BACKGROUND An open-label Phase II study of oxaliplatin was conducted to evaluate its safety and efficacy in children with recurrent or refractory medulloblastoma (MB), supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors (SPNET), and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT). METHODS Patients were stratified as follows: stratum IA, first recurrence MB with measurable disease; IB, recurrent MB with o...

Vomiting can be the presenting symptom of a variety of disorders, ranging from self-limited diseases to life-threatening diseases. The causes of vomiting vary with age of presentation, and pediatricians should develop the skill to identify serious conditions at the earliest stage based on the age of presentation. Bilious emesis at any age is a sign of intestinal obstruction until proven otherwi...

Gastric volvulus is a rare cause of recurrent abdominal pain in children. Usually it is associated with diaphragmatic pathology. A 9-year-old boy presented with recurrent abdominal pain and vomiting. Investigations confirmed a volved stomach in the left chest and a left congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Laparoscopic reduction and repair of CDH was performed successfully. The stomach was de...

Although lipoma is a common tumor found in almost all parts of the body, that occurring in the mesentery of the gut is a rarity. A 29-year-old man presented in our center with a 10-year history of recurrent central colicky abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, and central abdominal mass. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a huge smooth yellow mass in the mesentery of the mid ileum. Resection of ...

Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour (DNT) is a benign lesion of the cerebral hemispheres usually presenting minimal biological activity after surgical excision. We report an unusual case of a 7-year-old girl with a temporal lobe DNT, which recurred four years after subtotal resection of the tumour. In the recurrent lesion we identified pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) as a predominant component o...

Though congenital anomalies of the pancreas and pancreatic duct are relatively uncommon and they are often discovered as an incidental finding in asymptomatic patients, some of these anomalies may lead to various clinical symptoms such as recurrent abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Recognition of these anomalies is important because these anomalies may be a surgically correctable cause of re...

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) may manifest with swelling of the face, extremities, and upper airways. Gastrointestinal symptoms are also common and may include abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. However, pancreatic involvement is rare and has been reported only in a few adults with previously diagnosed HAE. We describe a 6-year-old boy who presented with recurrent severe abdominal pain accom...

During a 3 year period, 1987-1989, we encountered three major complications associated with parenteral nutrition leading to congestive cardiac failure--acute beriberi, right atrial and superior vena caval thrombosis, and fungal endocarditis. Unrecognized, these are invariably fatal. Persistent vomiting from intestinal obstruction led to the development of thiamine deficiency in the patient with...

Recurrent vomiting due to bulimia associated with abuse of furosemide and laxatives causing severe hypokalemia may result in recurrent aborted sudden cardiac death (SCD) and seizures. We report a 25-year-old female with a history of bulimia associated with abuse of furosemide and laxatives since the age of 15 years, migraine since puberty, renal abscesses at age 20 y, and rhabdomyolysis of unkn...

Isovaleric aciduria (IVA) is caused by an autosomal recessive deficiency of isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase (IVD). IVA presents either in the neonatal period as an acute episode of fulminant metabolic acidosis, which may lead to coma or death, or later as a "chronic intermittent form" that is associated with developmental delays, with or without recurrent acidotic episodes during periods of stress...