Long-Term Respiratory Support for Children and Adolescents in Austria: A National Survey.

Background: Population-based data on pediatric patients on long-term respiratory support (LTRS) in Austria are lacking. This study aimed to record the pediatric departments active in this field, as well as number and characteristics of patients on LTRS.

Methods: A national cross-sectional study was carried out by means of questionnaires sent to all pediatric departments in Austria.

Therapeutic step-up strategy for management of hereditary pancreatitis in children.

Background/purpose: Various different regimes exist for the treatment of hereditary pancreatitis in childhood. Here, we propose a therapeutic pathway with emphasis on endoscopic and surgical procedures.

Methods: From 2006 to 2013, 12 patients with a diagnosis of hereditary pancreatitis were prospectively included in a therapeutic step-up schema.

Haemoptysis in a teenager: late diagnosis of unnoticed foreign body aspiration.

Chest X-ray in a 17-year-old boy, presenting with haemoptysis, revealed a radiopaque foreign body (FB) in the right lower lobe. There was no history of aspiration. CT located the needle-shaped FB in the right posterobasal lower lobe segment bronchus.

Volvulus without malposition--a single-center experience.

Background: This is a single-center case series about the rare condition of volvulus without malposition and/or malrotation (VWM) in preterm babies. We focus on diagnostic difficulties, and our results should help to distinguish VWM as a distinct entity different from classical volvulus and segmental volvulus.

Materials And Methods: Medical chart review of infants with VWM from 2003-2012 was used.

Early postnatal diagnosis of Costello syndrome.

Costello syndrome is a rare congenital disease with typical craniofacial and musculoskeletal features, cutaneous lesions, cardiac defects and cancer susceptibility. Affected patients show severe feeding difficulties for the first years of life and developmental delay. We present the case of a patient, in whom fetal tachycardia, polyhdramnios and physical characteristics led to an early diagnosis of Costello syndrome.

Status epilepticus, cardiac resuscitation, and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome after ingestion of viscous lidocaine: a plea for more childproof packaging of pharmaceuticals.

Ingestion of viscous lidocaine in children can lead to potentially lethal neurologic and cardiac effects. We report the case of a 2-year-old boy who developed posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome 2 days after unobserved ingestion of about 500 mg viscous lidocaine (40 mg/kg of bodyweight). Initially, the child presented with convulsive status epilepticus and subsequent cardiac arrest necessitating cardiopulmonary resuscitation for eight minutes.

Necrotizing enterocolitis after open cardiac surgery for congenital heart defects--a serious threat.

Neonates with congenital heart disease are at risk to develop necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Especially in the postoperative period after correction of a congenital heart defect this intestinal inflammatory disease can be a potentially life-threatening complication. The purpose of this case series is to define the specific features of NEC in the postoperative situation, with emphasis on diagnostic difficulties.

Perinatal neuroblastoma of the pancreas.

Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor in infancy. Arising from the neural crest these tumors are usually located along the sympathetic chain from the neck to the pelvis and in the adrenal medulla. We report the case of a 3-week-old boy presenting with recurrent episodes of colicky pain.

Recurrent pancreatitis due to an intraluminal duodenal diverticulum: report of a case.

We report the investigation and treatment of a 14-year-old girl in whom a detailed assessment of recurrent episodes of pancreatitis revealed a large intraluminal 'windsock'-like duodenal diverticulum. As the diverticulum was closely attached to the papilla of Vater, it was resected by a transduodenal approach. This report focuses on the significance of rare congenital anomalies of the duodenum (e.

Fetal surgery for cardiac lesions.

Intrauterine dilation of critical fetal aortic stenosis (AS) and pulmonary stenosis or atresia has the potential to change the natural course of these congenital heart defects preventing progression to a single ventricle circulation. This article reviews the world experience in fetal cardiac interventions. In carefully selected cases, fetal cardiac surgery can reverse end-stage heart failure and can provide biventricular outcome postnatally in about two thirds of the cases with successful interventions.

Intrauterine aortic valvuloplasty in fetuses with critical aortic stenosis: experience and results of 24 procedures.

Objective: Valvuloplasty of the fetal aortic valve has the potential to prevent progression of critical aortic stenosis (AS) to hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). The aim of the study was to assess 24 aortic valvuloplasties regarding indications, success rate, procedure-related risks and outcome.

Methods: Between January 2001 and December 2009 we performed 24 aortic valvuloplasties in 23 fetuses with critical AS at a median gestational age of 26 + 4 (range, 21 + 3 to 32 + 5) weeks by a transabdominal ultrasound-guided approach.