Priapism in children with sickle cell disease.
A review of hospital admissions during 80 months revealed only 8 patients with episodes of priapism of approximately 400 pediatric male patients with sickle cell disease. The patients, who ranged in age from 5 to 19 years, underwent a 99mtechnetium penile scan, and 4 had a low and 4 had a high flow scan. Three cases resolved with hydration alone. Five patients received exchange transfusion of whom 3 subsequently underwent shunt procedures. One patient with a 5-year history of recurrent stuttering episodes was placed on transfusion therapy for 6 months and stuttering episodes have not recurred. One patient had a cerebrovascular accident 1 day after hospital discharge and another had priapism while on chronic transfusion therapy for a cerebrovascular accident. Each postpubertal patient had a severe clinical course; 1 had temporary impotence for 3 months and another had impotence at 2 weeks but was lost to followup. While 99mtechnetium penile scans may help clarify the severity of vascular stagnation, in our small group they were not helpful in predicting clinical course.
Miller
S T
ST
Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children's Medical Center of Brooklyn, State University of New York, USA.
Rao
S P
SP
Dunn
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EK
Glassberg
K I
KI
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011317:Priapism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m
D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m