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Objectives To evaluate the parenchymal elasticity of the thyroid gland with acoustic radiation force impulse imaging in pediatric patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis and to compare it with healthy volunteers. Methods Twenty-six patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis and 26 healthy volunteers between 6 and 17 years were included. The shear wave velocity (SWV) values of both thyroid lobes in both groups were evaluated. Results The age and sex characteristics of the controls and patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis were similar. The SWV of the thyroid gland in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis (mean ± SD, 1.67 ± 0.63 m/s) was significantly higher than that in the control group (1.30 ± 0.13 m/s; P

Objectives Our aims in this study were as follows: (1) to determine the cutoff value that can distinguish between advanced liver fibrosis and normal liver tissue for two different elastographic techniques; (2) to determine the cutoff value that can distinguish mild liver fibrosis from normal liver tissue for the techniques; and (3) to assess tissue stiffness in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods Seventy-five patients assessed for liver biopsy on the same day were evaluated by point shear wave elastography. Thirty-one healthy children and 11 children with NAFLD were also evaluated. A 9L4 transducer with Virtual Touch quantification (VTQ) and Virtual Touch imaging and quantification (VTIQ) modes (Siemens Medical Solutions, Mountain View, CA) was used for quantification. Results The shear wave speed of the patients with NAFLD was higher than that of the control group. The only predictive factor for VTQ and VTIQ was the histologic fibrosis score (model-adjusted R2 = 0.56 for VTQ and 0.75 for VTIQ). Shear wave speed cutoffs were 1.67 m/s for VTQ and 1.56 m/s for VTIQ in detecting fibrosis or inflammation and 2.09 m/s for VTQ and 2.17 m/s for VTIQ in discriminating children with low and high histologic liver fibrosis scores. Conclusions The VTQ and VTIQ values reveal high-grade histopathologic fibrosis and have high success rates when distinguishing high- from low-grade fibrosis. However, they have limited success rates when differentiating low-grade fibrosis from normal liver tissue.

Background Bisphosphonates are used in the treatment of vitamin D intoxication (VDI) after failure of conventional therapy including prednisolone. Safety concerns restrict the use of bisphosphonates from being used as first-line therapy for VDI in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pamidronate in comparison with prednisolone in children with VDI. Methods We reviewed the hospital records of children consecutively diagnosed with VDI at two medical centers in a 15 year period. Results The subjects consisted of 21 children (age, 0.3–4.2 years) who were treated with prednisolone and/or bisphosphonates. Pamidronate (n = 18) or alendronate (n = 3) was used in six patients after unsuccessful prednisolone treatment, and in 15 patients from baseline. Initial serum calcium and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were 16.1 ± 1.9 mg/dL and 493 ± 219 ng/mL, respectively. The median time to reach normocalcemia in the pamidronate, alendronate and prednisolone groups was 3 days (range, 2–12 days), 4 days (range, 3–6 days) and 17 days (range, 12–26 days), respectively (P = 0.013). The pamidronate group had a fivefold shorter hospital stay than the prednisolone group. Three patients initially treated with prednisolone developed nephrocalcinosis but this did not occur in any patient treated with bisphosphonates from baseline. Apart from transient fever and moderate hypophosphatemia, no side-effect of bisphosphonate treatment was observed. Conclusions Pamidronate is efficient and safe for the treatment of VDI in children. Pamidronate use significantly shortens the duration of treatment, and thereby may prevent the development of nephrocalcinosis. Instead of prednisolone, pamidronate should be used together with hydration and furosemide as the first-line therapy for VDI.

Testicular regression may develop at various phases of the intrauterine period and the clinical findings vary depending on the timing of the intrauterine phase. On the other hand, postnatal regression of the testicles is rare and few cases have been reported in the literature. Our patient presented with undescended testicles, micropenis, flat scrotum and microcephaly. The patient's levels of basal luteinizing hormone (LH) were low/normal and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) was high. No response was obtained in the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) stimulation test. The levels of inhibin B and anti Mullerian hormone (AMH) were found to be low. Penile growth response to intramuscular testosterone injections was 2.5 cm. Testicles were visualized bilaterally in inguinal canal by ultrasound examination initially but by 2 years of age no testicular tissue was observed during inguinal exploration. In conclusion we recognized postnatal testicular regression in our patient that had started in the intrauterine period and persisted into infancy. The genital system anomalies, microcephaly and motor retardation in our patient confirm the hypothesis of Parisi et al. of a novel condition of postnatal regression and micropenis. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

WOS: 000257668200002 PubMed: 18533935 Background: Turkey is located in an area of mild to moderate iodine deficiency. The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of iodine deficiency in patients with congenital hypothyroidism. Methods: Twenty five patients with a median age of 12 days (6 days-6 months) at diagnosis and followed for a median time of 7 months (1-60 months) were enrolled in the study. Thyroid function tests, thyroid scintigraphy, ultrasonography and urine iodine measurements of the patients and mothers were performed. Results and conclusion: Congenital hypothyroidism was diagnosed within postnatal day 13, between days 13 and 30, and after 30 days of age in 68%, 20% and 12% of the patients, respectively. At the time of diagnosis mean serum thyroid-stimulating hormone and total T4 were 85.3 +/- 27.6 mIU/L and 3.9 +/- 2.8 mu g/dL, respectively. Incidence of iodine deficiency was 36% in the patients (median, 110 mu g/L) and 88% in the mothers (median, 40 mu g/L). Thyroid scintigraphy and ultrasound were normal in all of the patients with iodine deficiency. At scintigraphic evaluation, thyroid gland was not visualized in 28% of patients; in the patients whose thyroid glands were not visualized scintigraphic ally thyroid ultrasonography indicated agenesis in 57%, and hypoplasia in 43%. In all the patients with thyroid agenesis or hypoplasia iodine levels were normal. In 36% of the patients imaging studies of thyroid gland and urine iodine measurements were normal. Despite salt iodization program, incidence of iodine deficiency is still high in patients with congenital hypothyroidism and mothers. National measures are urgently required for correction of iodine deficiency in Turkey.

ABALI, SAYGIN/0000-0001-6552-2801; Gurbuz, Fatih/0000-0003-2160-9838; Hatun, Sukru/0000-0003-1633-9570; Abaci, Ayhan/0000-0002-1812-0321; Turan, Serap/0000-0002-5172-5402; Buyukinan, Muammer/0000-0002-2937-823X; yuksel, bilgin/0000-0003-4378-3255; Ozgen, Ilker Tolga/0000-0001-6592-9652; binay, cigdem/0000-0002-7749-8818; ozkan, Behzat/0000-0002-9153-8409; Demir, Korcan/0000-0002-8334-2422; Eren, Erdal/0000-0002-1684-1053 WOS: 000373099300016 PubMed: 26788866 To evaluate the anthropometric features of girls with Turner syndrome (TS) at birth and presentation and the effect of karyotype on these parameters. Data were collected from 842 patients with TS from 35 different centers, who were followed-up between 1984 and 2014 and whose diagnosis age ranged from birth to 18 years. Of the 842 patients, 122 girls who received growth hormone, estrogen or oxandrolone were excluded, and 720 girls were included in the study. In this cohort, the frequency of small for gestational age (SGA) birth was 33%. The frequency of SGA birth was 4.2% (2/48) in preterm and 36% (174/483) in term neonates (P