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Biomedical subjects

L L Morris

Publications and source records attributed to L L Morris.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Radiological assessment of duodenal calibre in congenital duodenal obstruction.

A review of barium meal studies in 32 cases of congenital intrinsic duodenal obstruction (CDO) from the Adelaide Children's Hospital was performed to assess and measure pre and post operative duodenal dilatation. Comparisons were made with a group of 153 normal barium studies from the same Hospital with a view to quantifying normal and abnormal proximal duodenal calibre. Duodenal size was expressed as a ratio D1/L1, (diameter of 1st part of duodenum/height of first lumbar vertebra). In this study a normal range of duodenal diameter was found to be 0.90 to 1.62 (+/- 2 SD from mean), with a mean of 1.26. The CDO patients recorded a range of postoperative ratios on first follow-up barium studies of between 1.2 and 4.5 with a mean of 2.28. Where serial studies had been performed, duodenal diameter was found to show some decrease in size postoperatively. In patients who underwent surgery for membrane obstruction there was a trend towards normalisation of duodenal diameter over time, compared with the atresia group. However, this difference did not reach statistical significance.

Barium Sulfate

Ectopic ureter with complete ureteric duplication in the female child.

Twenty-two female children with complete ureteric duplication and ectopic ureter (two bilateral) were seen in a 15-year period. The most common clinical presentation was dribbling urinary incontinence with "normal" micturition. Other presentations included urinary infection and vaginal discharge. Four cases were diagnosed after antenatal recognition of ureterohydronephrosis. The clinical diagnosis was supported by various radiological investigations but ultrasonography (US) proved to be particularly reliable in diagnosing ectopic ureter. The most common sites of opening of the ectopic ureter were the urethral margin or the urethrovaginal septum, although in seven cases the site was not identified. Twenty-one kidneys were managed by upper pole heminephrectomy and three by ureteropyelostomy, removing as much of the ectopic ureter as possible via the renal approach. The distal ectopic ureter was removed via a separate suprapubic incision at the initial operation in four cases, and in two cases, delayed excision of the distal ectopic ureter was necessary. All surgical specimens were examined histologically and only two heminephrectomy specimens showed features of renal dysplasia. Dribbling urinary incontinence was cured in all cases, although in one patient the entire kidney was lost after heminephrectomy. Ectopic ureter should be suspected in girls with dribbling urinary incontinence. The diagnosis is best supported by US together with conventional radiology. The majority of cases can be managed by heminephrectomy, but when adequate function is demonstrated in the upper pole, ureteropyelostomy is recommended.

Child

Limb deformity and metaphyseal abnormalities in thalassaemia major.

Regular bone survey radiographs have allowed identification of limb deformity and metaphyseal changes in several patients with thalassaemia major treated at the Adelaide Children's Hospital. Following the progression of limb deformity in five of these patients who were receiving human growth hormone therapy, the records of 25 thalassaemia patients were reviewed. Six patients had evidence of limb deformity, four of whom also had metaphyseal changes. Three additional patients had metaphyseal changes alone. Patients with either type of skeletal change shared similar characteristics, including younger age, earlier commencement of desferrioxamine therapy, better compliance and, in general, lower levels of ferritin. Females predominated in both groups. The frequency of sensorineural hearing loss was similar in affected and nonaffected groups and biochemical parameters, especially plasma calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, and zinc, which were normal in all patients. The cause of these skeletal changes is not clear; however, several potential factors need to be considered. Among these are focal marrow expansion in the metaphyseal region due to incomplete suppression of erythropoiesis and possible effects of desferrioxamine, including direct interference with bone growth, altered response of bone to inflammation or infection, and altered bone metabolism related to chelation of trace metals. While we can only speculate on aetiological factors, it is clear that human growth hormone therapy has resulted in exaggeration of deformity due to an increased rate of bone growth or decreased rate of mineralization of physeal cartilage. We believe that bone survey radiographs are useful in early identification of skeletal changes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent

Myositis ossificans in childhood.

Myositis ossificans is a benign, localized, ossifying lesion of soft tissues that is rarely reported in young children. This paper describes two cases found in a search of the surgical biopsy files of the Adelaide Children's Hospital over the 30 yr period from 1962 to 1991, in boys both aged 7 yrs. Diagnosis was assisted by combined clinical, radiological and histopathological information (including an adequate well-orientated biopsy in Case 1 that demonstrated the characteristic growth pattern) enabling differentiation from other possibilities such as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.

Child

Osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism: report of a further case with manifestations similar to those of types I and III.

We describe a male infant with microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism. The clinical and radiological manifestations most closely resemble those of the patient described by Winter et al. to have manifestations overlapping with both osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism types I and III. The classification of the patient within the spectrum of osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism is discussed and the distinctive neuropathology documented.

Abnormalities, Multiple

Dorsal enteric cysts--a study of eight cases.

Dorsal enteric cysts have been recognized in association with a wide variety of developmental anomalies of the back, the spine, the central nervous system, the mediastinum and the gut. These lesions can be lethal and they caused the deaths of three of the eight patients in this study: two from meningitis and one from erosion into the aorta. Two of these deaths might have been prevented if they had been fully investigated earlier and the life-threatening components of these complex lesions removed. In the most recent case, however, the lesion was detected antenatally, expediting postnatal investigation and surgery. Three of the five survivors have neurological sequelae attributable to their intraspinal pathology.

Child

Abnormal body fat distribution detected by computed tomography in diabetic men.

Previous studies of body fat using tape measurement of body circumference and hand-held caliper skinfold measurements have suggested abnormal fat distribution in patients with diabetes mellitus. These methods, however, have high interobserver variability and cannot assess intra-abdominal fat independent of subcutaneous fat. We used computed tomography to evaluate body fat distribution in a group of 53 Japanese-American men of similar age and body mass index (weight divided by height squared). As determined by a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, 29 subjects had type II diabetes and 24 were normal. Computed tomography cuts were obtained at three body levels to measure thorax, abdomen, and thigh subcutaneous fat area as well as intra-abdominal fat area. We found greater intra-abdominal fat in men with diabetes than in those without (123.74 vs. 95.54 cm2, P = 0.034) and a greater ratio of thorax to thigh subcutaneous fat (2.55 vs. 1.88, P = 0.016). These findings support the hypothesis that fat in different areas of the body differs metabolically. Computed tomography can be a useful tool for investigating whether abnormal body fat distribution is associated with the pathogenesis of abnormal glucose tolerance.

Adipose Tissue

Intussusception in childhood: a review of 139 cases.

A retrospective survey of 128 patients, representing 139 instances of proven intussusception is reviewed. An initial hydrostatic enema reduction attempt was performed in 75% of cases, with 50% of these being successful. A high recurrence rate of 18.4% followed the hydrostatically reduced cases, compared with 2.7% for the surgically treated. Hydrostatic reduction was particularly unsuccessful in infants less than six months of age, when the duration of symptoms exceeded 12 hours and when the presentation is painless. Earlier surgery is recommended for these children.

Adolescent

Single-trunk anomalous origin of both coronary arteries from the pulmonary artery. Diagnosis and surgical management.

The cases of two infants with heart failure and myocardial infarction because of single-trunk anomalous origin of both coronary arteries from the pulmonary artery are reported. Electrocardiography and thallium 201 imaging indicated preoperative myocardial infarction. The diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac catheterization and angiography in each case. To our knowledge these are the first reports of this diagnosis being made during life prior to attempts at surgical correction. Both patients underwent cardiac operations and the operative techniques used are described. Corrective operations for this abnormality have not been attempted previously. At autopsy radiopaque contrast material injected into the aorta confirmed flow from the aorta to the coronary arteries.

Cardiac Catheterization

Renal parenchymal injuries secondary to blunt abdominal trauma in childhood: a 10-year review.

Sixty-six cases of renal parenchymal injuries secondary to blunt abdominal trauma in childhood are reviewed. Based on radiological findings, the injuries were classified into renal contusions, lacerations and transections. The clinical features were more acute in patients with renal laceration and transection. Complications were more common in patients with renal transection and led to partial or total renal loss in a significant number of cases. Renal contusions and most lacerations should be managed non-operatively but renal transections should in general be managed operatively.

Abdominal Injuries