PURPOSE: To verify the efficacy and safety of lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy in newly diagnosed children with epilepsy. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 148 children who had undergone LTG monotherapy at our institution between September 2002 and June 2009. Twenty-nine patients were excluded: 19 due to incomplete data and 10 were lost to follow up. The data of the remaining 119 patients was analyzed. RESULTS: We enrolled 119 pediatric epilepsy patients (aged 2.8-19.3 years; 66 males and 53 females) in this study. Out of 119 patients, 29 (25.2%) had generalized epilepsy and 90 (74.8%) had partial epilepsy. The responses of seizure reduction were as follows: Seizure freedom (no seizure attack for at least 6 months) in 87/111 (78.4%, n=111) patients; partial response (reduced seizure frequency compared to baseline) in 13 (11.7%) patients; and persistent seizure in 11 (9.9%) patients. The seizure freedom rate was in 81.6% in patients with partial seizure (75.9% for complex partial seizure and 90.9% for benign rolandic epilepsy) and 44.8% in patients with generalized epilepsy (30.0% for absence seizure, 35.7% for juvenile myoclonic epilepsy patients, and 100.0% for idiopathic generalized epilepsy patients). Adverse reactions were reported in 17 (14.3%) patients, and 8 patients (6.7%) discontinued LTG because of rash and tic. No patient experienced severe adverse reaction such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome. CONCLUSION: LTG showed excellent therapeutic response and had few significant adverse effects. Our findings report may contribute in promoting the use of LTG monotherapy in epileptic children.
Child ; Epilepsies, Partial ; Epilepsy ; Epilepsy, Absence ; Epilepsy, Generalized ; Exanthema ; Freedom ; Humans ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Male ; Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile ; Prospective Studies ; Seizures ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome ; Tics ; Triazines

PURPOSE: Status epilepticus(SE) is one of the most common neurologic emergencies in children, which might result in significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of etiology and prognosis, clinical outcomes in children with status epilepticus during the period between the 1990s and 2000s at a single institution. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed the records of two groups (group A and B) of children with SE at the Department of Pediatrics of our institution. Group A consisted of 98 children aged between 2 months and 15 years and admitted from January, 1992 to December, 1998. Group B consisted of 79 children at the same age and admitted from November, 2008 to July, 2011. We compared age distribution, etiology, duration, abnormality of EEG and Brain CT/MRI, and neurologic complications between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with group A, the mortality rate of SE in group B improved from 7.1% to 1.3%. Neurological complication rates also improved from 21.4% (group A) to 18.3% (group B). Duration of SE decreased from 71.4+/-82.6 minutes (group A) to 42.0+/-53.8 minutes (group B). Etiologies of SE between two periods were not significantly different, but the duration of SE decreased, and mortality and neurologic outcomes improved (P<0.001). The duration of SE was significantly correlated with neurologic complications (R2=0.214, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed decreased mortality and neurologic complication rates in SE over the last decade. The Decrease of mortality and neurologic complication rates may be due to the decreased duration of SE and more immediate visit of patients to the hospital than in the past.
Age Distribution ; Brain ; Child* ; Electroencephalography ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Mortality ; Pediatrics ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Status Epilepticus*

PURPOSE: To examine how pediatricians in private practices are affected by the process of training medical students in their clinics as part of a community-based clerkship program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2007, a questionnaire was sent to 35 pediatricians who had provided private clinical settings for clerkship training for the previous 3 years. The questionnaire covered a number of points, including the pediatricians' motivation to join and/or reasons to quit the program; if there were changes seen in their stress levels while supervising students; changes in their treatment procedures or attitudes because of the students' presence; responses of patients and/or their guardians in regard to have medical students treating them, and whether the doctors were inspired to grow professionally by participating in the program. RESULTS: Of the 35 pediatricians, 31 (88.5%) responded. Eighteen respondents (58%) selected 'responsibility to cooperate with medical school' as a reason to participate. Fifteen physicians (48.3%) answered that the clerkship program had a positive impact on their treatment procedures and their attitude towards patients. CONCLUSION: Based on the pediatricians' responses, the community-based clerkship program may instill intellectual inspiration and promote professional growth among the pediatricians in private practices, resulting in potentially better treatment for patients.
Attitude of Health Personnel ; *Clinical Clerkship ; Humans ; Motivation ; Pediatrics/*education ; Physicians/*psychology ; *Teaching

This report describes a case of acute flaccid paralysis after administration of oral polio vaccine (OPV). A 4 month-old male patient with the decreased movement of left lower extremity for 1 month was transferred to the Department of Pediatrics. He received OPV with DTaP at 2 months of age. Flaccid paralysis was detected 4 weeks after OPV immunization. Attempts to isolate Sabin-like viruses in the two stool and CSF samples failed because those specimens were collected more than 2 month after the onset of paralysis. Hypotonic monoparesis (GIV/V), hypotonia and atrophy on the left lower extremity, and ipsilateral claw foot persisted for more than 18 months, while we followed him with rehabilitation therapy. This is the first case of officially approved, recipient vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis in Korea.
Poliovirus Vaccine, Oral/*adverse effects ; Poliomyelitis/*chemically induced/diagnosis/rehabilitation ; Paraplegia/*chemically induced/diagnosis/rehabilitation ; Male ; Infant ; Humans

This report describes the long-term follow-up of a 10-year-old female patient with Joubert syndrome with short stature and brachydactyly. She presented with hyperpnea alternated with hypopnea, uncontrolled jerking eye movements, and hypotonia during early infancy. She was diagnosed with Joubert syndrome based on clinical symptoms and typical MRI findings at 5 months of age. Abnormal ventilation and eye movements disappeared at around 4 years of age. Head circumference kept within normal range for her age, but her height and weight growth were markedly retarded. Simple X-ray showed an enlarged skull with increased digital markings, hypoplasia of facial bones, and abnormal enchondral bone formations in hands and feet. This article is the first report of Joubert syndrome with peripheral dysostosis.
Brachydactyly ; Child ; Dysostoses* ; Eye Movements ; Facial Bones ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Foot ; Hand ; Head ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Muscle Hypotonia ; Reference Values ; Skull ; Ventilation

Background: Rocuronium bromide has been evaluated as a mydriatic agent in birds, but the species applied were limited and the dose and effect were variable. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of topical rocuronium bromide as mydriatics in 4 species according to horizontal palpebral fissure length: Feral pigeon (Columba livia), Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Northern boobook (Ninox japonica), and Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo). Methods: A total of 32 birds (8 for each species) were included as pre-releasing examination. Rocuronium bromide was instilled in one randomly selected eye of each bird based on palpebral fissure length criteria (0.5 mg/50 µL for pigeons, 1 mg/100 µL for kestrels and boobook owls, and 2 mg/200 µL for eagle owls). The contralateral eye was used as control and treated with normal saline. After instillation of the drug, pupil diameter, pupillary light reflex, intraocular pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate were evaluated at 10 min intervals up to 180 min and at 30 min intervals up to 360 min. Results: Statistically significant mydriasis was obtained in all birds (p < 0.001). However, in boobook and eagle owls, marked mydriasis persisted until 360 min. Side effects including corneal erosion and lower eyelid paralysis were common, which was observed in 26/32 birds.Blepharospasm was also noted during this study. No systemic adverse signs were observed. Conclusions Rocuronium bromide could be a good mydriatics option for 4 species of birds, however, further studies are needed to find lowest effective dose to reduce drug-related side effects.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the speech problems in benign rolandic epilepsy (BRE) according to the seizure focus in EEG and semiology. METHODS: Twenty three patients [right origin (13 patients) or left side (10 patients)] who met the BRE criteria by International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) were prospectively enrolled. We excluded the patients who had abnormal MRI or showed both side spikes in EEG. Computerized Speech Lab was used to assess the speech characteristics of the patients. RESULTS: The error pattern of laryngeal articulation in BRE was exclusively substitution of stop consonants, these errors showed more frequent in the left group (16.0% vs 25.5%). Voice onset time (VOT) of stop consonants and Total duration (TD) of word in both groups were prolonged than normal control group, especially in left group (P<0.05). The first formant of vowel /o/ and second formant of /e/ were significantly decreased in left group (P<0.05). The right group scored wider on pitch range (192.9+/-54.0 Hz) and energy range in spontaneous speech (14.2+/-6.4 dB) than the left group (233.3+/-12.5 Hz, 19.4+/-9.3 dB, respectively, P>0.05). Duration of counting (5 to 9) in left group slower than right group (8.6+/-1.7 vs 7.9+/-1.8 sec). CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that interictal spikes and seizures in either centrotemporal sides, especially left side group, may induce speech problems. We recommend the logopedic and phoniatric evaluations of speech in BRE patients.
Acoustics* ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsies, Partial* ; Epilepsy ; Epilepsy, Rolandic ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Prospective Studies ; Seizures ; Voice