During recent years numerous reports on the favourable results of short-term trials with GH in patients with constitutional delay of growth and adolescence (CDGA) have been published, but it has been unclear whether such treatment affects final height. In the present study, the results of long-term therapy with GH in replacement doses have been evaluated in 15 patients who were treated with GH for several years (three years on average). At the start of treatment, 10 of the children were prepubertal and 5 were in puberty. All patients were followed up until final height was reached. Mean final height of the 13 male patients was 170.0±4.4 cm, i.e. −1.58 sds. In the two female patients, final height was 150.0 cm (−3.5 sds) and 164.0cm (−0.8 sds), respectively. Adult height of the patients lagged behind target height by 5.4±3.2 cm (mean±sd), Measured adult height corresponded to adult height as predicted prior to treatment. In conclusion, GH treatment of patients with CDGA did not increase final height.

The presentation of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) beyond infancy is rare, as it is a common cause for severe respiratory distress in the newborn. In contrast to the newborn period, delayed diagnosis of right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (RCDH) is known as it causes less severe symptoms than left-sided CDH. A case of an 8-month-old girl is reported. Chest x-ray and ultrasound examination of the diaphragm for symptoms of pneumonia revealed an RCDH. Thoracoscopic repair could be performed. The further course was uneventful. Thoracoscopic repair of a RCDH proved in this case to be feasible and safe beyond the newborn period. It avoided the morbidity of a major thoracotomy or laparotomy and provided an excellent cosmetic result. To our knowledge, this is the first report of thoracoscopic repair of RCDH.

A 12-year-old boy with Lennox syndrome presented with an acute abdomen and a history of progressive abdominal pain and vomiting over 3 weeks. The uncommon finding in this case was a foreign body detected in a lower loop of the jejunum causing radiological and clinical signs of jejunitis/ileitis. The foreign body had to be removed surgically and turned out to be a hard (originally soft) plastic part of a towel rack.