Rachischisis totalis without acrania in a newborn male.

Background: Rachischisis totalis is a rare open neural tube defect often associated with lethal acrania. When acrania is not present, mortality remains high and morbidity for survivors is extreme.

Patient: We describe is a term newborn with in-utero diagnosed rachischisis totalis without acrania and Chiari II malformation with subsequent hydrocephalus.

Acyclovir use in sick infants.

Background: Infantile herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) infection remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis is often difficult in this population, where a specific pattern of clinical and laboratory signs are lacking. This often results in unnecessary treatment of infants with empiric acyclovir.