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Surgical excision is the standard of care. Some individuals advocate the use of hair removal laser for the treatment of congenital nevi. While this is likely safe and effective for small congenital nevus, laser removal for larger lesions might pose a liability for the laser surgeon if malignancy developed from a deep (dermal) component of the nevus that is not reached by the laser. Repigmentation after laser treatment of congenital nevi or superficial curettage supports this concern.
Many are surgically removed for aesthetics and relief of psychosocial burden, but larger ones are also excised for prevention of cancer, although the benefit is impossible to assess for any individual patient. Proliferative nodules are usually biopsied and are regularly but not systematically found to be benign. Estimates of transformation into melanoma vary from 2-42% in the literature, but are most commonly considered to be at the low end of that spectrum due to early observer bias.
Treatment can be medical or surgical. Laser endoscopic treatment is often preferred. Voice therapy is sometimes necessary.
The only treatment for MWS is only symptomatic, with multidisciplinary management
Courses of treatment typically include the following:
- Draining the pus once awhile as it can build up a strong odor
- Antibiotics when infection occurs.
- Surgical excision is indicated with recurrent fistular infections, preferably after significant healing of the infection. In case of a persistent infection, infection drainage is performed during the excision operation. The operation is generally performed by an appropriately trained specialist surgeon e.g. an otolaryngologist or a specialist General Surgeon.
- The fistula can be excised as a cosmetic operation even though no infection appeared. The procedure is considered an elective operation in the absence of any associated complications.
Studies suggest that prenatal care for mothers during their pregnancies can prevent congenital amputation. Knowing environmental and genetic risks is also important. Heavy exposure to chemicals, smoking, alcohol, poor diet, or engaging in any other teratogenic activities while pregnant can increase the risk of having a child born with a congenital amputation. Folic acid is a multivitamin that has been found to reduce birth defects.
Management has three components: interventions before delivery, timing and place of delivery, and therapy after delivery.
In some cases, fetal therapy is available for the underlying condition; this may help to limit the severity of pulmonary hypoplasia. In exceptional cases, fetal therapy may include fetal surgery.
A 1992 case report of a baby with a sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) reported that the SCT had obstructed the outlet of the urinary bladder causing the bladder to rupture in utero and fill the baby's abdomen with urine (a form of ascites). The outcome was good. The baby had normal kidneys and lungs, leading the authors to conclude that obstruction occurred late in the pregnancy and to suggest that the rupture may have protected the baby from the usual complications of such an obstruction. Subsequent to this report, use of a vesicoamniotic shunting procedure (VASP) has been attempted, with limited success.
Often, a baby with a high risk of pulmonary hypoplasia will have a planned delivery in a specialty hospital such as (in the United States) a tertiary referral hospital with a level 3 neonatal intensive-care unit. The baby may require immediate advanced resuscitation and therapy.
Early delivery may be required in order to rescue the fetus from an underlying condition that is causing pulmonary hypoplasia. However, pulmonary hypoplasia increases the risks associated with preterm birth, because once delivered the baby requires adequate lung capacity to sustain life. The decision whether to deliver early includes a careful assessment of the extent to which delaying delivery may increase or decrease the pulmonary hypoplasia. It is a choice between expectant management and active management. An example is congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation with hydrops; impending heart failure may require a preterm delivery. Severe oligohydramnios of early onset and long duration, as can occur with early preterm rupture of membranes, can cause increasingly severe PH; if delivery is postponed by many weeks, PH can become so severe that it results in neonatal death.
After delivery, most affected babies will require supplemental oxygen. Some severely affected babies may be saved with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Not all specialty hospitals have ECMO, and ECMO is considered the therapy of last resort for pulmonary insufficiency. An alternative to ECMO is high-frequency oscillatory ventilation.
The goal of newborn screening programs is to detect and start treatment within the first 1–2 weeks of life. Treatment consists of a daily dose of thyroxine, available as a small tablet. The generic name is levothyroxine, and several brands are available. The tablet is crushed and given to the baby with a small amount of water or milk. The most commonly recommended dose range is 10-15 μg/kg daily, typically 12.5 to 37.5 or 44 μg.
Within a few weeks, the T and TSH levels are rechecked to confirm that they are being normalized by treatment. As the child grows up, these levels are checked regularly to maintain the right dose. The dose increases as the child grows.
Available treatments address the symptoms of CCD, not the underlying defect. Early diagnosis and aggressive salt replacement therapy result in normal growth and development, and generally good outcomes. Replacement of NaCl and KCl has been shown to be effective in children.
A potential treatment is butyrate.
In terms of treatment, acute hypoglycemia is reversed by raising the blood glucose, but in most forms of congenital hyperinsulinism hypoglycemia recurs and the therapeutic effort is directed toward preventing falls and maintaining a certain glucose level. Some of the following measures are often tried:
Corn starch can be used in feeding; unexpected interruptions of continuous feeding regimens can result in sudden, hypoglycemia, gastrostomy tube insertion (requires a minor surgical procedure) is used for such feeding.Prolonged glucocorticoid use incurs the many unpleasant side effects of Cushing's syndrome, while diazoxide can cause fluid retention requiring concomitant use of a diuretic, and prolonged use causes hypertrichosis. Diazoxide works by opening the K channels of the beta cells. Octreotide must be given by injection several times a day or a subcutaneous pump must be inserted every few days, octreotide can cause abdominal discomfort and responsiveness to octreotide often wanes over time. Glucagon requires continuous intravenous infusion, and has a very short "half life".
Nifedipine is effective only in a minority, and dose is often limited by hypotension.
Pancreatectomy (removal of a portion or nearly all of the pancreas) is usually a treatment of last resort when the simpler medical measures fail to provide prolonged normal blood sugar levels. For some time, the most common surgical procedure was removal of almost all of the pancreas, this cured some infants but not all. Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus commonly develops, though in many cases it occurs many years after the pancreatectomy.Later it was discovered that a sizeable minority of cases of mutations were focal, involving overproduction of insulin by only a portion of the pancreas. These cases can be cured by removing much less of the pancreas, resulting in excellent outcomes with no long-term problems.
Once a patient with neurocutaneous melanosis becomes symptomatic, little can be done to improve prognosis as there is no effective treatment for the disorder. Most therapies are designed to treat the symptoms associated with the disorder, mainly those related to hydrocephalus. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt to relieve intracranial pressure is the preferred method.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been shown to be ineffective in cases of neurocutaneous melanosis where malignancy is present. Additionally, due to the total infiltration of the central nervous system by these lesions, surgical resection is not a viable treatment option.
It has been demonstrated that early embryonic, post-zygotic somatic mutations in the NRAS gene are implicated in the pathogenesis of NCM. Recently, experimental treatment with MEK162, a MEK inhibitor, has been tried in a patient with NCM and progressive symptomatic leptomeningeal melanocytosis. Pathological studies with immunohistochemical and Western Blot analyses using Ki67 and pERK antibodies showed a potential effect of MEK inhibiting therapy. Further studies are needed to determine whether MEK inhibitors can effectively target NRAS-mutated symptomatic NCM.
Probably, the most well-known teratogenic drug is thalidomide. It was developed near the end of the 1950s by Chemie Grűnenthal as a sleep inducing aid and antiemetic. Because of its ability to prevent nausea it was prescribed for pregnant women in almost 50 countries worldwide between 1956–1962. Until William McBride published the study leading to its withdrawal from the market at 1961, about 8- 10 000 severely malformed children were born. The most typical disorder induced by thalidomide were reductional deformities of the long bones of the extremities. Phocomelia otherwise a rare deformity, which therefore helped to recognise the teratogenic effect of the new drug. Among other malformations caused by thalidomide were those of ears, eyes, brain, kidney, heart, digestive and respiratory tract. 40% of the prenatally affected children died soon after birth. As thalidomide is used today as a treatment for multiple myeloma and leprosy, several births of affected children were described in spite of the strictly required use of contraception among female patients treated by it.
Vitamin A, or retinol, is the sole vitamin which is embryotoxic even in a therapeutic dose, for example in multivitamins, because its metabolite, the retinoic acid, plays an important role as a signal molecule in the development of several tisues and organs. Its natural precursor, the β-carotene, is considered safe, whereas the consumption of animal liver can lead to malformation, as the liver stores lipophile vitamins, including retinol. Isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic-acid; brand name Roaccutane), vitamine A analog, which is often used to treat severe acne, is such a strong teratogen that just a single dose taken by a pregnant woman (even transdermally) may result in serious birth defects. Because of this effect, most countries have systems in place to ensure that it is not given to pregnant women, and that the patient is aware of how important it is to prevent pregnancy during and at least one month after treatment. Medical guidelines also suggest that pregnant women should limit vitamin A intake to about 700 μg/day, as it has teratogenic potential when consumed in excess. Vitamine A and similar substances can induce spontaneous abortions, premature births, defects of eyes (microphthalmia), ears, thymus, face deformities, neurological (hydrocephalus, microcephalia) and cardiovascular defects, as well as mental retardation.
Tetracycline, an antibiotic, should never be prescribed to women in the reproductive age or children, because of its negative impact on bone mineralization and teeth mineralization. The "tetracycline teeth" have brown or grey colour as a result of a defective development of both the dentine and the enamel of teeth.
Several anticonvulsants are known to be highly teratogenic. Phenytoin, also known as diphenylhydantoin, along with carbamazepine is responsible for the fetal hydantoin syndrome, which may typically include broad nose base, cleft lip and/or palate, microcephalia, nails and fingers hypoplasia, intrauterine growth restriction and mental retardation. Trimethadione taken during pregnancy is responsible for the fetal trimethadione syndrome, characterized by craniofacial, cardiovascular, renal and spine malformations, along with a delay in mental and physical development. Valproate has anti-folate effects, leading to neural tube closure-related defects such as spina bifida. Lower IQ and autism have recently also been reported as a result of intrauterine valproate exposure.
Hormonal contraception is considered as harmless for the embryo. Peterka and Novotná do however state that syntethic progestines used to prevent miscarriage in the past frequently caused masculinization of the outer reproductive organs of female newborns due to their androgenic activity. Diethylstilbestrol is a synthetic estrogen used from the 1940s to 1971 when the prenatal exposition has been linked to the clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina. Following studies showed elevated risks for other tumors and congenital malformations of the sex organs for both sexes.
All cytostatics are strong teratogens, abortion is usually recommended when pregnancy is found during or before chemotherapy. Aminopterin, a cytostatic drug with anti-folate effect, was used during the 1950s and 1960s to induce therapeutic abortions. In some cases the abortion didn´t happen, but the newborns suffered a fetal aminopterin syndrome consisting of growth retardation, craniosynostosis, hydrocephalus, facial dismorphities, mental retardation and/or leg defomities
Lip pits are harmless and do not usually require any treatment, although in some reported cases surgical excision has been used.
Sometimes CHD improves without treatment. Other defects are so small that they do not require any treatment. Most of the time CHD is serious and requires surgery and/or medications. Medications include diuretics, which aid the body in eliminating water, salts, and digoxin for strengthening the contraction of the heart. This slows the heartbeat and removes some fluid from tissues. Some defects require surgical procedures to restore circulation back to normal and in some cases, multiple surgeries are needed.
Interventional cardiology now offers patients minimally invasive alternatives to surgery for some patients. The Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve (TPV), approved in Europe in 2006 and in the U.S. in 2010 under a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE), is designed to treat congenital heart disease patients with a dysfunctional conduit in their right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). The RVOT is the connection between the heart and lungs; once blood reaches the lungs, it is enriched with oxygen before being pumped to the rest of the body. Transcatheter pulmonary valve technology provides a less-invasive means to extend the life of a failed RVOT conduit and is designed to allow physicians to deliver a replacement pulmonary valve via a catheter through the patient’s blood vessels.
Most patients require lifelong specialized cardiac care, first with a pediatric cardiologist and later with an adult congenital cardiologist. There are more than 1.8 million adults living with congenital heart defects.
The procedure to remedy micromastia is breast enlargement, most commonly augmentation mammoplasty using breast implants. Other techniques available involve using muscle flap-based reconstructive surgery techniques (latissimus dorsi and rectus abdominus muscles), microsurgical reconstruction, or fat grafting.
Another potential treatment is hormonal breast enhancement, such as with estrogens.
Substances whose toxicity can cause congenital disorders are called "teratogens", and include certain pharmaceutical and recreational drugs in pregnancy as well as many environmental toxins in pregnancy.
A review published in 2010 identified 6 main teratogenic mechanisms associated with medication use: folate antagonism, neural crest cell disruption, endocrine disruption, oxidative stress, vascular disruption and specific receptor- or enzyme-mediated teratogenesis.
It is estimated that 10% of all birth defects are caused by prenatal exposure to a teratogenic agent. These exposures include, but are not limited to, medication or drug exposures, maternal infections and diseases, and environmental and occupational exposures. Paternal smoking use has also been linked to an increased risk of birth defects and childhood cancer for the offspring, where the paternal germline undergoes oxidative damage due to cigarette use. Teratogen-caused birth defects are potentially preventable. Studies have shown that nearly 50% of pregnant women have been exposed to at least one medication during gestation. During pregnancy, a female can also be exposed to teratogens from the contaminated clothing or toxins within the seminal fluid of a partner. An additional study found that of 200 individuals referred for genetic counseling for a teratogenic exposure, 52% were exposed to more than one potential teratogen.
If binocular vision is present and head position is correct, treatment is not obligatory.
Treatment is required for: visual symptoms, strabismus, or incorrect head position.
Acquired cases that have active inflammation of the superior oblique tendon may benefit from local corticosteroid injections in the region of the trochlea.
The goal of surgery is to restore free ocular rotations. Various surgical techniques have been used:
- Harold Brown advocated that the superior oblique tendon be stripped. A procedure named sheathotomy. The results of such a procedure are frequently unsatisfactory because of reformation of scar tissue.
- Tenotomy of the superior oblique tendon (with or with out a tendon spacer) has also been advocated. This has the disadvantage that it frequently produces a superior oblique paresis.
- Weakening of the inferior oblique muscle of the affected eye may be needed to compensate for iatrogenic fourth nerve palsy.
During surgery, a traction test is repeated until the eye rotations are free and the eye is anchored in an elevated adducted position for about two weeks after the surgery. This maneuver is intended to prevent the reformation of scar tissue in the same places. Normalization of head position may occur but restoration of full motility is seldom achieved. A second procedure may be required.
Treatment of congenital clasped thumb includes two types of therapy: conservative and surgical.
Treatment of all categories of congenital clasped thumbs should start with either serial plaster casting or wearing a static or dynamic splint for a period of six months, while massaging the hand. Extension by splinting shows reduction of the flexion contracture. To gain optimal results, it is important to start this treatment before the age of six months. The result of this therapy is better in less severe deformities. In most uncomplicated cases, a satisfactory result can be gained when splint therapy starts before the age of six months. Splinting should be tried for at least three months and possibly for as long as six months or longer. If the result of splint therapy stagnates, surgery treatment is indicated.
Prosthetic replacement of missing teeth is possible using dental implant technology or dentures. This treatment can be successful in giving patients with anodontia a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. The use of an implant prosthesis in the lower jaw could be recommended for younger patients as it is shown to significantly improve the craniofacial growth, social development and self-image. The study associated with this evidence worked with individuals who had ectodermal dysplasia of varying age groups of up to 11, 11 to 18 and more than 18 years. It was noted that the risk of implant failure was significantly higher in patients younger than 18 years, but there is significant reason to use this methodology of treatment in those older. Overall the use of an implant-prosthesis has a considerable functional, aesthetic and psychological advantage when compared to a conventional denture, in the patients.
Congenital dSMA has a relatively stable disease course, with disability mainly attributed to increased contractures rather than loss of muscle strength. Individuals frequently use crutches, knee, ankle, and/or foot orthoses, or wheelchairs. Orthopaedic surgery can be an option for some patients with severely impaired movement. Physical therapy and occupational therapy can help prevent further contractures from occurring, though they do not reverse the effects of preexisting ones. Some literature suggests the use of electrical stimulation or botulinum toxin to halt the progression of contractures.
The preferred treatment of congenital glaucoma is surgical not medical. The initial procedures of choice are goniotomy or trabeculotomy if the cornea is clear, and trabeculectomy ab externo if the cornea is hazy. The success rates are similar for both procedures in patients with clear corneas. Trabeculectomy and shunt procedures should be reserved for those cases in which goniotomy or trabeculotomy has failed. Cyclophotocoagulation is necessary in some intractable cases but should be avoided whenever possible because of its potential adverse
effects on the lens and the retina.
Large and especially giant congenital nevi are at higher risk for malignancy degeneration into melanoma. Because of the premalignant potential, it is an acceptable clinical practice to remove congenital nevi electively in all patients and relieve the nevocytic overload.
There is no cure for any congenital forms of hypertrichosis. The treatment for acquired hypertrichosis is based on attempting to address the underlying cause. Acquired forms of hypertrichosis have a variety of sources, and are usually treated by removing the factor causing hypertrichosis, e.g. a medication with undesired side-effects. All hypertrichosis, congenital or acquired, can be reduced through hair removal. Hair removal treatments are categorized into two principal subdivisions: temporary removal and permanent removal. Treatment may have adverse effects by causing scarring, dermatitis, or hypersensitivity.
Temporary hair removal may last from several hours to several weeks, depending on the method used. These procedures are purely cosmetic. Depilation methods, such as trimming, shaving, and depilatories, remove hair to the level of the skin and produce results that last several hours to several days. Epilation methods, such as plucking, electrology, waxing, sugaring, threading remove the entire hair from the root, the results lasting several days to several weeks.
Permanent hair removal uses chemicals, energy of various types, or a combination to target the cells that cause hair growth. Laser hair removal is an effective method of hair removal on hairs that have color. Laser cannot treat white hair. The laser targets the melanin color in the lower 1/3 of the hair follicle, which is the target zone. Electrolysis (electrology) uses electrical current, and/or localized heating. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows only electrology to use the term "permanent hair removal" because it has been shown to be able treat all colors of hair.
Medication to reduce production of hair is currently under testing. One medicinal option suppresses testosterone by increasing the sex hormone-binding globulin. Another controls the overproduction of hair through the regulation of a luteinizing hormone.
Several medications can cause generalized or localized acquired hypertrichosis including:
Anticonvulsants: phenytoin
Immunosuppressants: cyclosporine
Vasodilators: diazoxide and minoxidil
Antibiotics: streptomycin
Diuretics: acetazolamide
Photosensitizes: Psoralen.
The acquired hypertrichosis is usually reversible once these medications are discontinued.
In general, the younger the child, the greater the urgency in removing the cataract, because of the risk of amblyopia. For optimal visual development in newborns and young infants, a visually significant unilateral congenital cataract should be detected and removed before age 6 weeks, and visually significant bilateral congenital cataracts should be removed before age 10 weeks.
Some congenital cataracts are too small to affect vision, therefore no surgery or treatment will be done. If they are superficial and small, an ophthalmologist will continue to monitor them throughout a patient's life. Commonly, a patient with small congenital cataracts that do not affect vision will eventually be affected later in life; generally this will take decades to occur.