11/256. dandy-walker syndrome associated with congenital heart defects: report of three cases. Three cases of dandy-walker syndrome associated with congenital heart defects are reported, and their management is described. The various theories concerning the aetiology of the dandy-walker syndrome are discussed and it is suggested that the theory of primary developmental atresia of the foramina of Magendie and Luschka is still acceptable. If the child with dandy-walker syndrome requires treatment by extracranial CSF drainage it is proposed that a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt is preferable when there is any suspicion of cardiac anomaly. The proximal catheter should be placed in the posterior fossa cyst (dilated fourth ventricle) rather than in the lateral ventricle. ( info) |
| Although disorders of ADH secretion associated with meningitis are usually consistent with the Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion (SIADH), central diabetes insipidus (DI) is an exceptional complication of meningitis. Transient DI as a complication of escherichia coli (E. coli) meningitis due to ventriculoperitoneal shunt in an 18-month-old boy is presented. Blood and spinal fluid cultures yielded E. coli, sensitive to cefotaxime. The DI arose on the day 3 after admission and continued to the day 20. Treatment comprised cefotaxime, dexamethasone, fluid adjustment and vasopressin. The course of our case supports that in cases of bacterial meningitis, initial fluid restriction may occasionally result in dangerous conditions. Therefore, all children with bacterial meningitis should be followed closely not only in terms of SIADH but also DI. To our knowledge this is the first transient DI associated with E. coli-caused meningitis case reported. ( info) |
13/256. Dandy-Walker anomaly in Meckel-Gruber syndrome. We report a fetus affected by Meckel-Gruber syndrome whose phenotype was characterized by macrocephaly, frontal bossing, a saddle nose, marked micrognathia, a distended abdomen, omphalocele, post-axial polydactyly and talipes equinovarus. The main neuropathological finding at autopsy was in a very large cyst located in an abnormally wide posterior cranial fossa consistent with a Dandy-Walker anomaly. Intestinal malrotation, enlarged cystic dysplastic kidneys and hepatic portal fibrosis coexisted. The occurrence of a Dandy-Walker malformation in Meckel-Gruber syndrome confirms a disturbance in rhombencephalon development. Although uncommon, it should be included among the central nervous anomalies representative of the syndrome. ( info) |
14/256. dandy-walker syndrome: presentation of the congenital malformation in an older patient. dandy-walker syndrome, a congenital malformation of the hindbrain involving the cerebellum and the fourth ventricle, is a rare cranial abnormality that commonly occurs before the sixth or seventh week of development. It is usually diagnosed at birth or in early childhood; however, an occasional patient may first become symptomatic in adult life. A case of dandy-walker syndrome in a 58-year-old woman is reported because of the older age at presentation and relatively long asymptomatic period after birth. ( info) |
15/256. Dandy-walker malformation: prenatal diagnosis and outcome. Prenatal ultrasound identified Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM) in ten singleton pregnancies with concurrent central nervous system (CNS) anomalies and extra-CNS anomalies in eight cases. DWM was confirmed by postnatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or pathological examination in nine cases. Karyotypes were normal in the seven infants tested. Postnatal neurological and developmental testing in the five survivors showed a spectrum of clinical outcome from minor defects to severe handicap. Postnatal investigation also disclosed additional CNS and extra-CNS findings not detected on ultrasound, as did autopsy in the other five infants. However, ultrasound diagnosis of DWM is accurate and is an indication for exhaustive screening for concurrent anomalies both within and outside the CNS and in chromosome structure and number, as the prognosis is heavily dependent on associated malformations and karyotype. ( info) |
16/256. OFD II, OFD VI, and Joubert syndrome manifestations in 2 sibs. We present 2 sibs with manifestations of oral-facial-digital syndromes (OFD) and Joubert syndrome. The index patient was the 5th child of healthy nonconsanguineous Turkish parents. At birth this female patient had large hydrocephalus, hypertelorism, deep-set eyes, nystagmus, broad mouth, thick oral frenula, cleft palate, hamartomas of the tongue, postaxial polydactyly of fingers, normal toes, and hypotonia. Cranial MRI showed hydrocephalus and Dandy-Walker malformation. The child had no psychomotor development, was unable to swallow and had severe seizures. She died at 2 months of recurrent apneic episodes. At birth the brother of the index patient showed prominent forehead, broad, deep nasal bridge, cleft palate, multiple hamartomas of the tongue, irregular alveolar ridges, retrognathia, bilateral postaxial polydactyly of the hands and feet, and broad halluces. He had an abnormal breathing pattern with phases of tachypnea and apnea. Cranial MRI showed hydrocephalus, hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis, Dandy-Walker malformation, and hypomyelination of the corpus callosum. Renal ultrasonography demonstrated multiple small cysts. Ocular fixation was absent and he had a mild nystagmus. ( info) |
| Even though most instances of partial mole are triploid, only a few cases of diploid partial moles have been reported. prognosis of partial mole is usually better than the complete mole as few cases of partial moles progress to persistent trophoblastic disease. However, the nature and the risks of diploid partial moles are not well established and they seem to be a distinct clinical entity. Here we report a case of partial mole presenting with a 22 weeks live fetus and preeclampsia. fetal blood sampling was performed for cytogenetic analysis which revealed a diploid (46XY) karyotype. No progression to malignant gestational trophoblastic disease occurred. ( info) |
18/256. Blake's pouch cyst: an entity within the Dandy-Walker continuum. Abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collections within the posterior fossa are defined by the Dandy-Walker complex (DWC) and by arachnoid cysts (AC). The DWC includes the Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM), the Dandy-Walker variant (DWV) and the mega-cisterna magna (MCM). In addition, Tortori-Donati et al. added persistent Blake's pouch cyst (BPC) as an independent entity within the DWC. BPC represents a posterior ballooning of the superior medullary velum into the cisterna magna. All of these malformations are overlapping developmental anomalies characterized by varying degrees of malformation of the medullary vela, the cerebellar vermis and hemispheres, the fourth ventricle choroid plexus, the posterior fossa subarachnoid cisterns and the enveloping meningeal structures. We present two cases of persistent BPC detected in two adult women without history of gestational or subsequent growth problems. They underwent neuroradiological investigation because of headache and because of recurrent episodes of loss of consciousness, respectively. The MRI findings included tetraventricular hydrocephalus, wide communication of the fourth ventricle and the cystic posterior fossa (i.e. BPC), inferior posterior fossa mass effect with or without hypoplasia of both the cerebellar vermis and the medial aspects of the cerebellar hemispheres, and absence of communication between fourth ventricle and the basal subarachnoid space in the midline posteriorly. Persistent BPC is defined by a failure of embryonic assimilation of the area membranacea anterior within the tela choroidea associated with imperforation of the foramen of Magendie. Typically this condition becomes symptomatic early in life. In the current cases the normal function of the laterally positioned foramina of Luschka probably helped to maintain some CSF flow between intraventricular and subarachnoid spaces, with the establishment of a precarious equilibrium characterized by a compensatory enlargement of the cerebral ventricular system (i.e. hydrocephalus). ( info) |
19/256. association of large facial hemangiomas with dandy-walker syndrome. Case study concerning three infants. Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumors of infancy and are observed in 2-3% of newborns. The dandy-walker syndrome is characterized by a cystic expansion of the fourth ventricle, a dysgenesis of the vermis of the cerebellum and atresia of the foramina of Luschka and Magendie. We report on three infants with large bilateral facial hemangiomas in association with a dandy-walker syndrome. We conclude that although the three diseases are not based on one common genetic disorder, as far as we know, one should bear this association in mind in cases with large facial hemangiomas. ( info) |
20/256. Yunis-Varon syndrome: evidence for a lysosomal storage disease. We present clinical and neuropathological findings in a female infant with Yunis-Varon syndrome (YVS) comprising absence of thumbs and halluces, aphalangia of fingers and toes, hypoplasia of clavicles, severely undermineralized skeleton (especially skull), microcephaly, and multiple nonskeletal anomalies. The patient also had a Dandy-Walker malformation, hydrocephalus, and hypertension, which were not reported previously in YVS. The infant excreted an abnormal unidentified oligosaccharide. The patient died at day 108 with severe neurological impairment. autopsy showed prominent intraneuronal inclusions with vacuolar degeneration, mainly in the thalamic, dentate nuclei, cerebellar cortex, and inferior olivary nuclei. No storage phenomena were observed in other tissues. These findings strongly suggest that a lysosomal storage disorder is involved in the pathogenesis of Yunis-Varon syndrome. ( info) |