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A 3-Day-Old Girl Referred From Her Pediatrician for Oral Ulcerations
Mary Lauren Neel1, Jeremy Kern1, Tova Ronis2
1Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia mary.lauren.m.neel@vanderbilt.edu.
Insights
A neonate presented with oral ulcers, a facial rash, and other anomalies. This case highlights two unexpected diagnoses in infant oral ulcerations and congenital conditions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- A 3-day-old infant presented with oral ulcerations and a history of failed newborn hearing screening.
- Prenatal and antenatal periods were unremarkable, with no significant medical history noted.
- The infant was otherwise well-appearing and afebrile at presentation.
Observation:
- Physical examination revealed yellowish ulcers on erythematous bases on the anterior tonsillar pillars.
- Additional findings included a right coloboma and a II/VI systolic ejection murmur.
- A new facial rash developed during hospitalization.
Findings:
- Laboratory results indicated a traumatic lumbar puncture with elevated red and white blood cell counts.
- Complete blood count revealed thrombocytopenia and leukocytosis.
- The combination of clinical and diagnostic findings led to two surprising diagnoses.
Implications:
- This case underscores the importance of a comprehensive evaluation for neonatal oral ulcerations.
- It highlights the potential for co-occurrence of seemingly unrelated congenital anomalies and acquired conditions.
- The discussion emphasizes the diagnostic challenges and unexpected etiologies in pediatric presentations.
Abstract:
A 3-day-old girl was referred from her pediatrician for oral ulcerations. The patient was otherwise well appearing and afebrile. Her prenatal and antenatal courses were unremarkable, except for a failed routine hearing screen. The patient's examination was notable for several yellowish ulcers on erythematous bases located on her anterior tonsillar pillars. The patient also had a right coloboma and a II/VI systolic ejection murmur. Laboratory analyses revealed a traumatic lumbar puncture with 182 000 red blood cells and 808 white blood cells, as well as a complete blood count that showed thrombocytopenia and leukocytosis. During the patient's hospitalization, she developed a new facial rash. Her physical examination findings, along with her diagnostic evaluation and hospital course, ultimately led to 2 surprising diagnoses elaborated on in this case discussion.
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