Efficacy of high dose steroid therapy in children with severe acute transverse myelitis.

No effective treatment has been demonstrated for patients with acute transverse myelopathy. In a multicentre controlled study, 12 children with severe acute transverse myelopathy were treated with intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) and compared with a historical group of 17 patients. The treatment had a significant effect on the proportion of patients walking independently at 1 month and on the proportion with full recovery at 1 year, with no differences in the frequency of complications between the two groups.

The Marshall-Smith syndrome.

The Marshall-Smith syndrome is characterized by accelerated skeletal maturation, failure to thrive and dysmorphic features. This report describes the 17th published case of this rare disorder.