Caterina Bock

Introduction and Objectives: Patients with neuromuscular disease (NMD) are often exposed to ionizing radiations which could be reduced if a noninvasive and reliable diagnostic method is identified. The major aim of this study was to compare the use of chest X‐ray (CXR) with lung ultrasound (LUS) in pediatric patients with NMD, to identify pulmonary atelectasis (PA).Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted on children affected by NMD. In all patients who underwent CXR, a LUS was also performed and results compared for the assessment of PA.Results: Forty children affected by NMD were enrolled. Spinal muscular atrophy type 1 was the most common NMD, followed by spinal muscular atrophy type 2 and congenital myopathies. More than half of the subjects presented PA, more prevalent in the lung left lower lobes. LUS agreed with CXR results (negative or positive for atelectasis) in 31 patients (77.5%). In two patients, an agreement evaluation was not possible due to non‐conclusive LUS. Conversely, LUS disagreed with CXR in seven patients, four of which were positive for atelectasis. If only complete agreement was considered, the statistical analysis between CXR and LUS showed: LUS sensitivity of 57%, LUS specificity of 82%, positive predictive value 80%, negative predictive value 61%.Conclusions: This study suggests that the use of LUS should be recommended to early identify PA and reduce frequent ionizing exposition of these fragile patients. Finally, our study also suggests that LUS can provide relevant information for clinicians and respiratory physiotherapists.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe lung ultrasound (LUS) findings at baseline and 48 hours after the beginning of treatment and evaluate how they correlate with outcomeDesign: We prospectively analyzed patients from 1 month to 17 years of age with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) evaluated at a tertiary level pediatric hospital. At baseline and 48 hours after the beginning of treatment, history, clinical examination, laboratory testing, chest X‐ray, and LUS were performed.Results: One hundred one children were enrolled in the study (13 with complicated CAP). At baseline those who developed complications presented a larger size of the subpleural pulmonary parenchymal lesions (P = .001) often associated with a complex pleural effusion (63.6%, P = .013). Those with an uncomplicated CAP presented an air, arboriform, superficial and dynamic bronchogram, as opposed to complicated CAP which had an air and liquid bronchogram, deep, fixed (P = .001). At the 48‐hour control in the noncomplicated CAP group, bronchogram was more frequently superficial and dynamic (P = .050). Pleural effusion disappeared in half cases (P = .050). In all patients, neutrophilic leucocytosis with increased C‐reactive protein was detected and decreased at control (P = .001). The linear regression analyses showed the switch from a deep to a superficial bronchogram as the only explanatory variable (r = 0.97, R² = 0.94, P = .001, t = 10.73).Conclusions: Our study describe early LUS features of CAP that might be able to predict the development of complicated CAP.

Bronchiolitis is the most common cause of hospitalization of children in the first year of life. The lung ultrasound is a new diagnostic tool which is inexpensive, non-invasive, rapid, and easily repeatable. Our prospective study was conducted in the emergency department and all patients underwent a routine clinical evaluation and lung ultrasound by the pediatricians who defined the clinical and the ultrasound score. We enrolled 76 infants (median age 90 days [IQR 62–183], 53.9% males). In nasopharyngeal aspirates, the respiratory syncytial virus was isolated in 33 patients. Considering the clinical score, children with higher score had a higher probability of requiring respiratory support (p 0.001). At the ultrasound evaluation, there was a significant difference on ultrasound score between those who will need respiratory support or not (p 0.003). Infants who needed ventilation with helmet continuous positive airway pressure had a more severe ultrasound score (p 0.028) and clinical score (p 0.004), if compared with those who did not need it.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) is characterized by digital clubbing, long bone periosteal reaction, and polyarthralgias. Primary familial HOA is very rare and is not associated with underlying disorders and has a good prognosis. Secondary pediatric nonneoplastic HOA is associated with cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease, biliary atresia, and inflammatory bowel disease. Secondary neoplastic HOA may be associated with intra or extrathoracic tumors.A 5-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital for an abdominal mass, digital clubbing, and diffuse articular pain. The bone scan revealed symmetrical tracer uptake in the long bones. Upper and lower extremity x-rays were diagnostic for HOA. Paraneoplastic HOA in childhood accounts for not more than 12% of HOA paitents. HOA has been reported in 2 other cases of rhabdomyosarcoma.

Rectal cancer patients are at high risk for disease progression even after radical surgery for cure. Prognosis depends on a timely diagnosis for effective, curative therapies. In resected patients, an accurate follow-up especially within the first two years of surgery, is required. Clinical and radiologic follow-up is based on periodical, timed physical and instrumental exams (rectal exploration, neoplastic markers, rectoscopy, colonic enema, CT MRI, TRUS) which supply information on locoregional (liver, lymph nodes, peritoneum, chest) recurrence. Rectal exploration, endoscopy, colonic enema and TRUS enable the control of anastomosis and the identification of possible metachronous tumors. CT and MRI as liver US and chest X-ray, detect recurrence in other sites (pelvic perianastomotic recurrence, peritoneal carcinomatosis, lymph node or liver locations). A diagnostic problem is represented by the difficult differentiation of local recurrence from postoperative fibrosis. In this case, surveillance in the course of time with exams more reliable in tissue differentiation (MRI, though with some limitations) and US- or CT-guided biopsy, is required.