Acquired demyelinating disorders of childhood in the Western Cape, South Africa.

In a retrospective review of patients with acquired demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system, 19 children (0.6%) were identified from the Paediatric Neurology database of 3159 patients; 7 had acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, 1 had Schilder's disease, 5 had multiple sclerosis, and 6 had acute transverse myelitis. The median age of presentation was 83 months, with increased incidence during the summer and winter months.

Congenital cervical spinal cord lesions: pathogenesis, management, and outcome.

Three patients (2 boys) presented with nontraumatic congenital lesions of the spinal cord resulting in paralysis and contractures of their upper limbs from birth. Limited improvement occurred in all. Two survived.

Comparison of diagnostic criteria of tuberculous meningitis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected and uninfected children.

Introduction: Tuberculous (TB) meningitis is sometimes difficult to diagnose in young children. The decision to start anti-TB treatment of TB meningitis is usually made on clinical grounds and results of special investigations, such as cerebrospinal fluid examination and cranial computerized tomography (CT), because bacteriologic yield is low and the results delayed.

Aim: To determine whether the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic criteria used in the diagnosis of TB meningitis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-uninfected children apply to HIV-infected children.

Giant congenital melanocytic nevi in a patient with brain structural malformations and multiple lipomatosis.

We present a 9-year-old boy diagnosed from birth with giant congenital melanocytic nevi. He had central structural brain malformations of hemimegalencephaly of the right frontotemporal lobe and left occipitoparietal lobe, choroid plexus hypertrophy, and a Dandy-Walker variant. In addition, he developed multiple lipomatoses.