Paeds Flashcards
(172 cards)
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy affecting children and accounts for 80% of childhood leukaemias. The peak incidence is at around 2-5 years of age and boys are affected slightly more commonly than girls
Features may be divided into those predictable by bone marrow failure:
anaemia: lethargy and pallor
neutropaenia: frequent or severe infections
thrombocytopenia: easy bruising, petechiae
And other features
bone pain (secondary to bone marrow infiltration)
splenomegaly
hepatomegaly
fever is present in up to 50% of new cases (representing infection or constitutional symptom)
testicular swelling
Types
common ALL (75%), CD10 present, pre-B phenotype
T-cell ALL (20%)
B-cell ALL (5%)
Poor prognostic factors age < 2 years or > 10 years WBC > 20 * 109/l at diagnosis T or B cell surface markers non-Caucasian male sex
traffic light’ system for risk stratification of children under the age of 5 years presenting with a fever
Assessment
The following should be recorded in all febrile children: temperature heart rate respiratory rate capillary refill time
Signs of dehydration (reduced skin turgor, cool extremities etc) should also be looked for
Measuring temperature should be done with an electronic thermometer in the axilla if the child is < 4 weeks or with an electronic/chemical dot thermometer in the axilla or an infra-red tympanic thermometer.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
- X-linked recessive inherited disorder in the dystrophin genes required for normal muscular function
Features
progressive proximal muscle weakness from 5 years
calf pseudohypertrophy
Gower’s sign: child uses arms to stand up from a squatted position
30% of patients have intellectual impairment
Investigation
raised creatinine kinase
genetic testing has now replaced muscle biopsy as the way to obtain a definitive diagnosis
Management
is largely supportive as unfortunately there is currently no effective treatment
Prognosis
most children cannot walk by the age of 12 years
patients typically survive to around the age of 25-30 years
associated with dilated cardiomyopathy
Diarrhoea in children
Gastroenteritis
- main risk dehydration
- most common cause - rota virus
- treatment rehydration
Chronic diarrheas
Infants
most common cause in the developed world is cows’ milk intolerance
toddler diarrhoea: stools vary in consistency, often contain undigested food
coeliac disease
post-gastroenteritis lactose intolerance
Pyloric stenosis
M>F
5-10% Family history in parents
Projectile non bile stained vomiting at 4-6 weeks of life
Diagnosis is made by test feed or USS
Treatment: Ramstedt pyloromyotomy (open or laparoscopic)
Acute appendicitis
Uncommon under 3 years
When occurs may present atypically
Mesenteric adenitis
Central abdominal pain and URTI
Conservative management
Mesenteric adenitis is a condition that more often affects children and teenagers. It causes inflammation and swelling in the lymph nodes inside the abdomen.
Intussusception
Telescoping bowel
Proximal to or at the level of, ileocaecal valve
6-9 months of age
Colicky pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, sausage-shaped mass, red jelly stool.
Treatment: reduction with air insufflation
Malrotation
High caecum at the midline
Feature in exomphalos, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intrinsic duodenal atresia
May be complicated by the development of volvulus, an infant with volvulus may have bile stained vomiting
Diagnosis is made by upper GI contrast study and USS
Treatment is by laparotomy, if volvulus is present (or at high risk of occurring then a Ladd’s procedure is performed
exompthalos
an abdominal wall (tummy wall) defect. It happens when a baby’s abdominal wall does not develop fully while in the womb.
congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a defect in an unborn baby’s diaphragm, the muscle that divides the chest cavity and abdominal cavity. CDH occurs when the diaphragm does not close the right way during the baby’s development and abdominal organs push (“herniate”) through the defect into the chest cavity.
intrinsic duodenal atresia
Duodenal atresia is a disease of newborn infants. Absence or complete closure (atresia) of a portion of the channel (lumen)
Hirschsprung’s disease
Absence of ganglion cells from myenteric and submucosal plexuses
Occurs in 1/5000 births
Full-thickness rectal biopsy for diagnosis
Delayed passage of meconium and abdominal distension
Treatment is with rectal washouts initially, after that an anorectal pull through procedure
Oesophageal atresia
ssociated with tracheo-oesophageal fistula and polyhydramnios
May present with choking and cyanotic spells following aspiration
VACTERL associations
Meconium ileus
Usually delayed passage of meconium and abdominal distension
The majority have cystic fibrosis
X-Rays will not show a fluid level as the meconium is viscid, PR contrast studies may dislodge meconium plugs and be therapeutic
Infants who do not respond to PR contrast and NG N-acetyl cysteine will require surgery to remove the plugs
Biliary atresia
Jaundice > 14 days
Increased conjugated bilirubin
Urgent Kasai procedure
Necrotising enterocolitis
Prematurity is the main risk factor
Early features include abdominal distension and passage of bloody stools
X-Rays may show pneumatosis intestinalis and evidence of free air
Increased risk when empirical antibiotics are given to infants beyond 5 days
Treatment is with total gut rest and TPN, babies with perforations will require laparotomy
Nocturnal enuresis
The majority of children achieve day and night time continence by 3 or 4 years of age. Enuresis may be defined as the ‘involuntary discharge of urine by day or night or both, in a child aged 5 years or older, in the absence of congenital or acquired defects of the nervous system or urinary tract’
Nocturnal enuresis can be defined as either primary (the child has never achieved continence) or secondary (the child has been dry for at least 6 months before)
Management look for possible underlying causes/triggers constipation diabetes mellitus UTI if recent onset general advice fluid intake toileting patterns: encourage to empty bladder regularly during the day and before sleep lifting and waking reward systems (e.g. Star charts) NICE recommend these 'should be given for agreed behaviour rather than dry nights' e.g. Using the toilet to pass urine before sleep enuresis alarm generally first-line for children have sensor pads that sense wetness high success rate desmopressin particularly if short-term control is needed (e.g. for sleepovers) or an enuresis alarm has been ineffective/is not acceptable to the family
Necrotising enterocolitis
Abdominal x-rays are useful when diagnosing necrotising enterocolitis, as they can show:
dilated bowel loops (often asymmetrical in distribution)
bowel wall oedema
pneumatosis intestinalis (intramural gas)
portal venous gas
pneumoperitoneum resulting from perforation
air both inside and outside of the bowel wall (Rigler sign)
air outlining the falciform ligament (football sign)
Fallot’s tetralogy
-cyanotic congenital heart disease and presents with ventricular septal defect, right ventricular hypertrophy, overriding aorta, and pulmonary stenosis.
Coarctation of the aorta
This is a congenital narrowing of the aorta and would present with absent/weak femoral pulses; hypertension in arms but hypotension in legs.
Transposition of the great arteries
Transposition of the great arteries is where the aorta arises from the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery arises from the left ventricle. It presents mainly as cyanosis in children.
Ebstein’s anomaly
Ebstein’s anomaly results in low insertion of the tricuspid valve resulting in a large right atrium and small right ventricle causing tricuspid incompetence.
Patent ductus arteriosus
failure of the ductus arteriosus to close after birth causing a left-right shunting and would present as a loud continuous murmur with bounding pulses and a wide pulse pressure.