Publications by authors named "Helen Somerville"
Antireflux surgery in children with neurological impairment: caregiver perceptions and complications.
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr
January 2013
Objectives: The aim of the present study was to report caregiver perceptions to antireflux surgery and gastrostomy in children with severe neurological impairment and to report the complications of the surgery.
Methods: Children were identified from a clinic database and clinical information and surgical complications were extracted from the database and hospital medical records. A cross-sectional questionnaire addressing severity of symptoms was administered to parents/caregivers and scored with a 5-point Likert scale (1 is much better to 5, much worse).
Aim: The aim of this study was to measure resting energy expenditure (REE) and energy intake in children with quadriplegic cerebral palsy (CP), to relate these to anthropometric measurements, and to determine the influence of nutritional rehabilitation on REE.
Methods: Fifty-six children (20 females, 36 males; age range 3y 11mo-18y; mean age 10y; SD 3y 11mo) with CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System level V) participated in this cross-sectional study. Children were excluded if they had a known metabolic disorder, genetic syndrome, or chromosomal abnormality.
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of gastrostomy tube feeding on body protein and bone mineralization in malnourished children with cerebral palsy (CP).
Method: Children aged between 4 and 18 years with spastic quadriplegic CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System level V) were recruited from the Children's Hospital at Westmead to participate in this prospective cohort study. The children had measurements of anthropometry (weight, height, and skinfold), bone mineral content (BMC) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and total body protein (TBP) by neutron activation analysis before and after gastrostomy tube feeding.
Gastrointestinal and nutritional problems in severe developmental disability.
Dev Med Child Neurol
September 2008
The aim of this study was to describe the experience of 452 children and adults with a severe developmental disability who presented to a multidisciplinary clinic with swallowing, nutritional, and gastrointestinal problems. Data were obtained by chart review. Two hundred and ninety-four children (age range 7 mo-19 y, 173 males, 121 females) and 158 adults (age range 18-53 y; 90 males, 68 females) were assessed over 5 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- No studies have previously validated skinfold thickness and DXA methods for assessing body protein in children with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy (SQCP).
- A study of 59 children with SQCP revealed significantly lower body protein levels compared to control data, with a strong correlation between neutron activation analysis (NAA) and measurements from both skinfold and DXA methods.
- However, significant variability exists in the estimations from skinfold and DXA compared to NAA, indicating that while these methods correlate, they may not reliably predict body protein in this specific population.
Background: Long term survival following treatment for primary cancer has increased significantly in the past decade. With cure comes 'survivorship'. One of the factors clearly affecting quality and length of survival is morbidity associated with treatment and the development of subsequent malignancies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To describe a cohort of survivors of childhood malignancy at risk of developing thyroid abnormality, and propose guidelines for management of such patients.
Design: Retrospective case series.
Setting: Late-effects oncology clinic at a large children's hospital in Sydney.