Remote out-of-hours ultrasound live supervision in pediatrics - improvement of diagnostics and training.

Purpose: Ultrasound (US) is the preferred imaging modality in pediatrics for diagnostic and therapeutic issues. The absence of radiation and the constant on-site accessibility make it the ideal tool for children. However, despite remarkable technical advances in resolution and applicability, many sophisticated medical questions still require profound expertise on the part of the examiner, thus often hampering fast decisions particularly outside regular working hours.

Role of Tacrolimus C/D Ratio in the First Year After Pediatric Liver Transplantation.

The calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) tacrolimus (TAC) is a cornerstone agent in immunosuppressive therapy in pediatric liver transplantation (LTX). Adverse effects limit the use of CNI. In adults, calculating the individual TAC metabolism rate allows to estimate the transplant recipient's risk for therapy-associated complications.

Protocol liver biopsies in stable long-term pediatric liver transplant recipients: risk or benefit?

Background: Follow-up after pediatric liver transplantation (LTX) is challenging and needs to be refined to extend graft survival as well as general functional health and patients´ quality of life. Strategies towards individual immunosuppressive therapy seem to play a key role. Our aim was to evaluate protocol liver biopsies (PLB) as a tool in personalized follow up after pediatric LTX.