Evaluation of cardiac autonomic dysfunctions in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a serious complication of diabetes, impacting the autonomic nerves that regulate the heart and blood vessels. Timely recognition and treatment of CAN are crucial in averting the onset of cardiovascular complications. Both clinically apparent autonomic neuropathy and subclinical autonomic neuropathy, particularly CAN pose a significant risk of morbidity and mortality in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Notably, CAN can progress silently before manifesting clinically. In our study, we assessed patients with poor metabolic control, without symptoms, following the ISPAD 2022 guideline. The objective is is to determine which parameters we can use to diagnose CAN in the subclinical period.

METHODS

Our study is a cross-sectional case-control study that includes 30 children diagnosed with T1DM exhibiting poor metabolic control (average HbA1c > 8.5% for at least 1 year) according to the ISPAD 2022 Consensus Guide. These patients, who are under the care of the pediatric diabetes clinic, underwent evaluation through four noninvasive autonomic tests: echocardiography, 24-h Holter ECG for heart rate variability (HRV), cardiopulmonary exercise test, and tilt table test.

RESULTS

The average age of the patients was 13.73 ± 1.96 years, the average diabetes duration was 8 ± 3.66 years, and the 1-year average HbA1c value was 11.34 ± 21%. In our asymptomatic and poorly metabolically controlled patient group, we found a decrease in HRV values, the presence of postural hypotension with the tilt table test, and a decrease in ventricular diastolic functions that are consistent with the presence of CAN. Despite CAN, the systolic functions of the ventricles were preserved, and the dimensions of the cardiac chambers and cardiopulmonary exercise test were normal.

CONCLUSIONS

CAN is a common complication of T1DM, often associated with the patient's age and poor glycemic control. HRV, active orthostatic tests, and the evaluation of diastolic dysfunctions play significant roles in the comprehensive assessment of CAN. These diagnostic measures are valuable tools in identifying autonomic dysfunction at an early stage, allowing for timely intervention and management to mitigate the impact of cardiovascular complications associated with T1DM.

A rare cause of air-leak syndrome in a premature newborn: a case report

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary complications, such as airway leak syndrome, are common in preterm neonates; however, bronchial rupture is a rarely seen phenomenon.

CASE PRESENTATION

In this case, we present a preterm newborn who developed pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax. The pneumothorax persisted, despite placement of a thorax tube, requiring a thoracotomy to detect and treat the bronchial rupture.

CONCLUSION

Physicians should have a high suspicion of bronchial rupture in patients with persistent air leak syndrome, even after thorax tube placement and continuous negative pressure implementation.

27 years of experience with the Fontan procedure: characteristics and clinical outcomes of children in a tertiary referral hospital

BACKGROUND

The Fontan operation has improved the survival of children born with congenital heart disease with single ventricle physiology. The most widely adopted variations of the Fontan procedure are the extracardiac conduit, the lateral tunnel ve the intra/extracardiac conduit with fenestration. Despite advances in the treatment and prevention of early and late complications that may develop after Fontan surgery, morbidity still remains an important problem.

METHODS

304 patients who underwent Fontan surgery in our center between 1995 and 2022 were included in our study. The complications that developed in patients who underwent primary Fontan or lateral tunnel surgery and extracardiac conduit Fontan application were compared.

RESULTS

Classic Fontan surgery and lateral tunnel surgery were performed in 26 of the patients, and extracardiac Fontan surgery was performed in 278 patients. 218 of 304 cases were patients with single ventricular pathology. 86 cases were patients with two ventricular morphologies but complex cardiac pathology. Fenestration was performed in only 6 patients, other patients did not require fenestration. The mean follow-up period of our patients was 12 years (3 months-27 years). When the complications between Fontan procedures were compared in our study, it was found that the length of hospital stay and mortality were statistically significantly reduced in patients who underwent extracardiac Fontan surgery. There was no significant difference in terms of complications that can be seen after Fontan surgery and the length of stay in the intensive care unit.

CONCLUSION

Fontan complex is a palliative surgery for children with complex heart disease. Palliative surgical operations aimed at the preparation of the Fontan circulation lead to the preparation of the pulmonary vascular bed and the preservation of ventricular function. The techniques applied in Fontan surgery affect the early and long-term complications and the survival of the patients. In our study, when we examined the patients who extracardiac conduit Fontan procedure for the non-cardiac route, we found that mortality and morbidity were minimal.

Jacobsen syndrome: a case report and clinical features of a rare genetic syndrome

Objective: Jacobsen syndrome is an infrequent contiguous gene syndrome that involves the deletion of the long arm of chromosome 11. It is mostly accompanied by intellectual disability and other abnormalities. The majority of the patients are hospitalized or lost within the first two years of life. Case(s): We report a case of a fetus at 21 weeks of gestation with Jacobsen syndrome who presented with a conotruncal cardiac defect. Amniocentesis was performed, and karyotype analysis revealed that there was a de novo deletion of chromosome 11. The family decided to terminate the pregnancy. Conclusion: Prenatal diagnosis of Jacobsen syndrome is not always possible, since the characteristic ultrasound findings vary greatly between patients. Additionally, existing symptoms and signs may not always be found with imaging techniques. However, if present, certain ultrasonographic findings should lead clinicians to consider the syndrome. The study aims to present a rare case of Jacobsen syndrome, inform the clinicians, and guide on this syndrome and its possible outcomes.

A Rare Cause of Facial Paralysis in Children: A Case of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

Peripheral facial paralysis in children can have many causes including trauma, otitis media, head and neck tumors, congenital anomalies, viral infections, as well as metabolic and genetic factors. One cause of peripheral facial paralysis is Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS), which is also known as herpes zoster oticus, affecting the seventh and eighth cranial nerves. It is characterized by inner ear dysfunction, periauricular pain, and peripheral facial paralysis accompanied by the presence of an erythematous vesicular rash around the ear pinna and outer ear canal or in the oral mucosa. RHS is very rare in children when compared with its prevalence in adults. A 13-year-old male with no prior medical history applied to the pediatric emergency department after having first developed a vesicular rash on the left ear pinna and pain around the left ear, which was followed 1 day later by the development of ipsilateral facial asymmetry. The patient was hospitalized and simultaneously started on 2 mg/kg/d methylprednisolone for 10 days (followed by a 15-day taper), 100 mg/kg/d intravenous ceftriaxone twice per day (stopped on day 10), 30 mg/kg/d intravenous acyclovir three times per day (stopped on day 21), ciprofloxacin ear drops, tobramycin eye drops, ointment, and artificial tear drops with eye patching. However, only a minimal improvement was observed in the patient's peripheral facial paralysis by day 21. When compared with the prevalence in adults, RHS is very rare in children, which is why reports of pediatric RHS are limited in the literature. Therefore, additional studies are needed to provide information about the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric RHS.

Evaluation of autonomic nervous system functions in frame of heart rate variability in children with inflammatory bowel disease in remission

Aghdasi-Bornaun H, Kutluk G, Keskindemirci G, Öztarhan K, Dedeoğlu R, Yılmaz N, Tosun Ö. Evaluation of autonomic nervous system functions in frame of heart rate variability in children with inflammatory bowel disease in remission. Turk J Pediatr 2018; 60: 407-414. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is one of the reliable and noninvasive parameters to evaluate autonomic control of the cardiovascular system in patients. The aim of our study was to assess autonomic function in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in remission using Power Spectral Analysis of HRV. Autonomic cardiovascular function was evaluated by time and frequency-domain indexes of spontaneous heart rate in 36 IBD children patients in remission phase and 36 sex and age matched healthy controls. Twenty children with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and 16 patients with Crohn`s disease (CD) were diagnosed according to their history, physical and laboratory examination, endoscopic, histopathological and radiological findings of upper and lower gastrointestinal system. Significant decrease was observed at HRV parameters in IBD patients when compared with control group. These differences was found in some of time domain parameters (NNmean, SDNNtotal, SDNNday) and frequency domain parameters (TP, LF,VLF) (p < 0.05). Also, there was a significant higher minimum heart rate ratio (p < 0.04) in patients in comparison to the control group. In the IBD group, there was a relative tendency for parasympathetic suppression and sympathetic predominance which reflects an autonomic dysfunction. This imbalance has a circadian rhythm and it is more obvious during the day. These observations may suggest a previously unrecognized role of chronic inflammation for autonomic modulation in IBD.

Assessment of lipid profile and some risk factors of atherosclerosis in children whose parents had early onset coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND/AIM

The objective of our study was to analyze the lipid profile and some risk factors of atherosclerosis such as oxidized-low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), small dense LDL (sd LDL) in the offspring of patients with premature coronary heart disease (CHD).

POPULATION AND METHODS

Children whose parents had early onset CHD were matched with age and sex pairs. Study and controls were analyzed for lipid levels, apolipoproteins (Apo- A,B,E), ox-LDL, sd LDL and lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)]. The data were evaluated with SPSS using "Student t and Mann-Whitney U" tests.

RESULTS

The study group children (n: 43) had higher LDL, Lp(a) and ox-LDL levels, ratios of TC/HDL, Apo-B/A, LDL/HDL and ox-LDL/HDL (p<0.05) than control group.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that dyslipidemia and increased LDL, Lp(a) and ox-LDL levels are common in the offspring of patients with early onset CHD and account largely for their familial predisposition for CHD.

Atrioventricular and ventricular septal defects; topographical analysis and impact of associated cardiac and extracardiac findings and postpartum outcome

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate prognosis of types of ventricular septal defects and coexistence of associated cardiac and extracardiac defects.

METHODS

120 prenatal diagnosed pregnancies associated with ventricular septal pathology were retrospectively evaluated and divided into four groups, as atrioventricular septal defects, perimembranous septal defects, muscular septal defects and univentricular formation. Each group was divided further into four groups, as isolated defect, co-existing extracardiac defect, septal defect with extracardiac defect and septal defect with co-existing cardiac and extracardiac defect. Postnatal follow-up was continued at least until 8 months of life.

RESULTS

Median gestational age at diagnosis was 26.3 weeks, 47 cases were diagnosed before 24 weeks. After dispersion of septal defects there was a statistical significance of p=0.0089 between groups. Of 31 cases with atrioventricular septal defects, only one case survived (3.2%) and there was a high association with extracardiac defects and abnormal karyotype (p=0.002). 69 cases with perimembranous ventricular septal defects were diagnosed, and 24 cases (34.8%) survived with significance for abnormal karyotype (p=0.039). Of 18 cases born with muscular septal defects 12 cases (66.7%) stay alive. We had two cases with univentricular structure; both cases decided for termination of pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

The more complicated and severe the pathology, the worse the prognosis. Individualized counseling is the most important point in decision making together with families.

Termination of pregnancy and reasons for delayed decisions

OBJECTIVE

To assess the indications and distribution of cases chosen for termination of pregnancy and reasons delaying until third trimester termination.

METHODS

Retrospective study of cases between 2002 and 2006 in the hospital council. Cases were divided in two groups, as early termination (<23 weeks of gestation) and late termination (≥23 weeks of gestation). All pregnant women who underwent termination were classified according to related systemic pathology and chorionicity. Reasons for delaying until third trimester termination were evaluated in four groups.

RESULTS

During this five year period 1.449 complicated pregnancies were counseled and in 713 cases termination was offered. Of 677 cases (94.95%) with termination, 412 cases (60.09%) had early and 265 cases (39.91%) late termination. The most frequent indications were central nervous system abnormalities (51.7%), chromosomal abnormalities (11.7%), and urogenital abnormalities (8.4%). The main reason for delaying termination was failure of screening by ultrasound (65.6%).

CONCLUSION

Systematic screening for fetal anomalies is the main step for prevention of affected pregnancies. Information given to parents for TOP is important, but the decision for TOP is influenced by many factors.