![cervical spine x ray down cervical spine x ray down](https://brookbush.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Cervical_Xray_Lateral_View.jpg)
Historically, pediatricians were advised to obtain an X-ray of the cervical spine (vertebrae of the neck) for every child between 3 to 5 years. Neck instabilityĪt times, a change in recommendations has been preceded by controversy, raising confusion for both parents and healthcare providers. Perhaps, by the next revision of the AAP guidelines, new DS growth charts will be available. The Down Syndrome Growing Up Study, currently under way at CHOP, is striving to clarify the nuances of these growth patterns. Assessing growth with respect to expectations for their cohort could assist in identifying conditions that might otherwise remain silent, such as hypothyroidism or celiac disease. Unfortunately, comparing growth trends for children with DS to the general population discounts the unique patterns that may be expected due to trisomy 21. While it was previously recommended that growth progress should be tracked using Down syndrome-specific growth charts, the AAP now suggests that these charts are outdated.īecause the data used to devise the charts was collected in the 1960s and ’70s, they may no longer reflect current health standards and should be abandoned for use of standard growth charts issued by the World Health Organization. Growth concernsįrom infancy forward, growth is an important indicator of child health and deserves special consideration for children with DS, who may exhibit feeding difficulties in infancy or obesity risk in later childhood. While the obstetrician may explain the results of prenatal screening, choosing a pediatrician during the pregnancy establishes a long-term partnership that will thereafter provide information, guidance and a liaison to other involved specialists. This gives most families advance opportunity for adjustment, education and development of collaborative relationships with physicians and community support networks. Improved blood tests and ultrasound findings are very sensitive, allowing combined first- and second-trimester screening to identify approximately 95 percent of cases. Today, universal screening offers the option of noninvasive diagnostic testing to all pregnant women, regardless of age or other risk factors. In 1994, pediatricians were advised that a woman given a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome might be referred to a pediatrician for discussion of issues including manifestations of the syndrome, available treatments, burdens of the interventions (both medical and financial), prognosis and recurrence risk.Īt that time, only women over 35 years of age were targeted for screening, missing nearly 50 percent of pregnancies affected by trisomy 21. Looking specifically at the changes in recommendations over time allows us to trace the evolution of our knowledge, but also highlights the value of the document itself. Interestingly, the initial guidelines fit in a concise five pages the current set has nearly tripled to more than 14 pages. Since then, the document has been revised periodically, most recently in 2011, offering up-to-date information and standardizing care on the basis of physician experience and dedicated research. The intention was to assist pediatricians in identifying, understanding and addressing relevant medical issues. In 1994, a committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued guidelines, entitled Health Supervision for Children with Down Syndrome, for the first time. But, overall, there is increased awareness of the medical conditions that are more common to this special population of children. Much of this improvement is attributed to advances in cardiac surgery and post-surgical care. Today, expectations for longevity have dramatically changed, with most individuals living healthy lives into their 60s and 70s.
![cervical spine x ray down cervical spine x ray down](https://upload.orthobullets.com/topic/12102/images/43d577137344a1ff3201bacbd3d361_jumbo.jpg)
In the 1960s, the life expectancy of a child with Down syndrome (DS) was approximately 30 years.