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title, docid, authors, breadcrumbs, category, cmeTopicId, documentVersionId, imageCount, lastUpdated, pageDescription, pageKeywords, pageTitle, enhancedTitle, type, references, breadcrumbs
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| Childhood Stroke | dc608435-4c6c-4b53-985a-4630cd24d5ce |
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Pediatrics | 8bec57b6-3f2c-4787-8f1b-04c07c1848c5 | 3b5f228c-631c-4212-a6aa-4fdbe7fd5d76 | 24 | 11/01/21 | Childhood Stroke | Pediatrics, Diagnosis, Brain, Traumatic and Vascular Lesions, Childhood Stroke | Childhood Stroke | STATdx | Childhood Stroke | DX | true |
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title: "Childhood Stroke" docid: "dc608435-4c6c-4b53-985a-4630cd24d5ce" authors:
- key: "47381de4-c9fd-4999-8dd0-1808cd72db6b" value: "Luke L. Linscott, MD" breadcrumbs:
- name: "Pediatrics" slug: "pediatrics" treeNodeId: "a915965c-d436-44cf-ae65-2f22e7246ea4"
- name: "Diagnosis" slug: "diagnosis" treeNodeId: "2b5cea64-a083-489e-ac0c-ec14ba059026"
- name: "Brain" slug: "brain" treeNodeId: "95caa0da-bc4f-4103-8551-f58d6e415781"
- name: "Traumatic and Vascular Lesions" slug: "traumatic-and-vascular-lesions" treeNodeId: "1b07bd39-2fac-4687-8460-9ea81fa3f9c9"
- name: "Childhood Stroke" slug: "childhood-stroke" treeNodeId: null category: "Pediatrics" cmeTopicId: "8bec57b6-3f2c-4787-8f1b-04c07c1848c5" documentVersionId: "3b5f228c-631c-4212-a6aa-4fdbe7fd5d76" imageCount: 24 lastUpdated: "11/01/21" pageDescription: "Childhood Stroke" pageKeywords: "Pediatrics, Diagnosis, Brain, Traumatic and Vascular Lesions, Childhood Stroke" pageTitle: "Childhood Stroke | STATdx" enhancedTitle: "Childhood Stroke" type: "DX" references: true breadcrumbs:
- "Pediatrics"
- "Diagnosis"
- "Brain"
- "Traumatic and Vascular Lesions"
- "Childhood Stroke"
KEY FACTS
-
Terminology
- Acute alteration of neurologic function due to loss of vascular integrity
-
Imaging
- NECT: ↓ attenuation of affected gray matter - Insular ribbon sign → loss of distinct insular cortex - Hyperdense middle cerebral artery (MCA) sign → thrombosed MCA
- MR: ↓ diffusion within ~ 30 minutes of arterial occlusion - Cytotoxic edema is evident in affected territory on FLAIR/T2 by 4-6 hours after arterial occlusion - Enhancement of infarct typically occurs after 5-7 days
- CTA/MRA: Critical for early evaluation & identification of possible etiology (e.g., dissection, arteriopathy)
- MR perfusion imaging can provide valuable information regarding region at risk in setting of acute stroke - Arterial spin labeling can provide useful perfusion information without contrast administration
- MR vessel wall imaging is helpful to identify inflammatory arteriopathy
-
Top Differential Diagnoses
- Complex migraine
- Seizure-related injury
- Acute encephalitis
- Mitochondrial encephalopathies
- Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
-
Pathology
- Major causes: Cardiac disease (~ 25%), moyamoya-type arteriopathy, dissection, vasculitis, hematologic/metabolic
- No underlying cause discovered in ~ 25% of cases
-
Clinical Issues
- Incidence: 2-3/100,000 per year in USA - Mortality: 0.6/100,000
- Children typically present later than adults (> 24 hours)
- Focal deficit may be masked by lethargy, coma, irritability
- Treatment in pediatric acute stroke is often conservative - Thrombolysis/thrombectomy not well studied in children
- Capacity for recovery in children much better than adults
TERMINOLOGY
-
Synonyms
- Cerebrovascular accident, cerebral infarct, cerebral ischemia
-
Definitions
- Acute alteration of neurologic function due to loss of vascular integrity
IMAGING
-
General Features
-
Best diagnostic clue
- Cytotoxic edema & restricted diffusion (acutely) in affected vascular territory -
Location
- Proximal & distal middle cerebral artery (MCA) territories are most commonly affected -
Morphology
- Stroke caused by arterial occlusion typically conforms to 1 arterial territory
-
-
CT Findings
-
NECT
- ↓ attenuation of affected gray matter (GM) with loss of normal GM-white matter (WM) differentiation - ↓ in WM attenuation is less pronounced - Often wedge-shaped & localized to 1 arterial territory - Diffuse ischemic injury can lead to reversal sign with GM diffusely ↓ in attenuation relative to WM - Insular ribbon sign → loss of distinct insular cortex - Hyperdense middle cerebral artery (MCA) sign → ↑ density of acutely thrombosed MCA - Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) - Symptomatic HT in 3%; asymptomatic HT in 30% - Asymptomatic HT is usually parenchymal - WM or deep nuclear hemorrhage is often mass-like → hematoma within infarcted tissue -
CECT
- Enhancement of infarcted territory typically occurs after 5-7 days -
CTA
- Invaluable for demonstrating focal vascular abnormalities in acute setting - Intimal flap in acutely dissected vessel - Major arterial occlusion may prompt thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy in appropriate setting
-
-
MR Findings
- T1: Acute: ↓ signal with gyral swelling - Chronic: ± ↑ signal in cortical laminar necrosis
- T1 FS: Allows identification of mural hematoma (↑ signal) in dissected vessel
- T2: Loss of flow void in thrombosed vessel
- FLAIR: ↑ signal with gyral swelling (within 4-6 hours) - Abnormal sulcal ↑ signal (climbing ivy sign) of chronic slow flow collaterals in setting of longstanding proximal vascular occlusion
- DWI: Most sensitive for early detection of ischemia - Acute: Restricted diffusion (↑ DWI, ↓ ADC signal) ≤ 30 minutes after ischemic insult - Subacute (7-14 days): Pseudonormalization of signal - ↑ DWI, ADC ≈ brain parenchyma - Chronic: Facilitated diffusion in gliotic brain - ↑/≈ DWI, ↑ ADC
- SWI/T2 GRE*: May see ↑ size & number of cortical vessels - Suggests ↑ extraction fraction & possibly recoverable brain
- T1 C+: Cortical & leptomeningeal enhancement is seen after 5-7 days following acute infarct - Enhancing climbing ivy sign
- MRA: Can detect arterial occlusion & stenosis in large- & medium-sized cerebral vessels - Important to identify underlying dissection or arteriopathy
- PWI: Provides valuable information about affected brain - Ischemic penumbra: ↓ perfusion, no DWI change (PWI-DWI mismatch) - May define brain that is salvageable with acute stroke therapy - Arterial spin labeling can provide useful perfusion information without contrast administration
- MRS: ↑ lactate is hallmark of ischemia/infarct - Not specific
- Vessel wall imaging: Vessel wall enhancement suggests inflammatory arteriopathy - Vessel wall enhancement patterns improve discrimination of underlying stroke etiology
-
Ultrasonographic Findings
-
Grayscale ultrasound
- Affected territory is hyperechoic in acute/subacute stage -
Color Doppler
- Direct Doppler evaluation is ideal for surveillance of vascular occlusion in neonate with open sutures - Transcranial Doppler evaluation of circle of Willis through temporal squamosa - ↑ velocities can predict stenoses detectable by MRA - Used as screening tool in children with sickle cell anemia
-
-
Angiographic Findings
- Catheter angiography is rarely necessary in acute evaluation of childhood stroke - Only justified if contemplating endovascular therapy
- Best modality for detailed evaluation of primary arteriopathies
-
Nuclear Medicine Findings
- PET & SPECT techniques can be used to - Identify salvageable regions at risk (ischemic penumbra) - Demonstrate effects of synangiosis surgery in moyamoya-type vasculopathies
-
Imaging Recommendations
-
Best imaging tool
- CT is initial imaging test for signs/symptoms of stroke; excellent for excluding hemorrhagic stroke (more common in children vs. adults) - MR with DWI, MRA, PWI -
Protocol advice
- Contrast can help in assessing timing of injury & performing perfusion imaging
-
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
-
Complex Migraine
- ↓ (early) or ↑ (late) perfusion with normal DWI
- Engorgement of vessels on SWI
-
Seizure-Related Injury
- Swelling & restricted diffusion secondary to persistent seizure activity
- Differentiation by clinical presentation & EEG
-
- Acute parenchymal inflammation secondary to infectious agents, typically viral
- Slower onset with encephalopathy
-
Mitochondrial Encephalopathies
- Symmetric basal ganglia involvement is common
- Usually have manifestations beyond CNS
-
Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome
- Patchy cortical/subcortical edema is most common in parietal & occipital lobes, typically in setting of hypertension
- Diffusion restriction is uncommon
PATHOLOGY
-
General Features
- 6 major causes of arterial stroke in children - Cardiac disease (~ 25%) - Congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, arrhythmias, & cardiomyopathies - Moyamoya-type arteriopathy - Sickle cell disease - Neurofibromatosis type I - Idiopathic - Arterial dissection (e.g., trauma) - CNS vasculitis - Hematologic/metabolic (e.g., coagulopathy) - Idiopathic (~ 25%) - No underlying cause discovered
CLINICAL ISSUES
-
Presentation
-
Most common signs/symptoms
- Depends on patient age, etiology, & involved artery - < 1 year: Seizures, encephalopathy > focal neurologic - > 1 year: Usually focal neurologic (e.g., hemiplegia) - Speech difficulties, gait abnormality, seizure - Embolic cause: Sudden onset of symptoms - Stenoocclusive cause: Gradual/intermittent (e.g., TIA) - Focal deficit may be masked by lethargy, coma, irritability - Preceding transient events occur in 25% -
Children typically present later than adults (> 24 hours) - Poor recognition/understanding of symptoms by child, caregiver, physician
-
-
Demographics
-
Age
- Incidence/mortality greatest < 1 year -
Epidemiology
- Incidence: 2-3/100,000 per year in USA - Mortality: 0.6/100,000 - Underrecognized as significant source of morbidity in pediatric population
-
-
Natural History & Prognosis
- Capacity for recovery is better than in adults, due to - Better compensatory mechanisms, collateral recruitment, neuronal plasticity - Fewer concomitant risk factors
-
Treatment
- Clinical window of opportunity/benefit is not as well understood in children as compared to adults
- Mainstay of chronic therapy for fixed vascular lesions & vasculopathies: Aspirin
- Transfusion therapy for at-risk children with sickle cell disease
DIAGNOSTIC CHECKLIST
-
Image Interpretation Pearls
- Use same imaging signs as adults
- Have low threshold for use of CTA
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References
Selected References
- van Es ACGM et al: Endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke in children: experience from the MR CLEAN Registry. Stroke. 52(3):781-8, 2021
- Visser MJ et al: Automated perfusion-diffusion magnetic resonance imaging in childhood arterial ischemic stroke. Stroke. 52(10):3296-304, 2021
- Donahue MJ et al: Neuroimaging advances in pediatric stroke. Stroke. 50(2):240-8, 2019
- Dlamini N et al: Arterial wall imaging in pediatric stroke. Stroke. 49(4):891-98, 2018
- Khalaf A et al: Pediatric stroke imaging. Pediatr Neurol. 86:5-18, 2018
- Beslow LA: Stroke diagnosis in the pediatric emergency department: an ongoing challenge. Stroke. 48(5):1132-3, 2017
- Satti S et al: Mechanical thrombectomy for pediatric acute ischemic stroke: review of the literature. J Neurointerv Surg. 9(8):732-7, 2017
- Wilson JL et al: Endovascular therapy in pediatric stroke: utilization, patient characteristics, and outcomes. Pediatr Neurol. 69:87-92.e2, 2017
- Madaelil TP et al: Mechanical thrombectomy in pediatric acute ischemic stroke: clinical outcomes and literature review. Interv Neuroradiol. 22(4):426-31, 2016
- Polan RM et al: Susceptibility-weighted imaging in pediatric arterial ischemic stroke: a valuable alternative for the noninvasive evaluation of altered cerebral hemodynamics. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 36(4):783-8, 2015
- Bernard TJ et al: Emergence of the primary pediatric stroke center: impact of the thrombolysis in pediatric stroke trial. Stroke. 45(7):2018-23, 2014
- Gemmete JJ et al: Arterial ischemic stroke in children. Neuroimaging Clin N Am. 23(4):781-98, 2013
- Kitchen L et al: The pediatric stroke outcome measure: a validation and reliability study. Stroke. 43(6):1602-8, 2012
- Beslow LA et al: Hemorrhagic transformation of childhood arterial ischemic stroke. Stroke. 42(4):941-6, 2011
- Cárdenas JF et al: Pediatric stroke. Childs Nerv Syst. 27(9):1375-90, 2011
- Dowling MM et al: Intracardiac shunting and stroke in children: a systematic review. J Child Neurol. 26(1):72-82, 2011
- Lanni G et al: Pediatric stroke: clinical findings and radiological approach. Stroke Res Treat. 2011:172168, 2011
- Larrue V et al: Etiologic investigation of ischemic stroke in young adults. Neurology. 76(23):1983-8, 2011
- Munot P et al: Characteristics of childhood arterial ischemic stroke with normal MR angiography. Stroke. 42(2):504-6, 2011
- Sedney CL et al: Cervical abnormalities causing vertebral artery dissection in children. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 7(3):272-5, 2011
- Lopez-Vicente M et al: Diagnosis and management of pediatric arterial ischemic stroke. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 19(3):175-83, 2010
- Shellhaas RA et al: Mimics of childhood stroke: characteristics of a prospective cohort. Pediatrics. 118(2):704-9, 2006
Images
Selected Images
Axial DWI MR in a 4-day-old term neonate presenting with seizures shows diffusion restriction
throughout the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory, consistent with a perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS).
Axial DWI MR in a 4-day-old term neonate presenting with seizures shows diffusion restriction
throughout the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory, consistent with a perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS).
Axial T2 MR in the same patient 2 years later shows cystic encephalomalacia
throughout left MCA territory & passive enlargement of the left lateral ventricle
. Patients with PAIS who do not present near birth with seizures may later present with early hand preference or extremity weakness.
Axial FLAIR MR in a 2-year-old girl shows multiple areas of cytotoxic edema
in both cerebral hemispheres in this patient with moyamoya-type vasculopathy.
Axial DWI MR in the same patient with moyamoya-type vasculopathy shows diffusion restriction in the right frontoparietal foci of signal abnormality
, suggesting an acute/subacute infarct. However, there is no diffusion restriction in the left parietal region
, suggesting this infarct is of an older age. Acute stroke should prompt careful arterial evaluation.
Additional Images
Axial NECT in a 15-year-old girl with dilated cardiomyopathy shows a large area of low attenuation in the right MCA territory
. Note the sulcal effacement & loss of the gray matter-white matter differentiation.
Axial DWI MR in the same patient confirms restricted diffusion in the right MCA territory
. Also note the focus of restricted diffusion in the left periventricular region
. Multiple infarcts in multiple vascular territories should raise suspicion of a proximal embolic source.
Axial DWI MR in a 16-year-old boy involved in a motor vehicle collision (MVC) shows multiple small foci of diffusion restriction
, consistent with small infarcts. Multiple infarcts should raise concern for dissection, especially when confined to a single arterial territory.
Axial CTA in the same patient with multiple infarcts shows vessel wall irregularity & an intimal flap in the left internal carotid artery (ICA)
, consistent with dissection. The right ICA
is small & showed areas of irregularity on other images (not shown). The findings are consistent with bilateral ICA dissections.
Axial T1 C+ MR in a 2-year-old girl shows cortical enhancement
in the region of a right frontoparietal infarct, suggesting that it is at least a week old.
Axial 3D TOF MRA in a 2-year-old with multiple infarcts of various ages shows multiple tiny foci of flow-related signal in the bilateral thalami
. This appearance is consistent with lenticulostriate collaterals of moyamoya-type vasculopathy in the setting of bilateral carotid terminus occlusions.
Axial T2 MR in a high school football player who developed vomiting, confusion, & vertigo during a game shows gyral swelling & hyperintense signal in the medial temporal lobe
, which is in the vascular territory of the left posterior cerebral artery. Intracranial MRA acquired at the same time showed a small embolus in the left posterior cerebral artery (PCA).
Axial CTA of the cervical arteries in the same patient shows a subtle linear filling defect
, consistent with an intimal flap in the left vertebral artery.
Axial NECT in a 2-da-old with congenital heart disease & seizures shows a well-defined, wedge-shaped region of ↓ attenuation
corresponding to the left MCA vascular territory, consistent with an acute/subacute arterial ischemic stroke.
Axial T1 C+ MR in an 8-year-old with a history of neurofibromatosis type I & known bilateral carotid terminus occlusions (resulting in a moyamoya-type vasculopathy pattern) shows abnormal sulcal enhancement (the climbing ivy sign)
due to arterial collaterals distal to a proximal occlusion.
Axial NECT shows a segment
of the left insular cortical ribbon that is no longer visible on this axial NECT in a 9-year-old with acute right hemiparesis. This subtle finding may be the first indicator of an acute stroke.
Axial T1 C+ MR shows the typical climbing ivy pattern of arterial collateral enhancement
in distal territories caused by proximal occlusion from a moyamoya-type vasculopathy. Note the white matter infarct on the left
.
Coronal T2 MR shows multiple areas of infarction
resulting from left hemisphere herniation. Secondary infarction from herniation can cause more morbidity than the initial insult.
Axial DWI MR shows a characteristic watershed distribution of infarction in the right cerebral hemisphere. This infarct was the result of a carotid terminus stenosis that developed from bacterial meningitis & vasculitis.
Axial NECT in a 14-year-old boy with acute right hemiparesis shows a hyperdense MCA sign
, indicating acute thrombus in a proximal middle cerebral artery branch.
Coronal FLAIR MR in the same patient shows edema in the insular cortex & frontal operculum supplied by the affected MCA branch
. The patient had complete recovery without direct treatment, & no etiology was found.
Axial FLAIR MR in a 13-year-old girl with seizures after using ephedra shows foci of ↑ cortical & subcortical white matter signal in the right PCA & left superior cerebellar artery distributions
.
Sagittal oblique volume-rendered MRA in the same child shows multiple foci of arterial narrowing
& dilation
due to a primary arteritis of the CNS.
Axial CECT shows a subtle linear filling defect
in the left ICA of a child presenting with a left hemisphere infarct after mandibular surgery. The defect represents an arterial dissection.
Axial T2 MR shows predominately cortical/subcortical swelling & abnormal signal
of the left parietal lobe, typical of a subacute left MCA territory infarct. Approximately 1/3 of childhood strokes will not have an underlying etiology diagnosed.