Dracunculiasis   John S. Schieffelin and Richard A. Oberhelman   EPIDEMIOLOGY Dracunculiasis (dracontiasis, guinea worm disease) is caused by infection of subcutaneous and connective tissues with the guinea worm Dracunculus…

Necrotizing Enterocolitis   Barbara Warner   Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common life-threatening disorder of the gastrointestinal tract among neonates, primarily occurring in infants born prematurely. It is characterized…

Nutritional Issues: Toddler to Adolescent   Margaret Kirby and Praveen S. Goday   CHANGING REQUIREMENTS DURING DEVELOPMENT The rate of physical growth during the toddler, preschool, and childhood years slows…

Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity   Avroy A. Fanaroff   Infant mortality is an important outcome measure of the health services of a population. In the United States, where there are…

Pericardial Diseases   Julien I. E. Hoffman   The pericardium is a 2-layered sac that contains the heart and the proximal parts of the great vessels. The outer surface of…

Retinoblastoma   Rima F. Jubran and Anna T. Meadows   Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy of childhood. Incidence rates vary from 1 in 14,000 to 1…

Visual Impairment in Childhood   David S. Walton   Vision is an essential sensory input from infancy and throughout childhood that allows for normal physical, cognitive, educational, and social development…

Chronic Dialysis   Stuart L. Goldstein   Chronic dialysis therapy should be initiated for children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are unable to maintain safe electrolyte homeostasis, blood pressure…

Child Maltreatment: Neglect to Abuse   John M. Leventhal and Andrea G. Asnes   The spectrum of parental feelings and behaviors toward children can extend from those that are positive…

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation   Mary Fran Hazinski   Although resuscitation is a widely taught routine, a formalized approach to resuscitating an infant or child is a relatively recent development. The first…