Hydrocephalus secondary to group B streptococcal meningitis

Clinical Features of and Risk Factors for Hydrocephalus in Childhood Bacterial Meningitis

OBJECTIVE

To explore the clinical characteristics of and analyze the risk factors for hydrocephalus in children with bacterial meningitis.

METHODS

Retrospective study of a sample of children with bacterial meningitis seen on the pediatric service of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2016.

RESULTS

Overall, 9.36% (25/267) of patients presented with hydrocephalus. Among patients with hydrocephalus, the age at onset of bacterial meningitis was usually <6 months, 15 patients had confirmed bacterial etiology, and 1 patient died. The most significant results of multivariate analysis for hydrocephalus were a rural living situation, altered level of consciousness, previous treatment with antibiotics, initial cerebrospinal fluid protein >2 g/L, C-reactive protein >100 mg/L, and dexamethasone use.

CONCLUSIONS

A severe clinical manifestation and significant laboratory index at admission are the most important predictors of hydrocephalus in children with bacterial meningitis.

Hydrocephalus in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: National Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes in 124,444 Hospitalized Patients

BACKGROUND

Hydrocephalus is a life-threatening sequela of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with poorly defined epidemiology in children. Here, we report the national incidence, risk factors, and outcomes associated with post-traumatic hydrocephalus (PTH).

METHODS

The Kids Inpatient Database (2003, 2006, 2009, 2012) was queried using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes to identify all patients (age 0 to 20) with TBI (850.xx to 854.xx) and noncongenital hydrocephalus (331.3 to 331.5, exclude 742.3). Variables included patient demographics and comorbidities, TBI severity (level of consciousness, injury type), treatment, and outcome-related measures. Risk factors associated with PTH were identified using univariate and multivariable analyses.

RESULTS

PTH occurred in 1265 of 124,444 patients (1.0%) hospitalized with TBI and was managed by ventriculoperitoneal shunt (32.7%) and extraventricular drain (10.7%). PTH had the highest rate in shaken baby syndrome (6.7%, n = 19) and firearm injury (3.4%, n = 74). PTH varied by type of TBI: subdural hematoma (2.4%), subarachnoid hemorrhage (1.4%), epidural hematoma (1.0%), cerebral laceration (0.9%), concussion (0.2%). Multivariable risk factors for PTH included age zero to five years old (versus six to 20), Medicaid (versus private), electrolyte disorder, chronic neurological condition, weight loss, subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, open wound, postoperative neurological complication (iatrogenic stroke), and septicemia (P < 0.05). PTH rates are higher among surgically managed patients (6.0% vs 0.5%) unless managed within the first 24 hours (0.8% vs 4.1%) (P < 0.05). PTH was associated with greater length of stay (25 days versus five days) and hospital costs ($86,596 vs $16,791), but lower mortality (1.1% vs 5.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

PTH in children is relatively uncommon compared with adults. Risk factors identified here, along with the influence of surgical intervention, warrant further investigation.

Full-term newborns with congenital microcephaly and macrocephaly in Southwest Nigeria

This retrospective cohort study set out to determine perinatal and maternal factors associated with full-term (≥37 weeks) newborns with abnormal head sizes at birth in Lagos, Nigeria. Age and gender specific head circumference was determined with the current Child Growth Standards of the World Health Organization while maternal and infant factors independently associated with microcephaly (z-score < -2) and macrocephaly (z-score >2) were explored using multinomial logistic regression. Of the 3196 infants enrolled, 340 (10.6%) were microcephalic underpinned by suspected cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection while 74 (2.3%) were macrocephalic. Compared with normocephalic newborns, microcephalic infants were more likely to be growth restricted in-utero (OR: 10.89; 95% CI: 7.86-15.08); underweight (OR: 18.61; 95% CI: 13.28-26.07); stunted (OR: 15.45; 95% CI: 11.70-20.40); and wasted (OR: 3.64; 95% CI: 2.52-5.27); as well as having an increased risk of unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia but unlikely to be associated with prolonged/obstructed labour (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.31-0.78). In contrast, macrocephalic infants were likely to be delivered by emergency caesarean section (OR: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.33-4.04) and at greater risk of neonatal sepsis (OR: 4.12; 95% CI: 1.68-10.40). Risk of sepsis in macrocephalic infants was more than two-fold compared with microcephalic infants but not statistically significant (p = 0.066). In conclusion, improved fetal growth monitoring, early nutritional intervention and management of perinatal infections are likely to curtail the burden of congenital microcephaly and macrocephaly in resource-poor settings. The underpinnings of unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia in microcephalic infants in this CMV hyper-endemic population merit further investigation.

[A 6-week-old infant with failure to thrive: insidious presentation of group B streptococcal ventriculitis]

Failure to thrive is frequently seen in breastfed infants. The most common diagnosis is insufficiency of breast milk in an otherwise healthy child. However, several differential diagnoses need to be considered. Progressive feeding difficulties and failure to thrive can be the first manifestation of group B streptococcal ventriculitis. This rare disease does not present with acute symptoms of sepsis or meningitis but evolves insidiously with no fever. Diagnosis is therefore often delayed and made only when intracranial hypertension develops. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture confirming the group B streptococcal infection and cerebral imaging are the necessary investigations for diagnosis. To our knowledge, only 10 cases have been previously reported.