Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Craniopharyngiomas are reported to be the commonest non-glial tumours of childhood. The classic presentation is typically progressive, commonly manifested as visual field defects, growth abnormalities and/or endocrine disturbance. We report a case of an 11-year-old girl presenting in acute confusional state, with few historical factors suggestive of an intracranial mass lesion and no objective localising signs on examination. ⋯ She was transferred immediately to the local neurosurgical unit and underwent reservoir drainage of the cystic tumour within 24 h. This resulted in immediate symptomatic resolution. This case highlights the importance of early cerebral imaging in the paediatric patient with diagnostic uncertainty and suggests a high index of suspicion for space-occupying lesions in children, despite perceived duration of symptoms.
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The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (the Trust) was keen to engage young patients and to encourage them to give feedback about the service they had received. The standard Trust satisfaction survey was modified for use with young patients, and this had the effect of increasing the response rate from this patient group by 8%, and increasing the percentage of young patients aged 5-10 years completing the survey themselves by 29%. The vast majority of parents/guardians were happy for the Trust to survey their child, but the age of the child affected to whom they would like the survey sent. The Trust subsequently altered patient survey practice to write to parents/guardians of patients aged <12 years and directly to all patients aged > or = 12 years.