Link for CME Credit Coming Soon!

Holly Wayment welcomes grand rounds speaker Dr. Maged Mina on chronic pediatric pain, presented by University Health’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital and UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Mina reviews his background in anesthesiology and pain management and his long-standing work with children.

The episode covers recognition and diagnosis of chronic pediatric pain (>3 months), common presentations (headaches, recurrent abdominal pain, musculoskeletal pain, CRPS, cancer- and sickle cell–related pain), and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach focused on functional restoration. Physical therapy (including aquatic therapy), behavioral therapies, hypnosis, acupuncture, and virtual reality are emphasized alongside family collaboration and school reintegration.

Pharmacologic and interventional options are presented as adjuncts: basic analgesics, gabapentinoids, tricyclics, melatonin, cautious opioid use when necessary, and procedures such as nerve blocks, epidural catheters, Botox, and emerging neuromodulation (peripheral nerve and dorsal root ganglion stimulation). Barriers such as cost, access, and the need for patience and team-based care are also highlighted.

Link for CME credit coming soon!

This episode follows Lisa and Craig Wilkerson as they share their son Ryan’s sudden, severe decline from sudden-onset OCD-like symptoms to full disability caused by PANS/PANDAS, and the family’s multi-year struggle to get proper medical care.

They describe repeated misdiagnoses, traumatic hospital experiences, and even CPS involvement, until Dr. Anthony Infante used specialized testing and prescribed IVIG immunotherapy. The treatment gradually restored Ryan’s sleep, hygiene, social life, and independence.

Listeners and viewers will hear clinical pearls about listening to families, considering autoimmune causes for acute neuropsychiatric changes, and the role of multidisciplinary care and targeted immune testing and treatment.

In this episode of Pediatrics Now, two experts present from the Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos conference on why children—especially Hispanic and Latino youth—are being left behind in pediatric cancer care. Adam De Smith, PhD, University of Southern California, reviews genetic and ancestral contributors to increased acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) risk in Latino populations, highlighting IKZF1 and polygenic risk patterns, ancient origins of risk alleles, and ongoing efforts to expand genomic studies across Latin America. Jenny Ruiz, MD, University of Pittsburgh, examines how language access and communication gaps affect pediatric cancer experiences and outcomes, presenting qualitative interviews and quantitative analyses showing higher acuity and ICU needs for Spanish-preferred patients, and calling for better interpreter services and multifaceted interventions.