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Biomedical subjects

J L Demarquez

Publications and source records attributed to J L Demarquez.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

[Sacrococcygeal teratomas in antenatal diagnosis].

The authors report eight cases of antenatal diagnosis of sacro-coccygeal teratoma (SCT) in five girls and three boys in whom the diagnosis was made between the 19th and 34th week of amenorrhea (mean = 27 weeks). The ultrasound pictures taken antenatally of the SCT assist in the discovery of a mass that is usually heterogenous, attached to the distal end of the sacrum, and the discovery is usually made fortuitously or because the height of the uterus is too great. A different series of antenatal diagnoses for SCT have made it possible to work out certain criteria of seriousness to be able to predict intra-uterine death: the presence of anasarca or of hydramnios, the discovery of the lesion before the 30th week of amenorrhoea, the relative weight of the teratoma as against the weight of the fetus being above 50%. We think from our experience that it is important to add the scale of the antenatal growth of the teratoma. A rapid growth of the SCT will lead to a tumour mass which is great as compared to the size of the fetus. Similarly in certain cases the vascular bed will increase in size, and intratumour haemorrhages can occur and give rise to fetal heart failure and also to fetal anaemia, hypoproteinaemia and the appearance of anasarca or of hydramnios. The child dies in utero or immediately after birth because of prematurity from the haemorrhagic state or from cardiac insufficiency. Furthermore accelerated growth of the tumour is nearly always in the immature tumour cells and that means that the child, if it is born alive, should be followed up for a long time because there is a risk of it becoming locally malignant. In practice the monitoring of SCT and the antenatal discovery of the condition should be carried out very seriously in order, in some cases, if it is viable to produce a living child in conditions where the rapid growth of tumour would make it likely that the child would die in utero.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials in icteric fullterm newborns: alterations after exchange transfusion.

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) were studied in five fullterm newborns before and during an exchange transfusion (ET) for hyperbilirubinemia and 1, 24, 48 hours after, in order to evaluate the changes of BAEP following acute decreases in bilirubinemia. Hyperbilirubinemia was due to ABO incompatibility. The newborns were free of other risk factors known to alter BAEP. In comparison with our normal laboratory data, we observed significant differences in pre-ET recordings for latencies I and V (p less than 0.01), and for interpeak latency V-III (p less than 0.01). After ET, there was a tendency towards shortening of all mean latencies and interpeak latencies in correlation with the acute decrease in bilirubinemia, but post-ET BAEP alterations consisted predominantly of a wave V latency and of a wave V-I interval shortening (p less than 0.01). In four patients, during the 48 hours post-ET we observed modifications of the wave V-I interval related to variations of bilirubinemia. At 12 months, BAEP were normal. Even acceptable increase of bilirubinemia in otherwise normal newborns may have a deleterious influence on BAEP and this could have implications for the determination of a so-called threshold of bilirubin neurotoxicity. Our results suggest that bilirubin neurotoxicity is rapidly reversed by ET, but it seems important to verify BAEP in the follow-up of hyperbilirubinemic newborns.

Bilirubin↗

Lung ventilation and perfusion scintigraphy in the follow up of repaired congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

To evaluate the effects of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and pulmonary hypoplasia on subsequent lung function and development, we performed lung 133Xe ventilation and 99mTc perfusion scintigraphies in a group of infants who had undergone surgical repair of a severe left CDH with respiratory distress within the first 6 h of life. The initial lung scans performed in 15 children, 2-3 months of age, demonstrated a decreased ventilation in 7. In 9 children there was a trapping of 133Xe at the left lung base. Perfusion to the hernia side was reduced in 8 of the children. We re-evaluated 11 of these 15 patients after 1-2 years. The ventilation to the left lung was still decreased in 3, but perfusion remained decreased in 9. After 5 years, ventilation to the hernia side was normal in 4 of the 5 patients studied, whereas pulmonary blood flow was abnormal in 4. These results show a progressive improvement of ventilation with a persisting reduction of perfusion to the lung of the hernia side, suggesting a primary vascular pulmonary hypoplasia in CDH.

Female↗

[Subdural hematoma of the posterior fossa in a full-term newborn infant].

The authors report a case of subdural hematoma of the posterior fossa in a full-term neonate. The lack of specific symptoms is frequent. Diagnosis relies on CT scan and NMR data. In cases with neurologic involvement, good results depend on rapid neurosurgical treatment, in order to avoid sequelae.

Cranial Fossa, Posterior↗

[Antenatal diagnosis of lung malformations. Apropos of 9 case reports].

The authors report 9 cases of prenatal diagnosis of lung malformations. The diagnoses was performed between 17 to 33 weeks amenorrhea (mean = 25.5 weeks). The clinical findings were: 7 cystic adenomatoid malformations of the lung, 1 intralobar sequestration and 1 bronchogenic cyst associated with extralobar sequestration and esophageal duplication. In two cases of cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung with polyhydramnios and fetal hydrops death occurred at 27 and 32 weeks amenorrhea. In the seven other cases surgery was performed shortly after birth, before any serious complications occurred. No problems were encountered following the surgical intervention and the remaining lung inflated after a few days. All these children are currently alive and well, without pulmonary or thoracic disorder. The authors first explain the echographic findings in each malformation and later discuss the sonographic criteria of the diagnoses. The antenatal diagnosis permits early recognition and thus adequate management using a team of neonatologists, radiologists and pediatric surgeons. This type management involves: --normal vaginal delivery if there are no obstetrical problems; --if it is possible, artificial ventilation should be avoided as it may increase respiratory distress. If however, it is necessary, the healthy lung should be intubated; --the surgical procedure should be performed as soon as possible, before complications as respiratory distress or recurring pulmonary infections occur; --the major risk of this surgery is respiratory and heart failure when the child is placed in the operating position. A rapid thoracotomy permits the extraction of the compressed lung and the resuscitation of the patient.

Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation of Lung, Congenita↗

[Primary volvulus of the small intestine without malrotation. Apropos of 7 cases].

We report seven cases of complete volvulus of the small bowel without malrotation seen from 1973 through 1986. The clinical setting is always the same in this condition: the infant exhibits no clinical anomalies during the symptom-free interval between birth and the volvulus (4 h to 35 d, m = 7 d in our series). Onset is extremely sudden, with a complete, proximal obstruction, early and abundant passage of blood per rectum, and above all a severe shock that fails to respond to resuscitation. Roentgenograms contribute little to the diagnosis and surgery should never be delayed to perform complementary investigations of any kind. Indeed, the only effective treatment is unwinding the volvulus within the first six hours following onset, for beyond that time irreversible necrosis of the entire small bowel and occasionally colon occurs. Five infants died because they were seen too late and operated on 36 hours on average after the onset of symptoms. The two survivors had an early operation that prevented total necrosis of the small bowel. However, this pattern seems to vary according to the degree of cecum anchorage: a fixed cecum results in a very tight volvulus with complete, early ischemia and usually irreversible necrosis of the small bowel beyond the sixth hour (9/9 published cases); an even slightly mobile cecum results in a looser volvulus, with less severe ischemia, more delayed necrosis, and a possibility of complete recovery (5/6 published cases).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Female↗

[Primary ulcero-necrotizing enterocolitis of the newborn. Advancements in management. Improvement in prognosis].

We report our experience acquired over the last seven years with the management of necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates. This condition occurs mainly in small-for-dates, premature, critically ill infants. Diagnosis rests on the combination of clinical evidence of intestinal obstruction with non-specific signs of a decline in general health and suggestive roentgenographic findings. Mortality has fallen from 80% to 24% over the last eight years as a result of advances in the medical management of low-birth-weight infants, earlier treatment of bowel ischemia suspected on the basis of inconspicuous manifestations, and improvements in neonatal intensive care and surgical techniques.

Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous↗

[Multifocal Candida albicans osteoarthritis in an infant].

The authors report a case of candidal arthritis and osteomyelitis in a five-month-old child. Parenteral nutrition with central catheter, broad-spectrum antibiotherapy, repeated gastrointestinal surgery are the main risk factors. The prognosis for this bone and joint infection is favourable. Using 5-fluorocytosine alone is not recommended because of rapid gain of resistant various pathogenic fungi and the risk of therapeutic failure.

Amphotericin B↗

High-dose thiopental pharmacokinetics in brain-injured children and neonates.

High-dose thiopental was administered in 8 children with uncontrollable seizures or hypoxic encephalopathy (group A) and 7 full-term neonates with neonatal asphyxia (group B). All of them were submitted to artificial hyperventilation to maintain pCO2 near 3.5 kPa. Rectal temperature was kept at about 35 degrees C. Thiopental was infused with a rate of 2-4 mg X h-1 X kg-1, with treatment lasting 32-192 h for group A (mean 103 h), and 36-48 h for group B (mean 38.5 h). Plasma concentration-time data were analysed pharmacokinetically. Thiopental elimination half-life was 14.5 h (group A) and 20.9 h (group B). The clearance of thiopental was 0.27 liters X h-1 X kg-1 (group A) and 0.32 liters X h-1 X kg-1 (group B). The volume of distribution at steady-state was 5.41 liters X kg-1 (group A) and 8.26 liters X kg-1 (group B). These results show that high-dose thiopental pharmacokinetics is not very different for full-term newborns, children and adults. Elimination half-life and volume of distribution are changed when compared to single-dose studies, while clearance is only slightly modified. The time for disappearance of thiopental from blood is also very long (2 to 5 days). These pharmacokinetic characteristics would be worthy of consideration in cases where there may be prolonged use of thiopental, considering the risk of accumulation and toxicity.

Brain Diseases↗

[Method of adjusting the netilmicin dosage in neonatal intensive care].

We tried to adapt the dose of netilmicin in an intensive care unit on 41 newborns, under 8 days of age. Individual pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated after the first intramuscular dose administration and the initial dose (3 mg/kg/twice a day) was modified in 17 cases. Methodologic problems but mainly great variations in physiology and pathology explain the difficulties in predicting the serum concentration (peak and valley) on the 7th day. A decrease in the daily dose for the preterm infant, compared to the one used in full-term infant, and a drug concentration monitoring are advised.

Humans↗