Painful legs and moving toes (PLMT) syndrome is characterized by spontaneous movements of the digits and pain in one or both lower extremities. Of the reported cases, a majority of the patients was female, and the mean age of onset was 58 years. Only one pediatric case has been reported so far. Herein, we report the first adolescent case of... |
We report a case of isodicentric chromosome 15 (idic(15) chromosome), the presence of which resulted in uncontrolled seizures, including epileptic spasms, tonic seizures, and global developmental delay. A 10-month-old female infant was referred to our pediatric neurology clinic because of uncontrolled seizures and global developmental delay. She had generalized tonic-clonic seizures since 7 months of age. At referral, she could... |
An 18-year-old boy was admitted with chest discomfort, nausea, and dyspnea at rest. At the age of 3 years, he underwent muscle biopsy and dystrophin gene analysis owing to an enlarged calf muscle and elevated serum kinase level (6,378 U/L) without overt weakness; based on the results, Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) was diagnosed. The dystrophin gene showed deletion of exons... |
Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) is a congenital disorder characterized by typical facial features, broad thumbs and toes, with mental retardation. Additionally, tumors, keloids and various congenital anomalies including congenital heart defects have been reported in RTS patients. In about 50% of the patients, mutations in the |
Menkes disease is an X-linked recessive copper transport disorder characterized by neurological deterioration, connective- tissue damage, and abnormal hair growth. It is caused by the mutation of the ATP7A gene. This report describes a four- month-old boy with neurological symptoms typical of Menkes disease plus unusual liver involvement. He developed seizures at three months of age and exhibited hypotonia, cephalhematoma,... |
Purpose : The purpose of this study is to make a diagnostic classification and discuss a diagnostic strategy of floppy infants by investigating clinical, neurological, electrophysiological, and genetic analysis of infants admitted to intensive care units with the complaint of hypotonia. Methods : A retrospective study was performed from Jan. 1993 to Dec. 2005 in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units... |
Ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low carbohydrate, low protein diet used in treatment of pediatric epilepsy since the 1920s. Currently it is used primarily to treat refractory childhood epilepsy. Few serious complications caused by ketogenic diet have been reported. Short-term complications include dehydration, hypoglycemia, vomiting, diarrhea, and refusal to eat. Long-term complications include kidney stones, recurrent infections, metabolic derangement, hypercholesterolemia,... |
Oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe(OCRL) is a rare X-linked disorder characterized by congenital cataract(oculo-), hypotonia, developmental delay, cognitive impairment(cerebro-), renal tubular dysfunction(renal), and growth retardation. Recently, the defective gene, OCRL-1 gene encoding [PtdIns(4,5)P2] 5-phosphatase, was cloned with mutations identified in patients. Although there have been about 200 cases of OCRL reported in English literature, only three reports have been published in... |
Purpose : Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, juvenile absence epilepsy, and epilepsy wth generalized tonic clonic seizure(GTCS) on awakening are the three syndromes of idiopathic generalized epilepsy of adolescent onset currently included in the classification of epilepsy syndromes of the International League Against Epilepsy(ILAE). Although they differ in their predominant seizure types, the syndromes share several seizure types. Also, there are no unique electrophysiologic or genetic markers.... |
Purpose : Joubert syndrome is known tobean autosomal recessive disorder characterized by cerebellar vermian dysgenesis with many symptoms and variety of other malformations. We studied the relevant symptoms and various malformations of seven patients diagnosed as Joubert syndrome at our institution. Methods : Seven children with cerebellarvermian dysgenesis consistent with Joubert syndrome were included in ourstudy. Each child was diagnosed at the Seoul National University Children's... |
Purpose : Cerebrovascular disease in children is more common than was once recognized and the etiology and prognosis of the disease in children are quite different from those of adults. Recently according to medical reports and clinical experiences, the incidence of childhood cerebrovascular disease is increasing in Korea. To clarify the clinical features of childhood cerebrovascular disease and to analyze its... |
Neurologic complications after open-heart surgery are not only relatively common but also often fatal. In order to know the clinical characteristics and carsative risk factors, we carried out the retrospective study on 655 patients who had been admitted and undergone OHS at Seoul National University Children's Hospital during 2-year period from July 1990 to June 1992. The results... |
Zonisamide was amministered to 20 patients with refractory epileptic seizures. The mean duration of the administration was 6 months, and the mean dosage was 7.2mg/kg/day. The efficacy of zonisamide was rated remarkable in 15% of the cases, improvement in 40%, and no change in 45%. The response rates of zonisamide were 62.5% for myoclonic seizures, 50% for tonic-clonic seizures, 80% for... |
The unilateral megalencephaly is a rare brain malfromation characterized by cerebral asymmetry and cortical dysplasia caused by faulty migration of the subependymal neuroblasts. We experienced a case of unilateral megalencephaly in a two day-old male with the chief complaint of asymmetric head appearance. Large left hemisphere with agyria, pachygyria. dilatation of lateral ventricle, and the thick cortex of the ipsilteral hemisphere... |
Spinal muscular atrophies (SMA) are degenerative diseases of motor neurons that begin in fetal life and continue to be progressive in infancy and childhood. Since Werdnig's description of Type 1 SMA in 1891, numerous clinical and experimental studies have been carried out in America and Europe. Few cases were reported about these diseases in Korea but there was no systemic... |
Infection by Listeria monocytogenes, an uncommon pathogen in immunocompromised host, has been reported in neonates, pregnant women and adults with defective cell mediated immunity but not in children in Korea. It can cause sepsis, meningitis, abortion, premature labor, intrauterine fetal infection. etc. We have experienced L. monocytogenes sepsis and/or meningitis in three children under immunosuppresive therapy for lymphoma-leukemia, cytophagic histiocytic... |
Twenty-five cases of Duchenne muscular dystrophy(DMD) who were diagnosed in the department of pediatrics, Seoul national university hospital (from Jan. 1985 to June 1991) were reviewed. The results were as follows. 1) All of the patients were male. 2) The onset of symptoms was between two and eight years of age. The peak incidence was at four years of age. 3) Chief complaints... |
Infantile spasms is a disease, causes or treatments of which are not clearly delineated. Pri-mary objectives of treatment are complete control of seizure attack and prevention of further brain damage. Forty-one patients were managed with ACTH, who were diagnosed as infantile spasms and admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Hospital from July 1985 till June 1990. The results... |
We experienced a case of Leigh's disease (subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy) in a 3-year old boy who was presented with hypertension and showed progressive respiratory arrest after giving chloral hydrate or ketamine. Almost all diagnostic tests including brain CT showed normal findings. The diagnosis could be made by MRI and TFCA (Transfemoral carotid angiography). A review of literature was also made... |
Thirty one cases of tuberous sclerosis were seen at the Dept, of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children’s Hospital. Thirteen cases (41.9%) were diagnosed before 1 year of age and the sex ratio was 2.9:1 with male prefonderance The clinical epileptic manifestations were seen in 28 patients (90.3%), of whom generalized tonic clonic seizures were associated in 12 cases (42.8%) and infantile spasm in 9 cases... |
A clinical study was performed on 5 patients of neurocysticercosis in childhood who admitted to the Seoul National University Hospital for the last two years. The conclusions were as follows: 1) Boys were more than girls with the ratio of 4:1. The average age was 9.5. 2) Three out of five lived in Jeju Island. Three had familial history of taeniasis. 3) Three out of five were... |
We studied 20 cases with brainstem glioma in childhood who admitted to the Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Neurosurgery from Oct. 1985 till July 1990. The results were as follows: 1) About 13.5% of all pediatric brain tumors were brainstem gliomas. The mean age on diagnosis was 7.2 years and there was no difference in sex about the incidence and age distribution. 2) The symptom duration until... |
The measurement of body weight, height and blood pressure, urine sugar, oral glucose tolerance test, S-GOT, S-GPT, cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol tests were made in 324 severely obese elementary, middle and high school students (218 boys and 106 girls) to know the incidence of complication in these children. . The results were as follow: 1) S-GOT or S-GPT were increased abnormally in 38.3% and fatty livers were... |
MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episode) syndrome is a rare but clinicopathologically distinctive mitochondrial disorder. We experienced a case of MELAS syndrnmp in A 11 year-old girl who showed repeated attacks of stroke-like episodes, vomitng, cortical blindness, hearing deficit and alternating hemiplegia. Serum lactic acid level was elevated (6.4 mmol/Z). The diagnosis was confirmed by muscle biopsy which revealed dispersed ragged-red fibers. |
Primary cardiac tumor is very rare and has been a medical curiosity but is potentially curable by current management with improvements of the imaging apparatus and the surgical technique. Metastatic cardiac tumor is also very rare and is more difficult to diagnose than primary ones because of lack of specific symptoms. Twelve cases of cardiac tumor, collected from 1978 to 1989 at the Department... |
34 very low birth weight infants weighing 1,500 gms or less, who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Seoul National University Children’s Hospital, were routinely studied with serial real-time brain ultrasonography from August 1, 1986 to July 31, 1988. Their medical records and the results of brain ultrasonography were analyzed to evaluate propor- tion, severity, timing, clinical findings, outcome, associated periventricular... |
The prognosis in all encephalitis is guarded with respect to both immediate outcome and sequelae. But, in fact, there is no specific treatment agent for encephatitis except herpes encephalitis which is almost fatal without adequate treatment. Acyclovir(9- [2-hydroxyethoxymetry] -guanine) has proved to be a safe and effective agent for therapy of early stage of herpes simplex virus infections. So, in herpes encephalitis, early diagnosis... |
Although the etiology and treatment of moyamoya disease are unknown, the surgical correction is expected as a good treatment method. But its effectiveness is not confirmed until now. A clinical study was performed on 21 patients of moyamoya disease in childhood who admitted to the Pediatric and Neurosurgical department of SNUCH from Jan. 1980 till July 1989. The results were as follows: 1) The ratio of... |