• COVID-19 in the Pediatric Population

      McQuilkin, Patricia A. (2020-04-02)
      This presentation provides an overview of a recent study and its implications pertaining to COVID-19 for pediatric patients.
    • Lithium-Induced Chronic Kidney Disease in a Pediatric Patient

      Gupta, Neena; Gibson, Meghan; Wallace, Ellen C. (2019-06-03)
      Lithium-induced nephropathy usually manifests in adulthood as it develops slowly after many years of cumulative exposure. There is very limited information available in pediatric patients. Renal function monitoring and timely intervention is the key in preventing lithium-induced chronic kidney disease in these patients. We report a case of a 14-year-old boy who was on lithium for almost 9 years for his complex psychiatric illness. He presented with increased urinary frequency and nocturia. His serum creatinine increased to 1.15 mg/dL (estimated glomerular filtration rate or eGFR 53 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) from a baseline of 0.78 mg/dL (eGFR 86 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) a year prior to this presentation. Results of the imaging study were consistent with lithium-induced nephropathy. He was managed conservatively. His serum creatinine returned to baseline of 0.78 mg/dL after a year of discontinuation of lithium, consistent with mild chronic kidney disease. This case highlights the fact that lithium-induced chronic kidney disease can present in pediatric age group when lithium is initiated at a young age in children and that timely intervention may prevent further progression of renal damage. In addition to drug levels, routine monitoring of renal function during lithium therapy is essential.
    • Practice patterns and recommendations for pediatric image-guided radiotherapy: A Children's Oncology Group report

      Hua, Chia-Ho; Ulin, Kenneth; Laurie, Frances; FitzGerald, Thomas J. (2020-10-01)
      This report by the Radiation Oncology Discipline of Children's Oncology Group (COG) describes the practice patterns of pediatric image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) based on a member survey and provides practice recommendations accordingly. The survey comprised of 11 vignettes asking clinicians about their recommended treatment modalities, IGRT preferences, and frequency of in-room verification. Technical questions asked physicists about imaging protocols, dose reduction, setup correction, and adaptive therapy. In this report, the COG Radiation Oncology Discipline provides an IGRT modality/frequency decision tree and the expert guidelines for the practice of ionizing image guidance in pediatric radiotherapy patients.