Abstract

 BACKGROUND:
Stroke in children is a serious disorder in which little has been published. Population-based
estimates of the annual incidence of childhood stroke (ischemic and haemorrhagic) range from 2·3
to 13·0 per 100 000 children and incidence rates in neonates are closer to 1 per 5000 live births
CONCLUSION:
To determine clinical presentation, etiologies, diagnostic procedures, treatment options and
outcome of children with stroke.
METHODS:
Descriptive study of patients with stroke admitted to Children Welfare Teaching Hospital/Baghdad
from October 2011 to September 2012 was conducted. Cases were classified radiologically into
ischemic stroke (IS) and hemorrhagic stroke (HS) and their management modalities were studied.
RESULTS:
Out of 21 patients; 13 (61.9%) had hemorrhagic and 8 (38.1%) had ischemic stroke. Female:male
ratio was 1.3:1. Haemorrhagic stroke was more among males and infants; ischemic stroke was
more among females and older children. In 16 (76%) patients, the diagnosis was established after
more than 24 hours of onset. Patients with ischemic stroke spend longer time in hospital. Seizure
was the commonest clinical feature in both types (17 patients (81%)) followed by altered mental
status (16 patients (76.2%)). CT-scan was abnormal in 20 patients and MRI in 11 patients.
Complete recovery was noticed in 7 (54%) patients with hemorrhagic type, while 7 (87.5%)
patients with ischemic type recovered with sequelae.
CONCLUSION:
Stroke was more common among female and children younger than 12 months. Seizure and altered
mental status were the commonest presentations. A delay in performing neuroimaging was obvious
in the current study. Patients with ischemic stroke tend to spend longer time in hospital. Antibiotic
were the medication most often used. The majority of children were discharged well.