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Biomedical subjects

B Benjamin

Publications and source records attributed to B Benjamin.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Osteoarticular complications of childhood brucellosis: a study of 57 cases in Saudi Arabia.

Fifty-seven (36%) of a cohort of 157 children with brucellosis from Saudi Arabia had arthritis. Most gave a history of contact with farm animals or drinking unpasteurized milk. Associated features included pyrexia, arthralgia, hepatosplenomegaly, and lymphadenopathy. A subacute presentation with peripheral oligoarthritis predominantly affecting hips or knees was common. Specific chemotherapy resulted in rapid defervescence followed by slower resolution of the arthritis. Children with osteoarticular brucellosis had a higher relapse rate and a longer hospital stay. Supervised combination chemotherapy for at least 6 weeks was effective in preventing relapse. A brucellar etiology should be considered in any child from an endemic area who has osteoarticular manifestations.

Arthritis, Infectious

Acute epiglottitis in infants and children.

Sixty-one cases of acute epiglottitis at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, from July 1968 to December 1974 are reviewed. The average age of 2.7 years is lower than previously reported. The average time from the initial symptom to arrival at the hospital was 14 hours. The average time from arrival to performance of tracheotomy was two hours. The diagnosis was made when first seen and assessed in 50 of the 61 cases. There were eight respiratory arrests in the Casualty and five of these were successfully resuscitated. We believe that an artificial airway is necessary in most cases, and in this series, tracheotomy was performed, with minimal complications. Particular emphasis is given to diagnosis from the history, and a detailed description is given of physical examination of the oropharynx. Although x-ray examination is usually unnecessary when the diagnosis is in doubt, a plain lateral x-ray may be useful, with due precaution not to increase the respiratory obstruction. We consider that a patient with acute epiglottitis should be transferred immediately to a major pediatric hospital, and that in almost every case an artificial airway should be established.

Acute Disease

Treatment of infantile subglottic hemangioma with radioactive gold grain.

Congenital subglottic hemangioma causes life-threatening airway obstruction during the first few months of life. The mortality rate of recognized and untreated cases justifies active treatment, and although radiation therapy is currently most favored, it carries a risk of inducing malignant change in the thyroid gland later in life. A series of 11 patients with laryngeal hemangiomata is reported, conventional radiotherapy was utilized in the first seven patients, and placement of a radioactive gold grain directly into the lesion was used in the last four patients. This technique offers maximal tumor dose with minimal thyroid gland irradiation compared to treatment by conventional radiotherapy, and its successful use in these four patients is reported as worthy of further trial.

Female

Congenital tracheal stenosis.

Twenty-one cases of congenital tracheal stenosis seen at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children 1971 through 1980 were reviewed with regard to the clinical features, associated anomalies, endoscopic findings and radiological evaluation. Congenital tracheal stenosis was usually a serious problem often associated with other major anomalies of the respiratory tract, esophagus, or skeleton. There was no set pattern of presentation. The presenting features included: persistent wheeze or stridor, atypical "respiratory distress," and atypical "croup" or "bronchiolitis." Documentation of the nature and extent of the stenosis by endoscopy and, if necessary, tracheobronchogram was important for prognosis and to direct treatment. Congenital tracheal stenosis must be considered in infants who present with atypical respiratory tract obstruction, especially where there is an H-type tracheoesophageal fistula, pulmonary hypoplasia or skeletal abnormalities such as hemivertebrae or a thumb abnormality.

Child

Endoscopy in esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula.

Between 1970 and 1979 152 infants born with the anomaly of esophageal atresia with or without tracheoesophageal fistula or of congenital tracheoesophageal fistula without atresia were treated at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney. Recent developments in endoscopic equipment and new techniques of anesthesia allow detailed examination of the respiratory tract and esophagus with minimum trauma and maximum safety. Symptomatology relating to the airway and to the esophagus after surgical repair often occurs in patients who may have tracheomalacia, esophageal anastomotic stricture, esophageal reflux and sometimes recurrent or residual fistula. A definite diagnosis of tracheomalacia can be made by finding the typical triad of anteroposterior narrowing of the tracheal lumen, weakening of the semicircular-shaped cartilages and forward ballooning of the widened posterior membranous tracheal wall. Careful examination of the trachea and esophagus allows identification of an elusive recurrent fistula or an H-type fistula. As the primary results of surgery for esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula improve, long-term problems are becoming increasingly important. The role of the pediatric endoscopist is vital in the care of these patients.

Bronchoscopy

Documentation in pediatric laryngology.

Endoscopy in pediatric laryngology continues to develop and broaden its horizons. The need for documentation of the various pathological conditions has become more apparent. The upper lateral airways radiological study together with endoscopic photography allows permanent objective documentation of the changes occurring in any part of the upper respiratory tract from the nose and nasopharynx to the bronchi and segmental openings. This combination of radiological study and single frame color photography is the most convenient means of studying the pathology, natural history, and results of treatment as well as for clinical research and teaching in training programs.

Child

Chevalier Jackson Lecture. Congenital laryngeal webs.

Congenital laryngeal web is not as common as has been previously believed, and thorough clinical, radiographic, and endoscopic assessment is needed before any form of surgical treatment is undertaken. It is important to detect associated anomalies in the larynx, the respiratory tract, or in other organ systems. The results of treatment with regard to voice quality are good only in thin, membranous, uncomplicated webs. Treatment for thick webs with or without associated congenital subglottic stenosis remains unsatisfactory.

Child

Ten-year review of pediatric tracheotomy.

One hundred sixty-four consecutive tracheotomies are reviewed over the 10-year period 1972-1981. Early in the series acute inflammatory airway obstruction was the major indication for tracheotomy, being 60% of cases in the first 3 years. In the last 3 years this fell to approximately 15%. After 1975 nasotracheal intubation replaced tracheotomy for acute epiglottis. More recently it has become the treatment of choice for acute laryngotracheobronchitis. Tracheotomy prior to reconstructive surgery for major craniofacial abnormalities is becoming more frequent. Acquired subglottic stenosis is not a problem in our hospital despite the use of long-term nasotracheal intubation in premature infants, and no tracheotomies were performed for this indication. There were few major complications. Decannulation difficulties were due to obstruction by stomal granulation tissue or displaced flap of anterior tracheal wall. There was no case of hemorrhage, no posttracheotomy stenosis, and no death was attributable to tracheotomy. These results demonstrate that in a major pediatric hospital tracheotomy is a relatively safe and effective procedure with minimal morbidity.

Acute Disease

Congenital laryngeal hemangioma.

Congenital subglottic hemangioma consistently occurs in a site below the vocal cord. It is a distinct clinical entity with typical clinical features. However, congenital hemangioma in other sites can cause airway obstruction. An anatomical classification is proposed on the basis of review of 23 consecutive cases. It is important to accurately identify the site and distribution of the lesion before commencing treatment. Radiation has been an acknowledged form of treatment, and in our hospital we have confirmed that radiation therapy, either by external beam, or by insertion of a radioactive gold grain, gives good results. The theoretical possibility of radiation-induced malignancy in the thyroid gland is reduced to an absolute minimum by use of a radioactive grain for localized tumor-dose with minimum radiation of surrounding tissue.

Female

Anesthesia for laryngoscopy.

The requirements of anesthesia for laryngoscopy and microlaryngeal surgery must be compatible with maximum safety and minimum patient discomfort. Some techniques require the use of an endotracheal tube while some do not. Others use a modified tube or a jetting system. In general, for pediatric endoscopy we prefer spontaneous respiration with inhalational anesthesia supplemented by topical lignocaine (lidocaine), and in adults, a relaxant technique with controlled jet ventilation supplemented by topical lignocaine. A new pediatric microlaryngoscope and a new tube for jet ventilation in older children and adults are described.

Age Factors

Tracheomalacia in infants and children.

The clinical features of tracheomalacia depend on the location, length, and severity of the weakness of the tracheal wall. There is firm evidence that tracheomalacia in association with tracheoesophageal fistula is due to malformation and deficiency in the tracheal wall, but in other types of tracheomalacia the evidence is less conclusive. A classification is proposed, based on the known histopathologic and endoscopic changes. Endoscopy is considered the most reliable diagnostic examination.

Arteriovenous Malformations

Technique of laryngeal photography.

Many techniques for photography during direct laryngoscopic examination have been described over the years. At present the best quality laryngeal photographs are obtained using a modern 35-mm single-lens reflex camera with the Hopkins telescopes and a synchronized electronic flash generator. This versatile system gives consistently reliable results.

Anesthesia

Evaluation of choanal atresia.

A series of 65 cases of choanal atresia seen in 19 years is reviewed. We use a wisp of cotton fiber held under the nose and a plastic catheter passed into each nasal cavity to test nasal patency. Horizontal computerized tomography is confirmed as the radiological study of choice, and a standard endoscopic technique used during surgical correction is described.

Airway Obstruction

Vocal cord granulomas.

A series of 16 vocal cord granulomas in adults and children were studied; of these, seven occurred postintubation. All granulomas were removed at least once and the recurrence rate was high. On average, there were three removals, and some patients are still under observation. The recurrence rate did not seem to be related to removal by surgical excision or by laser. We postulate, contrary to conventional teaching, that vocal ulcer and vocal cord granuloma should be regarded as separate entities which occur at the same anatomical site.

Adolescent

A new adult microlaryngoscope.

A new "slimline" binocular microlaryngoscope has been designed for use in adults in whom the larynx is difficult or impossible to visualize with standard microlaryngoscopes.

Equipment Design

Vocal nodules in children.

We reviewed 27 pediatric patients who had vocal nodules removed surgically in a 5-year period. Age of operation, duration of symptoms, indications for operation, and the results of removal are analyzed. The techniques of laryngoscopic assessment with telescopes and of microsurgical removal are described in detail. The 27 children had 53 nodules removed. Almost all had normal or improved voices as judged by the parents' answers to a written questionnaire. From the results of this series, microsurgical removal of vocal nodules in children is justified in selected patients.

Adolescent

New endoscope for (laser) endoscopic diverticulotomy.

In the United States, traditional treatment of the hypopharyngeal (Zenker's) diverticulum has been single stage transcutaneous diverticulectomy. Complications following this procedure include mediastinitis, vocal cord paralysis, esophageal stenosis, fistula, and recurrent or persistent diverticulum. Endoscopic diverticulotomy, widely used throughout Europe, is relatively straightforward and efficacious. Transoral management of these diverticulae has allowed symptomatic relief with a low incidence of complications. A new endoscope has been developed to facilitate use of the carbon dioxide laser for endoscopic diverticulotomy. The instrument combines the characteristics of the Dohlman endoscope (bilateral distal slots) with a wider proximal end for microscopic endoscopy, a smoke evacuator channel, a fiberoptic light carrier, and a handle adaptable for suspension microendoscopy.

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