M Cinbiş | PubMed Health

PubMed1993

Intramedullary astrocytoma presenting as spinal muscular atrophy.

We present a 6-year-old patient with a spinal cord tumor who had been followed with the diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy since the age of 23 months. Reasons for reevaluating the diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy were the early onset of scoliosis, the slight asymmetry in weakness of extremities, and the appearance of urinary retention in the last 3 days. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a very long, intramedullary tumor extending from the level of the seventh cervical segment to the conus medullaris, later reported to be a grade I astrocytoma. We therefore recommend that magnetic resonance imaging, a noninvasive and sensitive technique for intraspinal pathologies, be performed in every patient with an atypical form of spinal muscular atrophy.

Age of Onset↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Neonatal goiter caused by expectorant usage.

A female newborn was admitted with the symptoms of mild respiratory distress, protruding tongue, hypotonicity, cutis marmorata, sclerema, myxedema, abdominal distension, and feeding problems on the first day of life. She had a huge neck mass, a large anterior and posterior fontanel, and hoarse cry. She had no umbilical hernia or jaundice. A history of maternal potassium iodine (expectorant) usage without doctor's advice was obtained; the mother had not attended a clinic throughout the pregnancy. On ultrasonographic examination, the thyroid right lobe was 53 x 31 mm and the left lobe was 34 x 31 mm. The results of thyroid hormone tests on the first day were as follows: T3 20 ng/dl (normal: 32-216 ng/dl), T4 0.9 microg/dl (11.8-22.6 microg/dl), TSH 120 mIU/l (2.5-13.3 mIU/l). This patient is presented to emphasize the role of hypothyroidism in drug-induced neonatal goiter and to discuss the possibility of a life-threatening effect of congenital goiter, i.e. respiratory tract obstruction.

Expectorants↗