The effect of measurement area size on the reliability of myocardial iron load measurement in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging examinations of thalassemia patients

Background/aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of cardiac T2* MRI measurements in different region of interest (ROI) sizes.

Materials and methods

Cardiac T2* MRIs of 24 thalassemia major patients were evaluated. Two different ROI sizes were used for measurement. In the first measurement, an ROI approximately 5 mm in diameter was used in the interventricular septal myocardium. In the other method, the whole ventricular septal myocardium was used as the measurement. The intraobserver and interobserver variabilities were assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results

The measurement of the first observer, the ICC of the small-sized ROI (ssROI), was 0.869, and the measurement for the second observer, the ICC of the ssROI, was 0.659. The ICC of the whole-septal ROI (wsROI) was 0.991 for the first observer and 0.980 for the second observer. Interobserver variability, for the mean measurement, was 0.442 for the ICC of ssROI and 0.883 for the ICC of wsROI.

Conclusion

For the evaluation of myocardial iron load with T2* MRI we suggest making measurements with ROI, including all of the interventricular septum, as a consequence of high intraobserver and interobserver consistency.

Retrospective evaluation of children with immune thrombocytopenic purpura and factors contributing to chronicity

OBJECTIVE

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is the most common cause of acquired thrombocytopenia children. The aim of this retrospective study is to describe presenting features and clinical characteristics of ITP and evaluate clinical course, treatment modalities, and complications and determine the effects of preceding infection history, age, gender, treatment modality, and admission platelet count on chronicity.

METHOD

Two hundred and eleven patients who were diagnosed ITP and followed-up in Department of Pediatric Hematology, Ankara Children Hematology Oncology Education and Research Hospital between January 2008 and September 2012 were included. Age of the patients, gender, date of admission, date of diagnosis, complaint in the application, previous infection and laboratory tests were recorded.

RESULTS

Mean age of the patients on diagnosis was 5.4 ± 4.1 years. The female/male ratio was 1.03. The clinical courses were determined as acute or chronic in 72% and 28% of patients respectively. Mean age at diagnosis was significantly higher in chronic ITP (p < 0.01). Chronic course was significantly higher in female patients (p < 0.05). The most frequent complaint was bruises on the skin (68%). The most common physical examination findings were petechiae, purpura and ecchymosis (89%). Patients with a history of past infection (53.6%) and who had serologically positive infection (15.6%) frequently had acute course (p < 0.01). The most common serologically positive infection was Rubella. The mean platelet count was significantly higher in chronic ITP (p < 0.01). In the initial treatment of patients admitted in the acute phase, megadose methylprednisolone (MDMP) was used in 31% of patients, intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) in 55% of patients and anti-D in 2% of patients while 12% did not receive any treatment. There were no significant differences between the recurrence rate and treatment modality (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In our study, in females and in patients without any history of past infection, platelet count >20 × 10⁹/L and initial diagnosis age > 10 years were found to increase the probability of chronic disease, which is compatible with the literature.

Treatment of Priapism with Automated Red Cell Exchange and Hyperbaric Oxygen in an 11-year-old Patient with Sickle Cell Disease

Priapism affects up to 50% of all males with sickle cell disease, and there is no standard treatment. Delayed and unsuccessful treatment leads to corporal fibrosis and impotence. It is therefore necessary to determine the best treatment methods for this complication in order to offer effective interventions to all affected patients. Herein we report an 11-year-old patient with sickle cell disease that presented with priapism 72 h after onset, and was successfully treated with automated red cell exchange and hyperbaric oxygen following unsuccessful surgical and conventional interventions.

Unilateral exudative retinal detachment as the sole presentation of relapsing acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Ocular findings are rarely the initial symptom of leukemia, although up to 90% of all leukemia patients have fundus changes during the course of the disease. Herein we report a relapsing acute lymphoblastic leukemia patient with thesole presentation of sudden visual loss and exudative retinal detachment. An 8-year-old boy with acute lymphoblasticleukemia developed sudden visual loss during his first remission period. Bullous retinal detachment with total afferentpupillary defect was observed. Orbital magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intraocular mass lesion; simultaneouslyobtained bone marrow and cerebrospinal fluid samples showed no evidence of leukemic cells. Following local irradiation,and systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy the mass disappeared. Local irradiation, and systemic and intrathecalchemotherapy effectively controlled the isolated ocular relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and eliminated the needfor enucleation.

An autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome initially diagnosed as Evans syndrome

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a rare childhood disorder characterized by chronic non-malignant lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity. Patients with ALPS frequently exhibit episodic and intermittent, severe autoimmune- induced hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia or combined cytopenias. The co-occurrence of immune-mediated cytopenias, autoimmune thrombocytopenia and autoimmune hemolytic anemia is also known as Evans syndrome. This report describes a child who presented with Evans syndrome symptoms and who, after the detection of increased percentage of double negative T cell population in the peripheral blood, was diagnosed as ALPS. He received several courses of treatment including glucocorticoids, cyclosporine A (Cs A), and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) without any clinical benefit and was treated with the antimalarial drug Fansidar®. With administration of Fansidar® (half tablet per week; containing 250 mg of pyrimethamine and 12.5 mg of sulfadoxine) combined with immunosuppressive drugs, clinical status and laboratory findings temporarily improved. After two months, the patient underwent laparoscopic splenectomy because of worsening of thrombocytopenia refractory to the treatment. There was a transient beneficial effect from splenectomy. We were unable to stop immunosuppressive therapy and Fansidar®; however, this combined therapy was successful in decreasing the number of hospitalizations and controlled his clinical symptoms more effectively for six months. Unfortunately, he was admitted to a regional hospital with high fever and died at the age of three.