Plummer-Vinson Syndrome in Children: 3 Cases and Review of the Pediatric Literature

The Plummer-Vinson syndrome (PVS), also named Kelly-Paterson syndrome, is a rare cause of dysphagia in children. This syndrome associates single or multiple web(s) in the upper esophagus with a frequent iron deficiency. we reported 3 pediatric cases of PVS before analyzing all cases of PVS in children reported in PUBMED and EMBASE databases. Among 17 reported PVS cases in children, all patients suffered from iron-deficiency anemia and no immunological disease was reported. The male/female ratio was 1/1.9 and most cases were observed in adolescents. Conversely to adults, endoscopic dilation was often necessary because dysphagia resisted iron supplementation. A single dilation was usually sufficient. One case of pediatric PVS suffered from esophageal cancer in adulthood. in the case of dysphagia in children, a swallow barium exploration should look for the esophageal web characterizing PVS. Conversely to adults, an endoscopic dilation is frequently necessary to control dysphagia in children.