PurposeThis study aimed to investigate useful parameters for estimating gastrocnemius (GCM) muscle volume (MV) using ultrasonography (US) and anthropometry in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP).Materials and MethodsEighteen legs from nine children with spastic CP aged 2 to 6 years were investigated in this study. Tibial length (TL) of each leg was measured and muscle thickness (MT) and anatomical cross-sectional area (aCSA) of GCM muscles were assessed using US. The volume of the GCM was measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The relationship of TL, MT, and aCSA with MV measured by MRI was investigated. Simple and multiple regression analyses were performed to establish muscle volume prediction equations.ResultsResting MT, aCSA, and TL were highly related to MV of both medial and lateral head of GCM determined by MRI. The MV prediction equation based on simple regression analysis resulted in r2 values ranging from 0.591 to 0.832 (p<0.05). The r2 values were higher using aCSA as independent variable than using MT. The MV prediction equation based on multiple regression analysis resulted in r2 values ranging from 0.779 to 0.903 (p<0.05). However, the relatively high standard error of the estimate values ranged from 18.0-33.6% on simple regression and 15.5-25.6% on multiple regression. The contribution of aCSA was higher than that of MT for predicting MV of GCM.ConclusionOur study demonstrated the suitability of US assessment of aCSA and MT combined with TL for estimating MV of GCM in children with spastic CP and showed that aCSA is more useful parameter than MT.

PurposeThis study used ultrasonography (US) to investigate the architectural changes in gastrocnemius muscles (GCM) after botulinum toxin injection (BoNT-A) in children with cerebral palsy (CP).Materials and MethodsThirteen children with CP who received a BoNT-A injection into their GCM to treat equinus were recruited (9 males and 4 females). Architectural changes in both the medial and lateral heads of the GCM from a total of 20 legs were assessed using B-mode, real-time US. Muscle thickness (MT), fascicle length (FL), and fascicle angle (FA) were measured over the middle of the muscle belly in both a resting and neutral ankle position. Measures at 1 and 3 months after the injection were compared with baseline data taken before the injection.ResultsThe mean age of the subjects was 5.8 (±1.6) years. Spasticity was significantly reduced when measured by both the modified Tardieu scale and the modified Ashworth scale at 1 and 3 months after injection (p<0.05). The MT and FA of both the medial and lateral heads of the GCM were significantly reduced for both neutral and resting ankle positions at 1 and 3 months after the injection. The FL of both the medial and lateral heads of the GCM were significantly increased in a resting position (p<0.05), but not in a neutral position.ConclusionOur results demonstrated muscle architectural changes induced by BoNT-A injection. The functional significances of these changes were discussed.

The epidemiology of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) after liver transplantation (LT) is continuing to evolve in the current era of antifungal prophylactic therapy. This multicenter retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology, risk factors, and outcomes of IFIs among LT recipients in the current era. We analyzed a total of 482 LT recipients aged 18 years and older who were admitted to 3 tertiary hospitals in Korea between January 2009 and February 2012. Twenty-four episodes of IFIs occurred in 23 patients (4.77%; 23/482). Of these episodes, 20 were proven cases and 4 were probable cases according to EORTC/MSG criteria. Among these cases, IFI developed within 30 days of transplantation in 47.8% of recipients, from 31 to 180 days in 34.8% of recipients, and from 181 to 365 days in 17.4% of recipients. The most common isolates were Candida species (n = 12, 52.2%; Candida albicans , 6 cases; Candida tropicalis , 1 case; Candida glabrata , 1 case; Candida parapsilosis , 1 case; and unspecified Candida species, 1 case) and Aspergillus species (n = 7, 30.4%). The mortality in patients with IFIs was significantly higher than that in patients without IFIs (47.83% [11/23] vs 7.18% [33/459], P < .001). The incidence of late-onset IFIs is increasing in the antifungal prophylactic era, and fluconazole-resistant non- albicans Candida species have not yet emerged in Korea.