of Wuchereria bancrofti. Our report includes an online video clip that will help familiarise readers with the filarial dance.     

Mucormycosis and diabetes in acute leukemia

The authors report the case of 5 1/2 year-old boy with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus revealed during the induction therapy of an acute leukemia of the mixed type, and who presented with an unusual type of pulmonary fungal infection: mucormycosis. It had a favourable outcome with surgical excision preceded and followed by amphotericin B treatment.     

Bone pain, growth failure, and skin rash after an upper respiratory illness in a boy with autism: possible association with altered retinoid metabolism

Symptoms of bone pain and skin rashes are not uncommon following a variety of infectious illnesses, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The case of a 9-year-old boy with autism was recently described, who was hospitalized because of pain in the right hip, refusal to walk, fatigue, irritability, skin rash, and subsequent gingival swelling after an unspecified upper respiratory illness. The boy was diagnosed with scurvy. However, the gingival symptoms occurred after treatment with indomethacin, which lowers vitamin C levels; severe bone pain and fatigue are also well-documented symptoms of hypervitaminosis A. This review of a case report of a boy with autism provides an opportunity to present a new hypothesis of the mechanism of these postinfection symptoms in the context of an increasingly common condition of childhood.     

Low back pain at presentation in a newly diagnosed diabetic.

Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus predisposes to a range of different and unusual infections, including epidural and psoas abscesses. However, they occur mainly in adults with longstanding diabetes. We report the case of a 12 year old boy who presented with diabetic ketoacidosis and low back pain, and was subsequently diagnosed with both a left psoas abscess and an extensive thoracolumbar spinal epidural abscess measuring 20 cm in length. This case report highlights the need to maintain a high index of suspicion for epidural abscesses in children presenting with fever and localised back pain. Early diagnosis with appropriate imaging and aggressive management can prevent development of permanent neurological damage as was the case in our patient.     

Hereditary porphyria and acquired porphyria in the child. Five case reports]

Two cases of inherited porphyrinopathies and three cases of acquired porphyrinopathies are described. The two inherited cases were cutaneous porphyrias with 50% reduction of enzyme activities: one case of erythropoietic protoporphyria in a 2 year-old male and one case of familial cutaneous porphyria in a 7 year-old boy. The three cases of acquired porphyrinopathy included one case of lead poisoning in a 3 year-old boy and 2 cases of hereditary tyrosinemia in 1 and 2 year-old infants. Urinary and erythrocytes porphyrins and precursors (5 aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen) levels were used for diagnosis and to follow the response to treatment.     

Multimodality imaging in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and popliteal pseudoaneurysm complicating a sessile osteochondroma

Synergistic use of ultrasonography, radiography, multidetector CT (MDCT) and MRI enabled a prompt and accurate diagnosis of a nonocclusive popliteal vein thrombus (deep venous thrombosis, DVT) and a pseudoaneurysm complicating a sessile osteochondroma in an 11-year-old boy who presented in the emergency department with sudden-onset nontraumatic pain in the posterior aspect of the knee.     

Benign acute childhood myositis: an unusual cause of calf pain

We present a 17-year-old boy with benign acute childhood myositis (BACM) who presented with acute onset of right calf pain, swelling, and difficulty walking. The MR findings are reviewed. MR may be useful in diagnosing BACM and in differentiating it from other causes of myositis.     

Pediatric granulomatous orchitis: Case report and review of the literature

An 11‐year‐old boy presented with fever and abdominal pain, and was diagnosed with retroperitoneal lymphadenitis. At the same time, a painless right scrotal mass was observed. On imaging the testis and the epididymal mass both had abundant blood flow, although tumor markers were negative. Although the right testis had shrunk after antibiotic treatment, swelling was persistent and incisional biopsy was therefore performed, resulting in diagnosis of granulomatous orchitis (GO). No recurrence was found. In cases of scrotal swelling in both the testis and the epididymis of an older child, it is necessary to consider the possibility of inflammatory GO, and orchiectomy should not be performed without careful consideration.     

Intramural hematoma of the duodenum and chronic pancreatitis after jejunal biopsy

A 12 year-old boy presented with duodenal hematoma in the hours following small bowel biopsy. Two years later, he presented with abdominal pain and diarrhea. Investigations allowed to find a chronic calcified pancreatitis, which is suggested to be the consequence of the previous duodenal hematoma.     

Pituitary gigantism causing diabetic ketoacidosis

Although growth hormone excess (acromegaly) in association with glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus is well documented in adult medicine, it is much less common in the paediatric age group. We report the case of a 13 year-old boy who presented with tall stature secondary to a large growth hormone secreting adenoma of the pituitary gland. Random growth hormone was 630 mIU/l and did not suppress during an oral glucose tolerance test. Following debulking of the tumour, he developed diabetic ketoacidosis requiring insulin treatment, but after further surgery glucose handling returned to normal. He has been started on testosterone to arrest further increase in height.     

Spinal intradural arachnoid cyst

The authors report the case of a 13 year-old boy who presented after minor cranial trauma with severe gastrointestinal symptoms (acute hemorrhage) followed by neurologic signs evoking a spinal compression. Gastro-intestinal hemorrhage was related to a duodenal lesion induced by acetylsalicylic acid. Neurologic symptoms were related to an intra dural cervical arachnoid cyst. After surgical resection of this congenital malformation outcome was favorable.