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This story focuses on one child who received a transplant from an unrelated donor. Her story highlights how treatment for childhood diseases such as aplastic anemia and leukemia has improved dramatically in recent years.
Resource: Bone Marrow Transplant
Severe headaches. Impaired vision. Things kids shouldn't have. Unfortunately, some children get brain cancer. Many of these tumors are tough to treat. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation still can't stop them all. But modern medicine has taken some of them on and won. We'll tell you about a therapy developed at Mayo Clinic that kills some brain tumors, and what doctors there are doing to find ways to stop other tumors from taking the lives of our children.
Sudden spells of soaring blood pressure. A racing heart beat, and intense headaches. And Elisa Vice was only twelve years old. These episodes left her exhausted, weak and very scared. Elisa's parents were determined to find out what was wrong and get Elisa help. They took her to Mayo Clinic where doctors discovered the source of the problem.
If you have a school-age or teenage child, you know how tough it can be to make sure they get enough sleep. And a new study from Mayo Clinic shows that kids who get headaches lose even more sleep than those who don't. That's because headaches and sleep problems tend to go hand in hand.
Resource: Treatment of Sleep Disorders in Children
Most childhood heart murmurs are not dangerous; in fact, almost all children will have them at some point. But if the murmur sounds suspicious -- like there might be a problem -- doctors use a high-tech but painless test to find out.
Resource: Treatment of Congenital Heart Disease
New technology at Mayo Clinic helps doctors document abnormalities in the gait patterns of children with cerebral palsy. The information gathered helps doctors recommend the best treatment options for that child. Before the advent of motion analysis, surgeons had to make educated guesses to determine the cause of and treatment for abnormal walking patterns. Now, this technology pinpoints problems so treatment is more effective. This story focuses on a little girl whose walking pattern significantly improved after analysis showed she needed surgery to correct twisted bones in her thigh and shin, and surgery to lengthen the achilles tendon and hamstring. The technology is used in Hollywood for computer animation (Toy Story, Matrix).
Implantable Cardioverter-defibrillators may prevent sudden death in children at risk for fatal heart rhythm disturbances.
Mayo Clinic gives life saving liver transplant to infant with rare disorder.
Mayo Clinic doctors study effects of narcolepsy on children. Narcolepsy in children is relatively uncommon, but when present, can be devastating if left untreated. Children with narcolepsy fall asleep suddenly, are very tired during the day, have difficulty concentrating, often have behavioral issues, and can also have cataplexy. Many children with narcolepsy go undiagnosed or are treated for other disorders. There is no cure, but medical treatment can be effective. This segment tells the story of a 13-year-old girl who has the disorder.
Babies born with certain severe congenital heart problems have the opportunity to receive a heart transplant within weeks of birth at Mayo Clinic. Heart transplantation is offered only when corrective surgery is too risky or not an option. This story focuses on a two-year-old girl who had a transplant shortly after birth because her heart was not formed properly. She is doing very well, and without that transplant, she would have died. This story also stresses the importance of organ donation.
A new study at Mayo Clinic shows that a specific type of behavior therapy called exposure therapy can help reduce children's obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms more than medications.
Resource: Psychiatry and Psychology
Brain cancer is one of the most common cancers in children, second only to leukemia. But unlike leukemia, the genes that cause pediatric brain cancer continue to be somewhat of a mystery to researchers. They don't know why some tumors just don't respond to treatment. Doctors at Mayo Clinic are working hard to find the genes responsible for tumor growth in hopes of one day finding an easier cure for patients like the 15-year-old you're about to meet.
Resource: Treatment of Pediatric Brain Tumors
Osteosarcoma is a deadly cancer for some children diagnosed with the disease. However, early treatment can mean a cure for some of these patients. While many of these children may beat the cancer, they have to deal with prosthetic bone implants that do not grow as they grow. Doctors at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale removed a tumor from a little girl's leg bone and replaced it with a special prosthesis.
Mayo Clinic doctors work to prevent blindness in babies who are born prematurely. Premature babies (especially those under 32 weeks) are at great risk of retinal detachment. The problem happens because prematurely formed eyes develop scarring which can lead to warpage and then detachment. If detachment occurs, the baby will go blind. To prevent blindness, doctors screen premature babies. If these babies begin to develop scarring, they will perform laser surgery to stop detachment from progressing. The procedure prevents many children from going blind each year.
Mayo Clinic psychologists offer program to help kids with social behavior problems learn effective social skills. The program involves giving children social problem solving skills. It also teaches parents how to coach their children through these tough times. Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D.'s research shows that therapy works better if there is significant parental involvement.
They're often teased, called names and are the brunt of jokes at school. It's not easy to be a child with crossed eyes. The problem is very common - about one child in every classroom has them. Some children can be helped with corrective glasses, for more difficult cases there is surgery. The technology allows doctors to fix crossed eyes, and give better vision and a better life to many kids.
Kicking the habit isn't easy. Most smokers who try to quit aren't successful until their fifth attempt. Researchers at Mayo Clinic are hoping to make quitting easier for adults by getting the smokers' teenage kids involved in the process.
Resource: Stop Smoking Service
Laparoscopic surgery improves recovery rate and quality of life for children with ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Surgical treatment involves removing the colon and creating a new large bowel with small intestine. Standard surgery requires this be done in two operations. Laparoscopy allows surgeons to complete both stages in one operation, minimizing hospitalization and recovery time for the patient.
Stubbed toes, skinned knees, and even broken bones. It seems like these injuries are sometimes just part of growing up. But Mayo Clinic researchers say that the fractured wrist your son or daughter might have suffered during a hockey game or gymnastics meet is part of a growing trend. They found that more kids are breaking wrist bones than ever. The next question they want to answer is why.
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