Cerebrovascular disease in pediatric patients

• Published in: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria Vol. 60; no. 4; pp. 959 - 963
• Main Authors: Rotta, Newra Tellechea, da Silva, Alexandre Rodrigues, da Silva, Flora Luciana Figueira, Ohlweiler, Lygia, Belarmino, Jr, Eraldo, Fonteles, Valéria Raimundo, Ranzan, Josiane, Rodriguez, Orlando Javier Ramos, Martins, Régis Osório
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 01-12-2002; Academia Brasileira de Neurologia (ABNEURO)
• Subjects: Age of Onset; cerebrovascular disease; Child; Child, Preschool; children; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Middle Cerebral Artery - diagnostic imaging; NEUROSCIENCES; Prospective Studies; PSYCHIATRY; Radiography; stroke; Stroke - diagnosis; Stroke - etiology; cerebrovascular disease; doença cerebrovascular aguda; children; infância; stroke; AVC isquêmico
• ISSN: 0004-282X; 1678-4227; 0004-282X; 1678-4227
• DOI: 10.1590/S0004-282X2002000600013

Although rare in childhood, stroke may have a serious impact when it happens in this stage of life. Also, it may be the first sign of a systemic disease. We report 12 cases of patients with stroke treated in the Neuropediatrics Unit of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) from March 1997 to March 2000. All patients, from term infants to 12-year-old children hospitalized in the Pediatrics Unit of HCPA, had clinical suspicion of stroke, which was later confirmed by radiological studies. Patient follow up ranged from 1 to 6 years (mean = 3.4 years). Presenting symptoms were hemiparesis in 9 patients, seizures in 7, deviation of labial commissure in 3, and loss of consciousness in 1. The increase in the number of cases of childhood stroke identified and later confirmed by noninvasive methods had helped in the determination of different ethiologies of stroke: the most frequent being hematologic, cardiac and genetic diseases. However, our study included 6 newborns with stroke whose ethiology was not identified. Seven children with seizures received phenobarbital. Six term infants had neonatal seizures secondary to stroke and restricted to the first 72 hours of life.