Search

Introduction: The most prevalent method for evaluating lung expansion in high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is chest X-ray (CXR). The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of chest radiography with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in determining lung expansion. Methods: This prospective study included newborns who required HFOV and were being monitored in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. A single neonatologist assessed lung expansion with a chest x-ray and POCUS, to measure the costal level of the right hemidiaphragm and compare the results. Results: A neonatologist took 55 measurements on 28 newborns with a gestational age of 32 (23.2-39.4) weeks who were followed on HFOV. The rib counts obtained from anterior chest ultrasonography and posterior CXR showed a statistically high concordance (pConclusions: Lung ultrasonography is a reliable method in the evaluation of lung expansion in patients followed on HFOV.

Objective The objective of the study was to describe the findings of pediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in computed tomography (CT) and chest X-ray (CXR) images. Therefore, the aim of this study is to show protecting the children from radiation as much as possible while guiding the diagnosis. Methods Between March and June 2020, 148 pediatric patients examined who underwent CT due to suspicion of COVID-19. Fifty patients of 148 with normal thorax CT and negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were excluded from the study. Of the remaining 98 patients were evaluated retrospectively by two pediatric radiologists with 15 years of experience. Results The demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were evaluated for 52 RT-PCR-positive patients. CT finding of 23 RT-PCR positive and 12 negative patients was classified. According to our study, unilateral (61-67%), multifocal (50-52%), and peripheral (83-91%) involvement were higher in all groups. Lower lobe involvement was frequently detected (58-65%). The most frequently detected parenchymal lesion was ground-glass opacity followed by consolidated areas accompanying ground-grass opacities. Halo sign and vascular enlargement signs were the common signs of lung lesions (35%). In addition, some rare findings not previously described in this disease in children were mentioned in this study. The clinical course of all our patients was mild and control radiological imaging checked by CXR. Conclusion Most pediatric patients have a mild course. Hence, a balance between the risk of radiation and necessity for chest CT is very important. Low-dose CT scan is more suitable for pediatric patients but still it should be used cautiously.

Sacroiliitis (SI), an inflammatory arthropathy, may accompany pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), present with non- specific back pain, hence might be unnoticed. The aims of this study were to assess the frequency of the SI in children with IBD and determine the characteristics of the association of SI with the clinical hallmarks of the IBD.In this prospective, cross sectional study, twenty-seven children with IBD, 7-18 years of age were evaluated. Patients with low back pain or stiffness, alternating buttock pain, or hip pain were examined for the presence of SI. The radiologic manifestations on X-ray suggesting sacroilitis were confirmed with Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Twenty-seven children (16 girls, female/male=1.45), with mean age of 12.55±3.6 years, of which 52% had ulcerative colitis (UC), 41% had Crohn's disease (CD), and two had indeterminate colitis (IC). The median time from IBD diagnosis was 6.0 (18.0) months for patients with SI and 12.0 (13.5) months for patients without SI. Low back pain or stiffness was observed in 13 patients (48%). SI was present in eight (30%) of the children with IBD. The patients with CD were more prone to SI (45% of CD vs. 21% of UC patients). All patients with SI were negative for HLA-B27 genotyping. The disease activity and gender were not associated with increased risk for SI. MRI was remarkable for bone marrow edema in all of the patient, followed by erosions in six of them (75%), synovial enhancement observed in five (63%), and erosion associated enthesitis of the pelvic region was observed in two (25%) of the patients.SI may remain obscured in children with IBD. Children with CD are more prone to SI than those with UC. Pediatric rheumatology-pediatric gastroenterology collaboration might augment screening in at-risk patients.

Introduction Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is mainly caused by infections and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This study aimed to investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of children with BO compared to the healthy children and also to assess the HRQOL according to the etiology. Methods Postinfectious (group 1) and post-HSCT BO (group 2) patients and healthy children were included in the study. HRQOL was assessed by the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Correlations between demographic and clinical characteristics, pulmonary function tests, high-resolution chest tomography scores, and HRQOL were assessed. Results Thirty-seven postinfectious and post-HSCT BO patients and 34 healthy children were included in the study. Mean age was 13.8 +/- 0.7 years. Mean forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume(1)were 60.7 +/- 2.7% predicted, and 49.8 +/- 3.1% predicted, respectively. The SF-36 scores were lower in BO patients compared to healthy children (P < .01). Patients with better lung functions had higher SF-36 scores, but lower SGRQ. The number of inhaled therapies, acute exacerbations, hospitalizations were inversely correlated with SF-36. A positive correlation was found between these parameters and total SGRQ scores (r = .507,P = .02;r = .409,P = .12;r = .326,P = .049, respectively). SF-36 scores were better in group 1 for subscales of physical role functioning and social role functioning compared to group 2. (P = .01,P = .01, respectively). Conclusion The HRQOL of patients with BO measured by SF-36 was low compared to healthy children. SF-36 scores were more affected in post-HSCT BO patients. HRQOL of children with chronic lung disease should be taken into consideration in the management of these patients.