Publications by authors named "Damasio Maria Beatrice"

Aims: This study aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DW-MRI) and determine the inter-reader agreement between two expert radiologists in detecting pyelonephritic foci during the initial episode of febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI) in children aged 0-5 years. Also, we aim to establish the correlation between clinical data and DW-MRI findings.

Methods: Children aged 0-5 years presenting with their first episode of fUTI were included in the study and underwent DW-MRI and Ultrasound (US) examinations within 72 h of admission.

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Article Synopsis
  • Disk battery ingestion in children can cause serious health issues and even death, prompting a study about effective management practices.
  • The research involved analyzing cases from June 2010 to January 2024, using a set protocol that includes specialized scans and a team of various medical experts for treatment.
  • The study treated 22 patients, all of whom survived, thanks to the established protocol, but some required additional surgeries due to complications; the findings emphasize the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for better patient outcomes.
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Objectives: We present the first case of a Majeed syndrome in a girl of central-European ancestry.

Methods: : Patient's medical records were reviewed. A NGS panel for autoinflammatory diseases was performed and the mutation was confirmed by Sanger analysis.

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Background: pneumonia (PJP) has high mortality rates in immunocompromised children, even though routine prophylaxis has decreased in incidence. The aim of this case series is to present the radiological and clinical pathway of PJP in a pediatric population.

Description Of Cases: All PJP cases in non-HIV/AIDS patients diagnosed at Istituto Giannina Gaslini Pediatric Hospital in Genoa (Italy) from January 2012 until October 2022 were retrospectively evaluated.

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Voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) is a fluoroscopic technique that allows the assessment of the urinary tract, including the urethra, bladder, and-if vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is present-the ureters and the pelvicalyceal systems. The technique also allows for the assessment of bladder filling and emptying, providing information on anatomical and functional aspects. VCUG is, together with contrast-enhanced voiding urosonography (VUS), still the gold standard test to diagnose VUR and it is one of the most performed fluoroscopic examinations in pediatric radiology departments.

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As there is currently no consensus on managing deep neck infections in pediatric populations, we report a case series from a large pediatric hospital. Clinical data of patients discharged from Istituto Gaslini-Children's Hospital from January 2014 to June 2020 with peritonsillar, parapharyngeal, or retropharyngeal abscess diagnoses were collected. A total of 59 patients were identified.

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Background: Type II spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) often leads to scoliosis in up to 90% of cases. While pharmacological treatments have shown improvements in motor function, their impact on scoliosis progression remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate potential differences in scoliosis progression between treated and untreated SMA II patients.

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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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Background: Intra- and juxta-articular osteoid osteomas are rare, representing less than 10% of all osteomas. Compared to the classic diaphyseal or metaphyseal site of long bones, they often have an atypical onset, a longest diagnostic delay, and frequent initial misdiagnoses, with pictures that can mimic inflammatory monoarthritis. We aimed to describe a case series, and to provide a literature review of this uncommon and misleading tumor location.

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The aim of this study is to retrospectively assess onset and progression of scoliosis in type II SMA patients not treated with the approved disease modifying treatments. Scoliosis was evaluated by measuring the scoliosis angle on X-ray obtained in the anteroposterior view in sitting position (Cobb's angle method). Eighty-four patients had at least one assessment of scoliosis angle (287 assessments).

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Background: Hip involvement predicts severe disease in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and is accurately assessed by MRI. However, a child-specific hip MRI scoring system has not been validated.

Objective: To test the intra- and interobserver agreement of several MRI markers for active and chronic hip changes in children and young adults with JIA and to examine the precision of measurements commonly used for the assessment of growth abnormalities.

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  • * This study introduces a new radiological score based on functional magnetic resonance urography (fMRU) findings to help identify which kidneys require surgical intervention.
  • * A sample of 192 patients was analyzed, and the score demonstrated high sensitivity (84.3%) and specificity (81.3%) in predicting surgical needs, with key factors including urographic phase and pelvic diameter.
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Anorectal and cloacal malformations are a broad mix of congenital abnormalities related to the distal rectum and anus. Confusion exists between all the forms in this large and heterogeneous group. The spectrum includes everything from anal stenosis, ventral anus, anal atresia (with and without fistula) and the full spectrum of cloacal malformations.

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Congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract include a wide range of malformations ranging from asymptomatic to life-threatening conditions. Although pediatric urogenital system imaging is based on the use of US (pre- and postnatal), voiding cystourethrography and scintigraphic study, magnetic resonance (MR) urography plays a fundamental role in the classification and management of congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract, giving an overview of the different clinical pictures, thanks to its panoramicity and high anatomical detail. In fact the anomalies of the urinary tract are phenotypically variable because they can affect simultaneously several segments of different embryonic derivation, with complex clinical pictures; they can appear both as isolated phenotypes or as complex malformative conditions, involving renal parenchyma, collecting system and bladder.

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COVID-19 is generally uneventful in children. Only 8% of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome corona virus 2 pediatric patients require intensive care; of these, 1% may need extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Preexisting medical conditions are an independent risk factor for pediatric intensive care unit admission.

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Fontan surgery is a life-saving procedure for newborns with complex cardiac malformations, but it originates complications in different organs. The liver is also affected, with development of fibrosis and sometimes cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. There is no general agreement on how to follow-up these children for the development of liver disease.

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Since Francis Fontan first introduced the eponymous technique, the Fontan procedure, this type of surgical palliation has allowed thousands of children affected by specific heart malformations to reach adulthood. Nevertheless, abdominal, thoracic, lymphatic and neurologic complications are the price that is paid by these patients. Our review focuses on Fontan-associated liver disease; the purpose is to summarize the current understanding of its physiopathology, the aim of follow-up and the specific radiologic follow-up performed in Europe.

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: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common infection in pediatric-age patients. Acute pyelonephritis (PNA) represents a worrying situation in pediatric patients due to the risk of sepsis and long-term cicatricial consequences. The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate the diagnostic role of DW-MRI in relation to clinical data, to understand if there are any clinical parameters useful in identifying which patients should undergo it.

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We 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 towards biliary cirrhosis, end-stage liver failure and death by age 3. Differentiation of biliary atresia from other nonsurgical causes of neonatal cholestasis is challenging because 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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Background: Pulmonary infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; COVID-19) has rapidly spread worldwide to become a global pandemic.

Objective: To collect paediatric COVID-19 cases worldwide and to summarize both clinical and imaging findings in children who tested positive on polymerase chain reaction testing for SARS-CoV-2.

Materials And Methods: Data were collected by completion of a standardised case report form submitted to the office of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology from March 12 to April 8, 2020.

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During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, guidelines have been issued by international, national and local authorities to address management and the need for preparedness. Children with COVID-19 differ from adults in that they are less often and less severely affected. Additional precautions required in the management of children address their increased radiosensitivity, need for accompanying carers, and methods for dealing with children in a mixed adult-paediatric institution.

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Obstructive congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract have a high risk of kidney failure if not surgically corrected. Dynamic renal scintigraphy is the gold standard technique to evaluate drainage curves and split renal function (SRF). To compare functional magnetic resonance (MR) urography with dynamic renal scintigraphy in measuring volumetric SRF and in the classification of drainage curves in patients with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract.

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Background: Knowing that ureteropelvic junction obstruction is due to a crossing renal vessel is essential in choosing the appropriate surgical treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of non-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) angiography in identifying crossing renal vessels in children younger than 4 years old with unilateral hydronephrosis.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of preoperative MR urography of children with unilateral hydronephrosis was conducted by two independent readers.

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