Neonatal subgaleal haematoma: Associated risk factors, complications and outcome

Objective : To describe the obstetric and perinatal factors, in particular the method of delivery, associated with development of a subgaleal haematoma (SGH) and to determine the outcome of survivors with this type of birth trauma. Methodology : Perinatal and obstetric data were retrospectively reviewed for 37 infants admitted to the neonatal unit of the sole tertiary paediatric referral hospital in Western Australia with an SGH, over a 24 year period from 1970 to 1993. These data were compared to data for all Western Australian births. The long-term outcome was obtained through medical and private paediatric records for 26 of these infants. Results : All except one of the neonates had instrumental deliveries; 89% had a vacuum extractor applied to the head at some stage of delivery compared to 10% of the general population of births in Western Australia. There was also a significantly increased risk of failure of attempted vacuum extraction. Of the cases where a vacuum extraction was attempted, 45% also had forceps applied to the head. Coagulopathy was associated with the severity of the SGH. There was also a high frequency of occurrence (40%) of associated head trauma such as intracranial haemorrhage, skull fracture and cerebral oedema, as well as neonatal encephalopathy (73%). The occurrence of these associated features did not correlate significantly with the severity of SGH. Minor complications of SGH included jaundice and facial bruising. There was an excess mortality associated with SGH; however, the long-term outcome for neonatal survivors with this disorder was good. None of the cases studied subsequently developed cerebral palsy or intellectual disability, and minor neurological sequelae only were documented in four infants. Conclusions : SGH is an uncommon type of birth trauma, and is associated with delivery or attempted delivery by vacuum extraction. The most commonly associated clinical problems were hypovolaemia and coagulopathy. The long-term outcome for neonates with this condition is good.     

Randomized clinical trial of surgery versus conservative therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome [ISRCTN84286481]

Background  

Conservative treatment remains the standard of care for treating mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome despite a small number of well-controlled studies and limited objective evidence to support current treatment options. There is an increasing interest in the usefulness of wrist magnetic resonance imaging could play in predicting who will benefit for various treatments.     

Effect of tumour and chemoradiotherapy on oesophageal motility

Background The contribution of dysmotility to dysphagia in oesophageal cancer is unclear. Aim To examine oesophageal motility in patients with oesophageal carcinoma and to assess the effect of chemoradiotherapy on motility. Methods Stationary manometry and 24-hour pH-metry were performed in 12 patients with oesophageal carcinoma and one week following completion of chemoradiotherapy using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), cisplatin and 40Gy radiotherapy. Results All patients had abnormal motility prior to treatment. Peristalsis was impaired in 11 patients with a mean (SD) of 25% (9) of waves normally propagated. Eight patients had 20% or more simultaneous waves. Following chemoradiotherapy, the percentage of waves normally propagated increased from 25% (9) to 52% (10) (p < 0.03) and normal peristalsis was restored in four patients. The percentage of simultaneous waves decreased from 38% (11) to 21.6% (10) (p=0.129) while the percentage of dropped or increased waves decreased from 20% (11) to 8.3% (4) (p=0.264). Conclusions Oesophageal motility is disturbed in oesophageal cancer. Dysphagia in oesophageal cancer may be partly explained by oesophageal dysmotility. This is improved by chemotherapy.     

Serum profiles of insulin-like growth factors and their binding proteins in adults with growth hormone receptor deficiency treated with insulin like growth factor I

Six adult patients with growth hormone receptor deficiency (GHRD) (2 men, 4 women) with an identical defect in the growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene, were treated with recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), 40 μgikg S.C. twice daily, for 7 days. Serum concentrations of IGF peptide and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) were measured by specific radioimmunoassays; serum IGFBPs were also measured by Western ligand blotting. The size distribution of both IGF-I and IGF-II was measured in serum following size-exclusion fast-performance liquid chromatography. IGF-I treatment resulted in a normalization of serum IGF-I levels on days 1–7 of treatment and a decrease in serum IGF-II levels. The fall in IGF-II levels and the simultaneous rise in IGF-I levels, however, resulted in an unchanged total serum IGF level. The low IGFBP-3 values did not significantly change during treatment, whereas there was a slight increase in IGFBP-2 levels. Preliminary analysis of size-fractionated sera suggested an increase in IGF-I levels in the 40 and 150 kDa regions at the expense of IGF-II levels. The results suggest that despite the failure of IGF-I treatment to increase IGFBPs significantly, serum IGFBP concentrations were sufficient to maintain normal levels of IGF-I. 0 Laron syndrome, growth hormone receptor deficiency, insulin-like growth factors, insulin-like growth factor binding protein