Consultant for Pediatricians Vol 6 No 11

A newborn male had "cup-shaped ears" and draining neck sinuses that were partially closed by age 3 months. At birth, the child weighed 8 lb 4 oz after a 39-week gestation that was complicated by a single abnormal diabetes screen.

This baby was born with an ulnar supernumerary digit on the left hand. This common congenital anomaly can be an isolated malformation or associated with other syndromes at birth.1-4 Although the true prevalence is unknown (because most hospitals do not report cases), the condition appears to be more common among males and African American infants.1-3 In African American infants, postaxial polydactyly is generally the result of autosomal dominant transmission. In white infants, the condition is frequently syndromic and is linked with autosomal recessive transmission.1

It is always tempting to find something on the chest radiograph that might explain a patient's symptoms. In this instance, however, there are no pathological findings in the lung parenchyma.

A 4-year-old US-born Hispanic boy presented with penile discharge and painful urination. His mother reported that he had no fever, trauma, history of masturbation, or recent travel history. She did not suspect any abuse. There had been no similar complaints in the past.

In most children, migraine manifests with severe bilateral pain, nausea and/ or vomiting, and photophobia or phonophobia.

A 13-year-old girl comes to your office in tears. Her mother wants to cut off her hair.

When preparing a nursery, most parents buy bumper pads to soften the sides of the crib and to add a decorative touch. Traditional thinking has been that bumpers protect infants' heads from the hard sides of the crib and prevent arms and legs from becoming stuck between crib rails. The AAP recommends that if bumpers are used, they should be thin and firm.1 They advise parents to avoid pillow-like bumpersand to remove them when the child is pulling to stand.2 However, a study recently published in The Journal of Pediatrics may lead us to rethink what we tell parents about the dangers of decorative bedding.

A 16-year-old Asian American girl presented for evaluation of a cyst on the anterior neck that had become enlarged and inflamed over the past 9 months. She also had a productive cough for 1 month. There was no history of night sweats, weight loss, or fever.