Biomedical subjects

Betau Hwang

Publications and source records attributed to Betau Hwang.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Transplantation of related histocompatible marrow and peripheral blood stem cells in a patient with severe combined immunodeficiency and disseminated BCG infection.

We report the results of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in a 15-month-old boy with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) complicated by disseminated Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) infection. Slow immunological recovery after BMT is considered to be associated with prolonged BCG infection. After one booster dose of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), there was still little improvement in immune reconstitution. The patient finally expired because of failure to achieve a functioning immune system after BMT and septic shock.

BCG Vaccine↗

PubMed2003

Ganglioneuroma presenting as an asymptomatic huge posterior mediastinal and retroperitoneal tumor.

Ganglioneuroma is a rare, differentiated, benign and slow-growing tumor that commonly arises from sympathetic ganglion cells. Most of them are asymptomatic and found incidentally. We here report a quite rare case of silent huge ganglioneuroma growing in both posterior mediastinum and retroperitoneum occurring in a 3.5-year-old girl. The patient was relatively well before and incidentally found to have a huge chest mass by chest X-ray film at an episode of respiratory tract infection. Computed tomography showed a huge tumor extending from bilateral posterior mediastinum to the level of the adrenal gland in the retroperitoneum. Initially, neuroblastoma was highly suspected and 24-hour urine vanillyl mandelic acid was slightly elevated. Cytology by bone marrow aspiration revealed no tumor nests or clumps. Biopsy and pathology proved it as ganglioneuroma (GN). Due to too extensive involvement of the tumor and compression of the vital vessels, surgical removal became difficult. The family of the patient refused surgery due to there being no significant symptoms. Because of the potential for growth of unresectable GN and because the component of neuroblasts could not be completely excluded, the patient was still in dangerous status. The only thing we can do is to keep the family alert and continue regular follow-up.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed2003

Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in children with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentations and features of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) endoscopy and the role of Helicobacter pylori in children with UGI bleeding. METHODS: A retrospective review was done of the medical records of 112 infants and children who presented with UGI bleeding. They underwent UGI endoscopy in the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan between July 1996 and December 2000. Patients with hematemesis caused by swallowing caustic agents or foreign bodies were excluded. RESULTS: There were 112 patients involved in this study. Clinical manifestations included hematemesis (77 cases, 68.8%), tarry stool (37 cases, 33%) and hematochezia (9 cases, 8%). Fifty-three patients (47.3%) had underlying diseases, including neuromuscular deficits (17), hepatobiliary disease (17), renal insufficiency (8), Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) (3), and cow milk allergy (3). Another 34 patients had a preceding acute febrile illness history. The endoscopic appearances included esophageal varices (10.7%), esophagitis or esophageal ulcers (30.4%), superficial gastric mucosal lesions (SGML) (44.6%), gastric ulcers (9.8%), duodenal ulcers (DU) (15.2%), and hemorrhagic erosive duodenitis (2.7%). Eleven cases (9.8%) showed negative findings. There were 13 (11.6%) patients receiving endoscopic hemostatic therapy. The rate of positive results in rapid urease tests in the patients without underlying diseases was 54.8%, which was significantly higher than that of the patients with underlying diseases (17.1%), while Helicobacter pylori was closely related to primary DU. CONCLUSIONS: In children with UGI bleeding, UGI endoscopy provides an accurate diagnostic tool and also provides therapeutic intervention when needed. SGML was the most common endoscopic finding. About 30% of the infants and children with UGI bleeding had history of acute febrile illness. Half of the children had underlying diseases. Helicobacter pylori plays a role in a subgroup of children with UGI bleeding, particularly in children with primary DU.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Isolated neonatal ductus arteriosus aneurysm.

OBJECTIVE: A prospective study was performed to evaluate the incidence, clinical manifestations and outcome of ductus arteriosus aneurysm (DAA) in full-term neonates. BACKGROUND: Ductus arteriosus aneurysm has been considered to be a rare congenital lesion and a potentially fatal abnormality. METHODS: A total of 548 full-term neonates received echocardiographic screening. RESULTS: There were 48 (8.8%) patients (28 boys and 20 girls) with DAA detected by echocardiography. The maximal diameter of the DAA ranged from 6.5 to 11.2 mm (8.2 +/- 1.2 mm). All cases were asymptomatic. There were no significant differences in gender, gestational age, maternal age or Apgar score between the newborns with or without DAA. Newborns with DAA had a higher birth body weight, higher incidence of maternal gestational diabetes mellitus and more mothers with blood group A, compared with newborns without DAA (p < 0.05). Follow-up echocardiograms showed spontaneous closure of the ductus arteriosus in all patients except those without DAA. The DAA became progressively smaller after ductal closure in 33 patients (70.2%) and completely disappeared by 7 to 35 days of life. The other 14 patients (29.8%) with DAA had echocardiographic evidence of progressive formation of thrombi between the third and tenth day of life. The DAA and thrombi spontaneously disappeared in all patients by one month after birth. CONCLUSIONS: There is a higher incidence of DAA with a good outcome in our series compared with previous reports. We speculate that the presence of DAA may be a normal variant of the ductal bump and part of a normal process of spontaneous ductal closure in full-term neonates.

Aneurysm↗

PubMed2002

Effects of partial liquid ventilation with FC-77 on acute lung injury in newborn piglets.

Partial liquid ventilation (PLV) with various types of perfluorochemicals (PFC) has been shown to be beneficial in treating acute lung injury. FC-77 is a type of PFC with relatively high vapor pressure and evaporative losses during PLV. This study tested the hypothesis that using FC-77 for PLV with hourly replacement is effective in treating acute lung injury. Fifteen neonatal piglets were randomly and evenly divided into 3 study groups: 1) lavage-induced lung injury followed by conventional mechanical ventilation (Lavage-CMV); 2) lavage-induced lung injury followed by PLV using FC-77 with hourly replacement (11.2 +/- 1.5 mL/kg/hr) (Lavage-PLV); and 3) sham lavage injury followed by conventional mechanical ventilation (Control). Immediately after induction, repeated saline lavages induced acute lung injury characterized by decreases in dynamic lung compliance, arterial oxygen tension, and arterial pH, and increases in arterial CO(2) tension and oxygenation index, whereas the sham lavage procedure failed to do so. During the 3-hr period of CMV, these pulmonary and cardiovascular parameters remained stable in the Control group, but deteriorated in the Lavage-CMV group. In contrast, after acute lung injury, low lung compliance, abnormal gas exchange, acidosis, and inadequate oxygenation significantly improved in the Lavage-PLV group. Histological analysis of these 3 study groups revealed that the Lavage-CMV group had the highest lung injury score and the Control group had the lowest. These results suggest that, in comparison to CMV, PLV with FC-77 and hourly replacement of FC-77 promotes more favorable pulmonary mechanics, gas exchange, oxygenation, and lung histology in a piglet model of acute lung injury.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2002

Discordance between dipyridamole stress technetium-99m tetrofosmin single photon emission computed tomography and coronary angiography in patients with Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis syndrome of unknown etiology that mainly affects the coronary arteries. The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement between dipyridamole stress technetium-99m tetrofosmin (Tc-TF) myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and coronary angiography in these patients. Twenty-nine children with KD were included in this study. All of the 29 children also received dipyridamole stress Tc-TF myocardial perfusion SPECT within 1 month of their coronary angiographic studies. The results showed that (1) 89.7% of children had negative coronary angiographic findings without significant coronary stenoses, and 10.3% of children had positive coronary angiographic findings with significant coronary stenosis; (2) 44.8% of children had negative Tc-TF myocardial perfusion SPECT findings without abnormal myocardial perfusion, and 55.2% of children had positive Tc-TF myocardial perfusion SPECT findings with abnormal myocardial perfusion; (3) 44.8% of children had both normal coronary angiographic and Tc-TF myocardial perfusion SPECT findings, and 10.3% of children had both abnormal coronary angiographic and Tc-TF myocardial perfusion SPECT findings; and (4) There was no significant agreement between coronary angiographic and Tc-TF myocardial perfusion SPECT findings. We concluded that poor agreement exists between coronary angiographic and Tc-TF myocardial perfusion SPECT findings with coronary stenoses and abnormal myocardial perfusion in children with KD.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Families of children with cancer: the impact on anxiety experienced by fathers.

By using the contextual model of family stress, this study examined fathers' family stress experience when caring for a child receiving cancer treatments. A descriptive correlational study was designed to examine the relationships between fathers' uncertainty, sense of mastery, and anxiety. Eighty fathers were recruited from two teaching hospitals in Taiwan. A pilot study was conducted to establish the reliability and validity of the Chinese language version of the above instruments. These instruments showed an acceptable internal consistency and satisfactory construct validity. Results showed that fathers' level of education had a significant effect on paternal anxiety. Uncertainty and fathers' education level equal to or higher than university are good predictors of paternal anxiety, which explain 25% of the variance. The results provide insight into the paternal experience of family stress and suggest ways to improve family-centered nursing interventions and thereby establish better family well-being.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

High prevalence of a novel mutation (2268 insT) of the thyroid peroxidase gene in Taiwanese patients with total iodide organification defect, and evidence for a founder effect.

The mutation of the thyroid peroxidase (TPO) gene that causes the total iodide organification defect (TIOD) is a common and severe condition leading to dyshormonogenesis of the thyroid gland in Caucasians. However, the role of TIOD in Chinese patients with thyroid dyshormonogenesis is unknown. In this study we followed 16 patients from 16 unrelated families in Taiwan and performed perchlorate discharge examination. Seven patients had TIOD and 2 had the partial iodine organification defect (PIOD) among the 16 families. These 9 patients underwent screening in search of TPO gene mutations. Three new mutations (2268 insT, 2243 delT, and G157C) were detected in the 7 patients with TIOD, whereas no mutation in the TPO gene was found in the 2 patients with PIOD. The 2268 insT mutation was noted to be the most common among these TIOD patients (12 of 14 studied alleles, 86%). With 3 intragenic polymorphic markers, we found that the alleles carrying the 2268 insT mutation in Taiwan Chinese TIOD patients were tightly linked to a specific haplotype. The allele frequencies of this haplotype in the 8 patients with homozygous 2268 insT (5 unrelated families, 10 studied alleles) and in 49 normal individuals (98 studied alleles) were 1.00 and 0.02, respectively (P < 0.0001). This indicates that this common novel mutation among Taiwanese patients with TIOD is due to a founder effect.

Asian People↗

PubMed2002

Evaluation of the etiologic agents for acute suppurative tonsillitis in children.

BACKGROUND: Acute suppurative tonsillitis is one of the most common pediatric infectious diseases, and has Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) as its most frequent bacterial cause. Prevention of acute rheumatic fever is the principal goal of treatment. Antimicrobial agents, in contrast, is not needed. Therefore, the cause of acute suppurative tonsillitis in children must be determined. METHODS: Fifty-nine children were diagnosed as having acute febrile suppurative tonsillitis with the etiologies of Gr. A streptococci, adenovirus and Epstein-Barr (EB) virus. There were 25 cases of adenoviral tonsillitis, 20 cases of Epstein-Barr viral tonsillitis, and 14 cases of Gr. A streptococcal tonsillitis. This study aimed to find out whether the serum CRP, ESR or peripheral WBC counts could differentiate the etiological agents of acute tonsillitis from group A streptococcal to EB-viral or adenoviral infection. We also evaluated the effectiveness of epidemiological and clinical factors in predicting the etiology of acute suppurative tonsillitis in childhood. RESULTS: There was no difference between adenoviral and streptococcal groups in the measurement of serum CRP, neither in WBC count or the level of ESR. Patients with Gr. A streptococcal tonsillitis were significantly older than those with EB-viral or adenoviral tonsillitis (p < 0.05). Seventy-two percent of patients with adenoviral tonsillitis were under 4 years of age, 70% of the patients with EB-viral tonsillitis were under 6 years of age, whereas 71% of the patients with streptococcal tonsillitis were over 6 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: It is impossible to differentiate the etiology of acute suppurative tonsillitis by laboratory examinations (including serum CRP, peripheral WBC counts and ESR), based on its limited clinical pictures and epidemiological factors. Age was clearly the most important factor in distinguishing between viral and bacterial tonsillitis in children.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2002

Endotracheal tube position in pediatrics and neonates: comparison between flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy and chest radiograph.

BACKGROUND: Correct tracheal intubation in critically ill patient is very important in intensive care medicine. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the value and accuracy of the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FFB) in confirming the endotracheal tube (ETT) position and to compare with the chest radiograph method in intubated pediatric and neonate patients. METHODS: We prospectively used the FFB to evaluate the ETT position in the pediatric and neonate intensive care units (ICUs) from January 2000 to December 2000. The distance between the ETT tip and the trachea carina measured by FFB (TC-FFB) was recorded and compared with that by the chest radiograph (TC-CR). The consuming time needed for checking the ETT position was also compared between these two methods. RESULTS: There were 74 cases enrolled. There was a significant correlation between TC-FFB and TC-CR (r = 0.898, p = 0.000). It took less time to confirm the ETT position by using the FFB than by the post-intubation chest radiograph (0.3 +/- 0.1 min vs. 103.8 +/- 45.2 min, p < 0.05). No major complication was noted in performing the FFB measurement. CONCLUSIONS: FFB is an accurate, convenient, timesaving and less traumatic technique in confirming the correct ETT position for the critical and emergent patients in the pediatric and neonate ICUs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Visualization of Secundum Atrial Septal Defect Using Transthoracic Three-Dimensional Echocardiography in Children: Implications for Transcatheter Closure.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of quantitative measurements of secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) with dynamic transthoracic three-dimensional (3-D) echocardiography. METHODS: Twenty-six patients (age, 13 months to 14 years; mean age, 37 months) with secundum ASDs underwent 3-D echocardiographic imaging generated from transthoracic echocardiographic interrogation before surgery. Four specific cut planes were defined: four-chamber view, transverse view, en face view from right and left atrial side. The images obtained from 16 patients clearly demonstrated all four defined cut planes for the quantitative measurement. RESULTS: The defect sizing determined by the 3-D images correlated well with surgical findings. These images may be interactively manipulated to optimize visualization of the defect to allow the cardiologist to perform transcatheter occlusion. A significant correlation was demonstrated to the limbic band tissue assessment by four-chamber and transverse views. Unusual atrial structures such as muscle bands and the fore-shortening of the en face view might induce biased measurements. CONCLUSIONS: The transthoracic approach was successful in capturing sufficient data to create 3-D images, which can provide an accurate assessment of secundum ASD. The possibility of underestimation should always be taken into account with the en face view. Multiple cut planes were essential to ensure correct sizing for adequate selection of the occluder.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Retinoblastoma in Taiwan: survival rate and prognostic factors.

PURPOSE: The mortality rate of patients with retinoblastoma still varies in developing countries, and data for Asia and Taiwan are relatively scarce. In this retrospective study, we aimed to describe the survival characteristics and prognostic factors of 54 retinoblastoma cases diagnosed at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 1982 and 2004. METHODS: From medical records, we retrospectively analyzed the data of 54 consecutive children diagnosed in our hospital between 1982 and 2004 as having retinoblastoma. Data on sex, laterality, age at diagnosis, presenting signs, family history, duration of symptoms, lag time for treatment, spread of tumor, treatment mode, and survival time were collected. RESULTS: Seventy-five percent of the cases were unilateral and 25% of the cases were bilateral. The mean patient age at the time of diagnosis was 26.3 months. The mean duration of symptoms was 2.96 months. After diagnosis, the mean lag time before treatment was 2.59 months. The most common presenting signs were leukocoria (71.4%), red, painful, or tearing eye (18.4%), strabismus (14.3%), and blurred vision (14.3%). Only 3 of 52 cases (5.8%) were familial. The most common sites of extraocular invasion included the central nervous system (seven cases) and the orbit (seven cases). In 13.7% of the cases, parents had refused the treatment suggested by the doctors. None of the patients developed a secondary neoplasm. The 5-year overall survival rate was 80.9% (unilateral, 88.1%; bilateral, 64.3%). The survival rate of patients with an interval between onset and treatment of <5 months was 90.9%, and that for an interval of >5 months was 60.9%. The survival rate of those with a lag time of <2.5 months was 90.0%, and that of those with one of >2.5 months was 31.3%. The survival rate of patients with intraocular and extraocular disease was 96.9% and 39.2%, respectively. Extraocular disease was an independent factor indicating a poor prognosis, determined by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rate of patients with retinoblastoma is higher in Taiwan than in developed countries. The proportion of patients' parents refusing or delaying treatment in Taiwan is high. The factors for a poor prognosis were an interval between onset and treatment of >5 months, a lag time before treatment of >2.5 months, and extraocular disease. The duration of symptoms was not a prognostic factor. The only independent factor indicating a poor prognosis was extraocular disease.

Age Distribution↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Discordance between dipyridamole stress Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT and coronary angiography in patients with Kawasaki disease.

BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease is an acute vasculitis syndrome of unknown etiology that mainly affects the coronary arteries. The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement between dipyridamole stress technetium 99m sestamibi single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and coronary angiography in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-one consecutive patients (29 boys and 12 girls) who underwent coronary angiography were studied prospectively. Their ages at onset of the disease ranged from 2 months to 4.8 years (mean +/- SD, 1.9 +/- 1.3 years). Their ages at the time of the study ranged from 8 months to 15.3 years (6.2 +/- 4.4 years). The duration between symptom onset and the study ranged from 2 months to 12 years (4.3 +/- 4.0 years). All patients underwent dipyridamole stress Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT within 1 month of their angiographic studies. They were divided into 3 groups according to coronary angiography findings. Group A consisted of 2 patients (1 boy and 1 girl, aged 10.3 and 1.9 years, respectively) with coronary stenoses who also had aneurysms. Group B consisted of 10 patients (8 boys and 2 girls, aged 0.7-15.3 years [mean, 3.8 years]) with coronary aneurysms. Group C consisted of 29 patients (20 boys and 9 girls, aged 1.2-13.8 years [mean, 7 years]) with normal coronary angiograms. Two patients in group A (100%), 3 of 10 patients in group B (30%), and 19 of 29 patients in group C (65.5%) had myocardial perfusion defects. There was poor agreement between Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT and coronary angiography for detecting coronary stenoses (kappa = 0.07; P =.222) and aneurysms (kappa = -0.184; P =.158). CONCLUSION: Significant discordance exists between Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT and coronary angiography in patients with Kawasaki disease.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Transcatheter implantation of intravascular stents for postoperative residual stenosis of peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis.

This is a prospective study of transcatheter implantation of 11 intravascular stents in 7 patients with status/post (S/P) surgical correction of major cardiovascular lesions. The safety and efficacy of balloon-expandable stents for treatment of peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis (PPAS) is evaluated and analyzed. Although the transcatheter implantation of intravascular stents has been reported as a possible treatment for stenotic peripheral pulmonary arteries, the results of intermediate follow-up studies on patients with S/P surgical correction for residual PPAS need to be evaluated. From June 1998 to December 2001, a total of 15 patients with PPAS having S/P surgery for major cardiovascular lesions were enrolled in this study. Eight of them had redo surgery after complete evaluation and the other 7 patients who might be at higher risk of mortality or morbidity from redo surgery, underwent transcatheter implantation of stents to dilate significant PPAS. Tetralogy of Fallot, S/P total correction, was done in 6 and transposition of great vessels, S/P Jatene operation, was done in 1. There were 10 stents (P 308 Palmaz stent x8 and Intrastent x2) implantation for 10 sites of the stenotic PPAS in these 7 patients, who were aged from 3.6 to 17.3 (10.1 +/- 5.6) years and had body weights ranging from 17 to 72.5 (37.1 +/- 23.0) kg. The narrowest diameter of the stenotic peripheral pulmonary arteries and pressure gradients across the stenosis were measured before and after implantation of stents. A follow-up catheterization and pulmonary angiography was performed 1 year later to evaluate the intermediate efficacy of stents implantation. All the stenotic peripheral pulmonary arteries of these 7 patients had a significant reduction of pressure gradients immediately after the procedure. The narrowest mean diameter of pulmonary arteries increased from 6.7 +/- 3.4 to 11.3 +/- 3.0 mm (p < 0.001), and the mean pressure gradient dropped from 31 +/- 9.9 to 11.4 +/- 4.6 mm Hg (p < 0.001). The follow-up catheterization 1 year later revealed a persistent effect in all but 1 patient. Only a young male presented with a recurrent stenosis with a pressure gradient of > or = 20 mm Hg, which was relieved by redilation with implantation of another stent. There was no immediate or intermediate complication. Transcatheter stent implantation for treatment of a significant residual PPAS after surgical correction of complicated congenital heart disease is a safe and effective procedure. Since children are growing with age, a long-term follow-up study to evaluate the effects and possible problems of stent implantation is mandatory.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Transcatheter retrieval of different types of central venous catheter fragment: experience in 13 cases.

In total, 13 patients, from April 1992 to November 2002 at this institution, had embolization caused by central venous catheter fragments including 4 peripherally-inserted central catheters (PICCs), 1 Hickman catheter, 1 Swan-Ganz catheter, and 7 port-A catheters. These dislodged fragments were percutaneously retrieved successfully in 12 patients. As each type of the central venous catheter has its distinct properties, the locations of embolization, detection, and retrieval methods differed.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Placental weight and birth characteristics of healthy singleton newborns.

To determine the relationship of placental weight and birth characteristics of healthy Chinese singleton newborns, 552 consecutive singleton near-term and uncomplicated pregnancies were enrolled in a retrospective study from October 2000 to April 2001. Maternal age, infants' gender, gestational age, placental weight (PW), birth weight (BW), birth length (BL), cord length, ponderal index, and appearance of meconium-stained amniotic fluid or a nuchal cord were recorded and analyzed. Our results show that the mean value of BW was 3235 +/- 17 g, birth length was 48.8 +/- 0.1 cm, PW was 646.2 +/- 0.3 g, BW/BL was 66.2 +/- 0.3, BW/PW was 5.1 +/- 0.1, and ponderal index was 2.8 +/- 0.0, respectively. Male neonates had significantly larger BWs (p<0.05) and BLs (p<0.01) than did female neonates. However, there was no significant difference in PW between male and female neonates. PW was positively correlated with BW (r=0.413, p<0.01), BL (r=0.305, p<0.01), BW/BL (r=0.397, p<0.01), and cord length (r=0.264, p<0.01). The PW of studied infants showed no significant difference when grouped by gestational age, maternal age, presence of meconium stained amniotic fluid, or presence of a nuchal cord. Of the studied healthy neonate, 81.9% and 69.4% had no meconium-stained amniotic fluid or nuchal cord, respectively. There were no significant differences in PW or BW/PW between neonates with the presence or absence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid or a nuchal cord. These results indicate that PW has a significant role in fetal growth in terms of weight, body length, and cord length. Furthermore, it has no significant role in the presence of meconium-stained fluid or a nuchal cord in healthy neonates.

Birth Weight↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Nasopharyngeal tract length measurement in infants.

UNLABELLED: Artificial nasopharyngeal (NP) airway is a common device used to secure upper airway patency. The proper length of its insertion is important, especially in infants. The purpose of this study is to measure and compare the endoscopic and the anthropometric measurements of NP length in infants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We collected data from 413 infants who received flexible fiberoptic endoscopy. Endoscopic measurement length is from the nostril to the vocal cord (N-V distance). Anthropometric measurement length is from the nose tip to the earlobe. We stratified the infants into four groups by body weight and compared the difference between the two measurement methods. RESULTS: The mean length of the endoscopic measurement is compatible to the anthropometric measurement in all four groups. There is a statistically significant correlation between the N-V distance and the body length (p = 0.0001, r = 0.83), the body weight (p = 0.0001, r = 0.81), and the age (p = 0.0001, r = 0.64). CONCLUSION: The anthropometric measurement of nasopharyngeal airway length is nearly identical to the endoscopic measurement.

Body Height↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Total parenteral nutrition as a primary therapeutic modality for congenital chylous ascites: report of one case.

Congenital chylous ascites in the neonatal period is a rare entity. It is primarily related to congenital abnormalities of the lymphatics. We present a case in which ascites was detected by prenatal ultrasonogram. No evidence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection, intrauterine meconium peritonitis, or intestinal or genitourinary system abnormalities was found. Congenital chylous ascites was confirmed via an abdominal sonogram and diagnostic paracentesis. After 26 days of NPO and total parenteral nutrition, the newborn hadfully recovered.

Chylous Ascites↗