Fits in hydrocephalic children.

Hyperoxaluria in children with hepatic and intestinal dysfunction. J. P. K. McCollum, S. Packer, J. Manning, and J. T. Harries. The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, and Institute of Child Health, London, W.C.1. The association of hyperoxaluria and renal oxalate stones has recently been reported in adults after small intestinal resection; the hyperoxaluria may be related to disturbances of bile salt metabolism. We have determined urinary oxalate excretion in a total of 43 children who fell into the following groups. Group A, 11 normals; group B, 3 with primary hyperoxaluria and renal stones; group C, 6 with small intestinal resection; group D, 8 with liver disease; group E, 15 with a variety of other malabsorptive states. The mean (and range) values for urinary oxalate expressed as mg/24 hr per 1. 73m2 for groups A, B, C, D, and E were 23-6 (16-1-30-6), 107-2 (100-0-119-7), 35-1 (20 4-58 4), 52-3 (34-8888), and 35 4 (9* 9-67 *0), respectively. 2 patients in group C, 6 in group D, and 8 in group E had increased urinary oxalate excretion. These results indicate that hyperoxaluria may not be an uncommon feature in a variety of hepatic and intestinal diseases in childhood, and may have important implications.