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Review ArticleReview Article
Open Access

Diagnostic approach and management strategy of childhood stroke

Mustafa A. Salih and AbdelGalil M. Abdel-Gader
Saudi Medical Journal March 2006, 27 (3 Supplement) S4-S11;
Mustafa A. Salih
Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, PO Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Fax. +966 (1) 4679463. E-mail: [email protected]
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AbdelGalil M. Abdel-Gader
Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Abstract

Prompt recognition and early intervention, with pertinent management and medication, may reduce subsequent neurologic deficits in stroke, which constitutes a devastating event in children. This is due to the tasking and demanding consequences including death or residual neurological deficits, which may last for many decades, in over 60% of survivors. Evidence-based treatment for children with stroke is still lacking, reflecting scarcity in baseline epidemiological data on pediatric stroke, the multitude of underlying risk factors, and the ethical and practical challenges incurred in conducting clinical trials. Based on the experience we gained from a combined prospective and retrospective study on childhood stroke (covering 10 years and 7 months and involving a cohort of 104 Saudi children), a diagnostic algorithm, which outlines the approach to a child with suspected stroke/cerebrovascular lesion, was designed. This algorithm might also be of use for managing other children with stroke from the Arabian Peninsula and Middle Eastern Region with similar demographic, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds. Underlying risk factors, which need special attention, include thrombophilia and hypercoagulable states and sickle cell disease (SCD), which contrary to previous studies from Saudi Arabia, were found to constitute a common risk factor with severe manifestations. Other risk factors include infections (especially neurobrucellosis), cardiac diseases, and hypernatremic dehydration. Recognition of an identifiable syndrome or inherited metabolic cause may unravel an underlying cerebrovascular disease. This is particularly important in this region, given the large pool of autosomal recessive diseases and the high rate of consanguinity. In the evaluation of a suspected case of stroke, important imaging modalities include cranial CT, MRI (including diffusion-weighted images), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), magnetic resonance venography (MRV) and conventional angiography. Transcranial Doppler sonography of the intracranial vessels and Duplex scan of the neck are valuable modalities for detecting large vessel vasculopathy, which occur in SCD, moyamoya syndrome, arterial dissection, and stenosis. Antithrombotic drugs are increasingly being used in the acute phase of childhood ischemic stroke. These include unfractionated heparin, low-molecular-weight heparins, aspirin or warfarin, or both. Specialized stroke care and follow-up are needed for children with stroke, as well as their families.

  • Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License (CC BY-NC), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Saudi Medical Journal: 27 (3 Supplement)
Saudi Medical Journal
Vol. 27, Issue 3 Supplement
1 Mar 2006
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Diagnostic approach and management strategy of childhood stroke
Mustafa A. Salih, AbdelGalil M. Abdel-Gader
Saudi Medical Journal Mar 2006, 27 (3 Supplement) S4-S11;

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Diagnostic approach and management strategy of childhood stroke
Mustafa A. Salih, AbdelGalil M. Abdel-Gader
Saudi Medical Journal Mar 2006, 27 (3 Supplement) S4-S11;
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© 2023 Saudi Medical Journal Saudi Medical Journal is copyright under the Berne Convention and the International Copyright Convention.  Saudi Medical Journal is an Open Access journal and articles published are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC). Readers may copy, distribute, and display the work for non-commercial purposes with the proper citation of the original work. Electronic ISSN 1658-3175. Print ISSN 0379-5284.

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