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Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality for infants. Determining when to pursue a complete physical abuse evaluation can be difficult, especially for nonspecific findings or when a child appears clinically well. This retrospective study of 7 cases sought to describe the presentation, evaluation, and diagnoses for infants with abnormal subdural collections identified on cranial ultrasound for macrocephaly, and to determine how frequently AHT is diagnosed. The results of this study showed that while each patient presented due to asymptomatic macrocephaly, the extent of the workup varied greatly. In addition, no infants had suspicious injuries for abuse during the initial evaluation or the year following. In summary, among the 7 patients seen for asymptomatic macrocephaly with possible subdural hemorrhage, there were very inconsistent child abuse workups. There needs to be a standardized clinical guideline for this specific patient population involving a child abuse pediatric evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the case of a six-year-old girl with schizencephaly, shunted hydrocephalus, epilepsy, global development delay, diabetes insipidus, and spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Topics discussed include findings on her medical examination, major categories of the differential diagnosis for a child with acquired chest wall mass, and final diagnosis of thoraco-abdominal actinomycosis with chest wall invasion.

Introduction. We surveyed nonretired American Academy of Pediatrics–member US pediatricians regarding common neurosurgical conditions, identifying specific areas of focus in education. Methods. Data were acquired via self-administered electronic questionnaire. Results. Of 505 total respondents, 56% reported neurology was not a required residency rotation, and 86% had diagnosed craniosynostosis, plagiocephaly, or macrocephaly. Craniosynostosis can mostly be diagnosed by physical examination alone, but almost 50% reported relying on skull X-rays. Fifty-four percent reported diagnosing ocular surface disease (OSD; with 15% to 40% not screening an infant despite well-established cutaneous markers). Seventy-four screened OSD in a patient with sacral dimple. Ninety-seven percent reported treating concussion, but nearly 25% did not manage these patients alone. Two out of 3 patients indicated head injury as most important for continuing education. Conclusion. Improved education for craniosynostosis, OSD, head injury, and concussion management are important for earlier diagnosis, management, and referral of some disorders, while decreasing resource utilization in others. These results should be used when considering pediatrician educational programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Our goal is to pictorially review a wide spectrum of congenital and acquired conditions affecting the medial aspect of the temporal lobe. Conclusion: After completing this article, the reader will have knowledge of the imaging appearance of diverse developmental, malformative, and acquired lesions of the mesial temporal lobe, which will be useful when evaluating pathology in this location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizencephaly is an uncommon malformation of cortical development. Patients with schizencephaly present with a broad range of severe neurologic symptoms including pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Rufinamide is a new antiepileptic drug approved for use as adjunctive therapy of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and it is also effective for refractory partial seizures. We report 3 cases of pediatric patients aged 7.2, 8.1, and 10.1 years, respectively, with intractable epilepsy associated with bilateral open-lip schizencephaly and septo-optic dysplasia. The follow-up ranged from 3.8 to 4.1 years. In our patients, the introduction of rufinamide as adjunctive drug led to a dramatic decline in the number of seizures and an improvement in EEG epileptic activity without side effects. Rufinamide seems to be efficacious and safe in patients with epileptic encephalopathies associated with pharmacoresistant epilepsy; further and larger clinical reports and controlled studies could confirm the usefulness of this anticonvulsant drug. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Focal cortical dysplasia is the most common malformation of cortical development, causing intractable epilepsy. This study investigated the relationship between brain perfusion and microvessel density in 7 children with focal cortical dysplasia. The authors analyzed brain perfusion measurements obtained by magnetic resonance imaging of 2 of the children and the microvessel density of brain tissue specimens obtained by epilepsy surgery on all of the children. Brain perfusion was approximately 2 times higher in the area of focal cortical dysplasia compared to the contralateral side. The microvessel density was nearly double in the area of focal cortical dysplasia compared to the surrounding cortex that did not have morphological abnormalities. These findings suggest that hyperperfusion can be related to increased microvessel density in focal cortical dysplasia rather than only to seizures. Further investigations are needed to determine the relationship between brain perfusion, microvessel density, and seizure activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in the understanding of central nervous system aquarporin-4 autoimmunity have promoted the recognition of diverse clinical presentations beyond the traditional view of neuromyelitis optica. We describe a patient who developed hemiparesis caused by an extensive cerebral lesion as an initial manifestation of central nervous system aquarporin-4 autoimmunity. Although the patient had no history of optic neuritis or myelitis, not only was serum anti-aquarporin-4 antibody positive, but an imaging, treatment response and histopathological features also revealed characteristic findings suggestive of central nervous system aquarporin-4 autoimmunity. The present case highlights the importance of a comprehensive evaluation for anti-aquarporin-4 antibody even in patients presenting with isolated cerebral lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]