Beyond fluid buildup: Rethinking congenital hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is classically seen as a plumbing problem, the result of too much cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain or dysregulation of fluid flow. It is usually treated with shunts to drain the CSF, or with ETV/CPC, which makes a small hole to drain the CSF and burns off the choroid plexus tissue that produces ... Read More about Beyond fluid buildup: Rethinking congenital hydrocephalus
Drawing on data to revolutionize pediatric urology
At first blush, data analytics — sifting through raw data to discover patterns and draw conclusions from them — seems far afield from the practice of pediatric urology. One discipline involves crunching numbers at a computer, while the other involves caring for patients in the clinic or operating room (OR). But for members of Boston ... Read More about Drawing on data to revolutionize pediatric urology
When a critically ill child is homeless
On a single night in 2020, roughly 172,000 in families with children and 34,000 unaccompanied youth under age 25 were homeless, according to government figures. Many more families are housing insecure amid skyrocketing rents. A large body of research finds that both situations put children at increased risk for health problems. Parents may have ... Read More about When a critically ill child is homeless
How COVID-19 triggers massive inflammation
Why do some people with COVID-19 develop severe inflammation, leading to respiratory distress and damage to multiple organs? A new study in the journal Nature provides an explanation: the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects and kills critical immune cells in the blood and lungs, which set off powerful alarm bells as they die. Judy Lieberman, MD, PhD, ... Read More about How COVID-19 triggers massive inflammation
Clinical trials in children: Is there racial equity?
The treatments and interventions used in medicine are often based on the results of clinical trials. But trials involving adults haven’t always represented the population as a whole, tending to recruit mostly white middle-class people. As a result, it’s not clear how well the findings apply to people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Do ... Read More about Clinical trials in children: Is there racial equity?
COVID vaccination in 5- to 11-year-olds: What does the science say?
The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was approved for children ages 5 to 11 in October, but many parents have been hesitant to get them vaccinated. A national study in The New England Journal of Medicine provides reassuring data, showing that the vaccine strongly protected this age group against severe COVID-19. Dr. Adrienne Randolph at Boston Children’s ... Read More about COVID vaccination in 5- to 11-year-olds: What does the science say?
Building a bladder-specific Botox
Botulinum toxins are bacterial neurotoxins that also have a range of therapeutic uses. In urology, injections of these potent substances can relax the bladder muscle, helping treat conditions such as overactive bladder and neurogenic bladder. Of the seven types of botulinum toxin, two have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): botulinum ... Read More about Building a bladder-specific Botox
Targeting treatments for vascular anomalies, courtesy of cancer genetics
Vascular anomalies — overgrowths or malformations of the capillaries, veins, arteries, and/or lymphatic vessels — often confound physicians, especially in acute settings. They encompass a diverse group of conditions, all of them rare, and can affect multiple body systems. Many physicians have never encountered vascular anomalies and may be unaware of the risks they sometimes ... Read More about Targeting treatments for vascular anomalies, courtesy of cancer genetics
A new symptom of COVID-19 in young children: Croup
During the Omicron surge, pediatricians and emergency departments (EDs) began noticing something new: a surge in croup among infants and young children. Marked by a distinctive “barking” cough and sometimes noisy, high-pitched intakes of breath, croup can happen when colds and other viral infections cause the voice box, windpipe, and bronchial tubes to become inflamed ... Read More about A new symptom of COVID-19 in young children: Croup
Using genetics to glimpse newborns’ future with congenital heart disease
Aside from infections, congenital heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of infant mortality. Informed by babies she sees in the NICU, Sarah Morton, MD, PhD, attending physician in the Division of Newborn Medicine at Boston Children’s, has devoted her career to understanding CHD’s genetic causes. Her findings are shedding light on what parents and ... Read More about Using genetics to glimpse newborns’ future with congenital heart disease