Publications by authors named "Beatrice Damasio"

Article Synopsis
  • - Intestinal malrotation (IM) arises from abnormal fetal midgut rotation, increasing the risk of severe complications like midgut volvulus; the upper gastrointestinal series (UGI) is a key diagnostic tool but has inconsistent reliability.
  • - This study analyzed UGI exams from patients treated for suspected IM at a pediatric center between 2007 and 2020, focusing on which imaging features reliably diagnose the condition.
  • - Findings revealed that antero-posterior (AP) projections were most effective for diagnosis, especially the abnormal position of the duodenal-jejunal junction, while lateral projections were less reliable and sometimes misleading.
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Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a rare disease characterized by early contractures, progressive muscle weakness, and cardiac abnormalities. Different subtypes of EDMD have been described, with the two most common forms represented by the X-linked EDMD1, caused by mutations in the gene encoding emerin, and the autosomal EDMD2, due to mutations in the gene encoding lamin A/C. A clear definition of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pattern in the two forms, and especially in the rarer EDMD1, is still lacking, although a preferential involvement of the medial head of the gastrocnemius has been suggested in EDMD2.

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Introduction: POMT2-related limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMDR14) is a rare muscular dystrophy caused by mutations in the POMT2 gene. Thus far only 26 LGMDR14 subjects have been reported and no longitudinal natural history data are available.

Case Report: We describe two LGMDR14 patients followed for 20 years since infancy.

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We aim to present a practical approach to imaging in suspected biliary atresia, an inflammatory cholangiopathy of infancy resulting in progressive fibrosis and obliteration of extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts. Left untreated or with failure of the Kasai procedure, biliary atresia progresses to biliary cirrhosis, end-stage liver failure and death within the first years of life. Differentiating biliary atresia from other nonsurgical causes of neonatal cholestasis is difficult as there is no single method for diagnosing biliary atresia and clinical, laboratory and imaging features of this disease overlap with those of other causes of neonatal cholestasis.

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Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (US) has become an important supplementary tool in many clinical applications in children. Contrast-enhanced voiding urosonography and intravenous US contrast agents have proved useful in routine clinical practice. Other applications of intracavitary contrast-enhanced US, particularly in children, have not been widely investigated but could serve as a practical and radiation-free problem-solver in several clinical settings.

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Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) are safe, repeatable imaging techniques. The aim of this paper is to discuss the advantages, technical factors and possible clinical applications of these imaging tools in focal renal lesions in children.

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The above article was published online with incorrect author name. The right spelling should be Damjana Kljucevsek instead of Damjana Kjucevsek. The correct name is presented here.

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Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD) is defined as disease presenting before the age of 6. These children require a tailored imaging approach because conventional imaging studies can be difficult to perform at such a young age. Unlike inflammatory bowel disease in older children and adults, colonic disease predominates in VEO-IBD, and small-bowel disease is rare.

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At the European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) annual meeting 2017 in Davos, Switzerland, the ESPR Abdominal (gastrointestinal and genitourinary) Imaging Task Force set out to complete the suggestions for paediatric abdominal imaging and its procedural recommendations. Some final topics were addressed including how to perform paediatric gastrointestinal ultrasonography. Based on the recent approval of ultrasound (US) contrast agents for paediatric use, important aspects of paediatric contrast-enhanced US were revisited.

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To promote the standardization of nephro-uroradiological terms used in children, the European Society of Pediatric Radiology uroradiology taskforce wrote a detailed glossary. This work has been subsequently submitted to European experts in pediatric urology and nephrology for discussion and acceptance to improve the quality of radiological reports and communication among different clinicians involved in pediatric urology and nephrology.

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To promote the standardization of nephro-uroradiological terms used in children, the European Society of Paediatric Radiology uroradiology taskforce wrote a detailed glossary. This work has been subsequently submitted to European experts in pediatric urology and nephrology for discussion and acceptance to improve the quality of radiological reports and communication between different clinicians involved in pediatric urology and nephrology.

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At the occasion of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) annual meeting 2015 in Graz, Austria, the newly termed ESPR abdominal (gastrointestinal and genitourinary) imaging task force set out to complete the suggestions for paediatric urogenital imaging and procedural recommendations. Some of the last missing topics were addressed and proposals on imaging of children with anorectal and cloacal malformations and suspected ovarian torsion were issued after intense discussions and a consensus finding process that considered all evidence. Additionally, the terminology was adapted to fit new developments introducing the term pelvicalyceal dilatation/distension (PCD) instead of the sometimes misunderstood hydronephrosis.

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Three new consensus-based recommendations of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology Uroradiology Taskforce and the European Society of Urogenital Radiology Paediatric Working Group on paediatric uroradiology are presented. One deals with indications and technique for retrograde urethrography, one with imaging in the work-up for disorders of sexual development and one with imaging workflow in suspected testicular torsion. The latter is subdivided to suggest a distinct algorithm to deal with testicular torsion in neonates.

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Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is characterized by synovial inflammation, with potential risk of developing progressive joint destruction. Personalized state-of-the-art treatment depends on valid markers for disease activity to monitor response; however, no such markers exist.

Objective: To evaluate the reliability of scoring of carpal bone erosions on MR in children with JIA using two semi-quantitative scoring systems.

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Anaplasma phagocytophilum, an obligate intracellular bacterium, is the causative agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), a tickborne infection usually manifesting as fever, malaise, cytopenia, spleen enlargement, and hepatitis. Herein, we report a case of a 14-year-old girl with HGA whose whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed an unusual picture characterized by small, widespread punctuate millimetric nodules, hypointense on T1-weighted and hyperintense on STIR sequences. This firstly reported finding may represent an alternative tool for identifying atypical infectious diseases.

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Our purpose is to harmonise and standardise terminology in paediatric uroradiology, to provide and update recommendations for contrast-enhanced US to standardise imaging and encourage further research, and to assess the impact of the existing recommendations in paediatric urogenital imaging. Based on thorough review of literature and variable practice at several centres and after discussion within urogenital imaging groups as well as with other subspecialties, we propose a standardisation of terminology in urogenital imaging. An update with recommendations on paediatric contrast-enhanced US has been issued based on available literature and reports.

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The European Society of Paediatric Radiology Uroradiology Task Force and the ESUR Paediatric Work Group jointly publish guidelines for paediatric urogenital imaging. Two yet unaddressed topics involving patient safety and imaging load are addressed in this paper: renal biopsy in childhood and imaging of the neonatal genital tract, particularly in girls. Based on our thorough review of literature and variable practice in multiple centers, procedural recommendations are proposed on how to perform renal biopsy in children and how to approach the genital tract in (female) neonates.

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Background: Bony depressions at the wrist resembling erosions are frequently seen on MRI in healthy children. The accuracy of MRI in detecting early bony destruction is therefore questionable. We compared findings on MRI of the wrist in healthy children and those with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to investigate markers for true disease.

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US is a technique particularly suited to the investigation of musculoskeletal disorders in children and adolescents. This review paper describes a range of clinical settings beyond the hip joint where US has a significant role to play, including sports injuries, infectious diseases, inflammatory and degenerative conditions, congenital and developmental disorders, acute trauma of bone and joints, and peripheral nerve injuries. In some circumstances, US can be regarded as the most effective means of diagnostic imaging, whereas in other instances, it is an alternative or supplement to other more comprehensive imaging modalities, like MRI and CT.

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Background: Nephrolithiasis is a common, high costing pathology of the urinary tract. The most common urinary abnormalities are fasting hypercalciuria, hypercalciuria and hypocitraturia. This study aimed to identify the principal urinary abnormalities in our patients.

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Background: Although the incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is high among haemodialysis (HD) patients, there are few papers available on this topic. The aim of this study on a single-centre HD population observed over a 10 year period was to identify patient- and HD-related specific factors that might be associated with a higher risk of SCD.

Methods: The study included 123 patients (76 men; age 29-79 years) undergoing renal replacement therapy at our dialysis unit for at least 6 months.

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Background: Evidence is accumulating about the efficacy of pulse intravenous (iv) cyclophosphamide (pCy) treatment for lupus nephritis (LN), but concern still exists on the use of this drug in children, on account of its oncogenic potential and gonadal toxicity. Medical records of 33 LN children were retrospectively analysed in order to assess the effect of treatment with pCy and corticosteroids (Cs) on renal survival and child growth.

Patients And Methods: From 1974 to 1999, 33 pediatric patients with LN were admitted to our hospital.

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