RESUMEN
Background. Developmental disorders are failure or inability to acquire various age-specific skills at expected maturational age, which affects about 5-10% of preschool children. One of the most important methods for evaluation of developmentally delayed children is neuroimaging, especially, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that provides useful information regarding brain tissue structures and anomalies. Method and Material. In this study, hospital records of 580 developmentally delayed children (aged 2 months to 15 years) who admitted in pediatric ward of Golestan Hospital from 1997 to 2009 were selected. Information such as age, MRI findings were collected in the questionnaire and statistically analyzed. Results. Total, 580 children including 333 males (57.4%) and 247 females (42.6%) were studied. Abnormal brain MRI was observed in 340 (58.6%) cases (204 Males, 136 females). The finding includes nonspecific in 38 (6.6%), congenital and developmental anomalies of brain in 39 (6.7%), recognizable syndromes in 3 (0.5%), neurovascular diseases or trauma in 218 (37.6%), and metabolic or neurodegenerative diseases in 42 (7.2%) cases. Conclusion. Because 60% of all study groups showed abnormal brain MRI, using this method could be effective in diagnosis, management, and almost prognosis determination processes.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND/AIM: This study was conducted to provide sonographic measurements of the abdominal esophagus length in neonates and infants with and without gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and to investigate its diagnostic value. GERD severity was also evaluated and correlated with esophageal length. It is a prospective case-control study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective case-control study comprised 235 neonates and infants (120 without reflux and 115 with reflux). There were 40 children without reflux in each of three age categories: less than 1 month, 1-6 months, and 6-12 months. Of the children with reflux, 40 were less than 1 month old; 37, 1-6 months; and 38, 6-12 months. The abdominal esophagus was measured from its entrance into the diaphragm to the base of gastric folds in fed infants. GERD was sonographically diagnosed and confirmed by a barium meal. The number of refluxes during a 10-min period were recorded. RESULTS: Neonates and infants with reflux had a significantly shorter abdominal esophagus than subjects without reflux: the mean difference in neonates, 4.65 mm; 1-6 months, 4.57 mm; 6-12 months, 3.61 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Children with severe reflux had a shorter esophagus compared with those with mild and moderate reflux only in the neonate group. Therefore, thinking of GERD and carefully looking for its symptoms is necessary to avoid unnecessary utilization of healthcare resources in children with severe reflux.