A Pilot Study to Assess a Teaching Intervention to Improve Sleep-Wake Disturbances in Parents of Children Diagnosed With Epilepsy.

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of screening and teaching interventions for sleep-wake disturbances in parents of childhood patients with epilepsy.

Methods: This was a prospective, descriptive study using convenience sampling. After informed consent was obtained from eligible parents who agreed to participate, study questionnaires were administered.

Headache types, related morbidity, and quality of life in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a prospective cross sectional study.

Background: Increased headache prevalence was recently reported in survivors of childhood ALL. Headache sub types, related morbidity, and effect on quality of life has not been reported thus far.

Objective: To study headache prevalence and type, related disability, and quality of life in a cohort of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors.

Neurologic morbidity and quality of life in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a prospective cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is treated with potentially neurotoxic drugs and neurologic complications in long-term survivors are inadequately studied. This study investigated neurologic morbidity and its effect on quality of life in long-term survivors of childhood ALL.

Methods: Prospective, single institution, cross-sectional, institutional review board-approved study of long-term ALL survivors.

Central neurogenic hyperventilation and renal tubular acidosis in children with pontine gliomas.

Central neurogenic hyperventilation (CNH) is a rare neurologic condition that develops secondary to brainstem involvement. Approximately 35 noncomatose patients with CNH have been reported, including 7 with either a diffuse (patients 2–10 in the table) or focal (patient 1 in the table) brainstem glioma. Although diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is the most common pediatric brainstem cancer, only 1 case report described a child with DIPG who experienced CNH.

Long-term outcome and risk factors for uncontrolled seizures after a first seizure in children with hematological malignancies.

Long-term outcomes of seizures that develop during treatment of childhood hematological malignancies have not been described. We analyzed seizure outcome in 62 children with leukemia or lymphoma treated at our institution. There was a median follow-up of 6.

Headaches in children with craniopharyngioma.

Craniopharyngioma frequently involves intracranial pain-sensitive structures. We retrospectively studied prevalence, associated risk factors, and outcome of headaches in children with craniopharyngioma. Fisher exact test and multivariate analysis were used to study association of study variables.

Symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in long-term survivors of childhood leukemia.

Background: Survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) sometimes have clinical features that suggest attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), though few studies have examined specific symptoms in survivors.

Procedure: Long-term survivors of childhood ALL (n = 161) received a neurological examination, while parents completed rating scales to establish formal criteria for ADHD. Symptom profiles were generated and compared across demographic and treatment characteristics, as well as medical tests associated with brain pathology.

Levetiracetam as monotherapy for seizures in a neonate with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Congenital acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a relatively rare disorder that is characterized by frequent central nervous system involvement that may increase the risk for seizures. Appropriate choice of anticonvulsant therapy with respect to ongoing oncologic treatment is not established in this age group. We report the case of a neonate with ALL who was successfully treated for seizures with levetiracetam monotherapy.

Leucoencephalopathy, transverse myelopathy, and peripheral neuropathy in association with glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 (GAD) antibodies in children with cancer.

Neurologic toxicity may occur as a direct effect of cancer and its therapy or indirectly because of a dysfunctional immune system. The authors report the development of axonal neuropathy, myelopathy, and leucoencephalopathy associated with glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 (GAD) antibodies in 4 children with progressive cancer who were heavily pretreated. Three patients with refractory leukemia and 1 with Ewing sarcoma developed paraplegia with sensory level and dorsal column dysfunction.

Temozolomide after radiotherapy for newly diagnosed high-grade glioma and unfavorable low-grade glioma in children.

Chemotherapy is commonly used in the treatment of children with high-grade glioma, although its usefulness is uncertain. We conducted a multi-institutional study to evaluate the efficacy of temozolomide given after radiotherapy in children with newly diagnosed high-grade glioma and unfavorable low-grade glioma (gliomatosis cerebri or bithalamic involvement). Optional window therapy of intravenous irinotecan (10 doses of 20 mg/m2 per cycle x 2) was given over 6 weeks.