Pediatric Noncerebral Thromboembolism: Etiological Assessment and Outcome

• Published in: Tunisie Medicale Vol. 97; no. 3; p. 461
• Main Authors: Mezghani, Fatma, Kazdaghli, Kalthoum, Fedhila, Faten, Rhayem, Samar, Jbebli, Elhem, Hadded, Samir, Douira, Wiem, Toumi, Nourelhouda, Khemiri, Monia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tunisia 01.03.2019
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age of Onset; Anticoagulants - therapeutic use; Central Venous Catheters - adverse effects; Central Venous Catheters - statistics & numerical data; Child; Child, Preschool; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Neoplasms - complications; Neoplasms - epidemiology; Neoplasms - therapy; Patient Admission - statistics & numerical data; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Thromboembolism - diagnosis; Thromboembolism - epidemiology; Thromboembolism - etiology; Thromboembolism - therapy
• ISSN: 0041-4131

To report clinical presentation and etiologic investigation findings during pediatric noncerebral thromboembolism. Retrospective study of cases of vascular non cerebral thromboses admitted in Medicine infantile A Department of the Children's Hospital of Tunis over 08 years. We confirmed 14 cases of non cerebral vascular thromboses. So that these accidents constitute 0,26 ‰ of the overall etiologies of hospitalizations in the Department. The mean age of our patients was 56±41 months [25 days-12 1/2 years]. The sex ratio was 1.8. The vascular incident was venous in 2/3 of cases. The clinical presentation was mainly painful swelling in four cases, abrupt dyspnea and hematemesis in three cases each and the incident was locally asymptomatic in four cases. Thromboses locations included deep vein thrombosis of limbs (n=6), vena cava thrombosis (n=1), portal thrombosis (n=4) and pulmonary embolism (n=3). The promoting factors identified were: tumors in seven cases, thrombophilias and catheterization in four cases each, trauma, surgery and Behçet disease in one case each. Eleven patients received anticoagulant treatment including unfractioned heparin in three cases and low molecular weight heparin in the other cases. No one died while four patients developed sequelae. Vascular thromboses are rare in children. They are mostly venous and diagnosed in ill children especially those having central venous catheters. Outcome of pediatric thromboembolism depends on efficient anticoagulation therapy which is well tolerated by children.