Approach to clinically significant vascular anomalies in children

Vascular anomalies consist of tumours or malformations made up of abnormal growth or collections of blood vessels that can result in functional or cosmetic problems. While many vascular anomalies are present at birth, some do not appear until later in life, making diagnosis more challenging. Although many vascular anomalies are benign, some are associated with serious complications and may involve multiple organ systems. This article highlights the important features of clinically significant vascular anomalies to help physicians promptly identify and refer these cases to a specialised multidisciplinary team for evaluation and management. The discussion includes the various presenting complaints of vascular anomalies in children, namely, rapidly growing birthmarks, painful lesions, seizures/neurological manifestations, bleeding diathesis, cardiac/airway abnormalities and part of an overgrowth syndrome.

Congenital physical anomalies associated with deceased persons in reincarnation cases with intermissions of less than nine months

A literature review of reincarnation cases with identified previous persons found 36 cases in which the "intermission" between lives was less than 9 months. In 9 cases, it was 7 days or fewer. In 32 cases, subjects had birthmarks or birth defects matching the previous person's wounds or other scars in location and appearance. Multiple anomalies appeared in 20 (62.5%) of the 32 cases with physical anomalies. There were 9 natural-death cases and 27 violent-death cases. In 15 (55.5%) of the violent-death cases, there was written documentation of wounds to the previous person. The most extreme birth defects occurred in cases with intermissions of 7 months or more. Interpretations of the data alternative to reincarnation are considered but found inadequate as explanatory models. If examples of reincarnation, these cases raise issues related to when exactly reincarnation occurs and the nature of the process that are important considerations for biology and medicine, as well as for philosophy. One purpose of this paper is to alert the research community to these findings in the hopes of encouraging additional research in this area.

Mongolian Spots - A challenging clinical sign

Mongolian Spots (MS) are the most common birthmarks in newborn children. The condition presents as greenish-bluish to greyish macules, particularly in the lumbosacral area. The incidents of MS can vary in different ethnic groups and normally fade in early childhood. MS can be misinterpreted as hematomas because of the color and the predilection site. This paper discusses the case of a two-month old female admitted to hospital under suspicion of child abuse. The clinical forensic examination of the infant and her two older sisters found the children were in good health and did not show signs of abuse, despite the infant presenting with multiple and extensive greyish-blue macules. Thirteen months later, a welfare officer requested another forensic examination on the now 15-month-old child after noticing greyish-blue macules. Following a second examination, no evidence of abuse was found. This case illustrates the issue of MS as a differential diagnosis of hematomas.