Vertebro-basilar arterial occlusion in childhood--report of a case and review of the literature

Childhood basilar artery occlusion: a report of 5 cases and review of the literature

Basilar artery occlusion has poor outcome in adults; little is known regarding outcomes in children. Whether intra-arterial treatments improve adult outcomes is controversial. Safety and efficacy of intra-arterial treatments in children are unknown. We report 5 cases of basilar artery occlusion and review published cases. We estimated National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin Score (mRS) of published cases, compared scores between non-intra-arterial treatments and intra-arterial treatments groups, and examined the correlation between NIHSS and mRS. Of our cases, 4 had good outcomes and 1 died. Of 63 published cases, 45 had no intra-arterial treatments and 18 had intra-arterial treatments. In the non-intra-arterial treatments group 24 had good outcomes. In the intra-arterial treatments group 13 had good outcomes. There was strong correlation between the NIHSS and the mRS. Children with basilar artery occlusion have better outcomes than adults. Certain children with basilar artery occlusion may be treated conservatively. A registry for childhood basilar artery occlusion is urgently needed.

Fifteen-minute consultation: The child with acute ataxia

Acute ataxia is a relatively common presentation to the paediatric acute services or child neurologist. Although the cause of ataxia is most often benign, it is important during initial assessment to recognise or exclude serious causes including brain tumour and central nervous system infections. It is equally important to recognise the non-neurological causes of unsteady gait and to avoid unnecessary investigations. In this review, we have presented a diagnostic approach to a child presenting with acute ataxia and described various causes, their treatments and outcomes.

Successful endovascular therapy for acute basilar thrombosis in an adolescent

Pediatric stroke is an underrecognized, potentially treatable cause of childhood neurologic disease. Acute basilar artery thrombosis is a devastating disease rarely encountered in children. Acute interventions with both chemical and mechanical thrombolysis techniques can improve outcomes in adults with arterial thrombosis of the posterior cerebral circulation. We report a case of intervention with both intra-arterial alteplase (tissue plasminogen activator) and cerebral balloon angioplasty to treat a prolonged basilar artery occlusion secondary to idiopathic thrombosis in an adolescent. Despite the patient being clinically locked-in and intervention being delayed at least 20 hours from symptom onset, he obtained complete neurologic recovery. Issues of pediatric stroke, late therapeutic intervention, chemical thrombolysis, and cerebral angioplasty are discussed. This case highlights the underrecognition and subsequent delay in diagnosis of pediatric stroke and how acute intervention may cure otherwise catastrophic strokes in children.

Basilar artery occlusion in children: misleading presentations, "locked-in" state, and diagnostic importance of accompanying vertebral artery occlusion

Basilar artery occlusion in children is rare. The clinical diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion is often difficult because the initial neurologic findings, most frequently hemiparesis, involuntary movements, or headache, are often transient and can suggest complicated migraine, seizures, or both. We have reviewed 37 previously reported pediatric cases of basilar artery occlusion and present 3 additional ones. In the 40 cases, basilar artery occlusion alone occurred in 22; in the other 18, there was accompanying vertebral artery occlusion. In the cases of pure basilar artery occlusion, the most common causes were trauma and arteritis, but in most such cases, the etiology could not be determined. The cause was found much more often in cases of basilar artery occlusion with accompanying vertebral artery occlusion, with trauma being the most frequent etiology, especially in boys between 6 and 14 years. Of the 37 previously reported pediatric cases of basilar artery occlusion, 7 were "locked in" early in the course (mute, quadriparetic, aware, and communicative with eye movements), as were our 3 cases. In most cases of basilar artery occlusion that are locked in, the basilar artery occlusion involves its midportion, sparing the anterior inferior cerebellar and superior cerebellar arteries.

Acute ataxia in childhood

Acute childhood ataxia is a common cause of presentation to the pediatric emergency room or child neurologist. The primary concern on initial assessment is to exclude serious causes of this clinical syndrome, including central nervous system infections and mass lesions, while recognizing the essentially benign nature of acute ataxia in most children. Childhood ataxia can be diagnostically approached by consideration of the temporal course and presence or absence of associated neurologic abnormalities. In all forms of childhood ataxia, outcome is largely determined by etiology. In this review, the various causes and syndromes of acute ataxia in childhood are described, with discussion of diagnostic considerations and an approach to investigation, treatment, and prognosis.

Basilar artery thrombosis

Basilar artery thrombosis is an infrequent but important neurological emergency requiring early diagnosis and treatment. Of particular relevance to emergency medicine is the recognition and consideration of the unusual signs that may be present in an often previously well patient. It is therefore crucial to expedite investigations, confirm the diagnosis and commence life-saving treatment through the early involvement of a number of disciplines including neurology, radiology and intensive care. This paper confirms the use of magnetic resonance imaging and angiography as the preferred investigative mode and microcatheter directed intra-arterial thrombolysis as the treatment strategy of choice.

Acquired childhood dysarthria: review of its clinical presentation

The adult classification of dysarthria correlating with the pathophysiology of the motor systems is usually applied to classify acquired childhood dysarthria. However, the validity of this adult model for children has not been studied systematically. All studies pertaining to analysis of speech features in acquired childhood dysarthria published since 1980 were reviewed. Studies were classified on the basis of neuroradiologic evidence of lesion site and associated motor disorder. This review demonstrates that knowledge of acquired childhood dysarthria is based on a limited number of single case studies, most of which pertain to dysarthria occurring after resection of cerebellar tumor. Definite similarities to adult dysarthria were not evident. Some similarity to acquired childhood dysarthria due to basal ganglia lesions was detected. We conclude that acquired childhood dysarthria requires its own classification.

Resolving MRI lesions in lupus erythematosus selectively involving the brainstem

An adolescent girl with systemic lupus erythematosus presented with selective brainstem dysfunction as the initial sign of central nervous system involvement. Although computed tomography was initially normal, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated multiple, large brainstem lesions. Serial magnetic resonance imaging, which revealed resolution of most of these lesions, correlated with a good clinical outcome. We postulate that this magnetic resonance imaging pattern represents microinfarction with surrounding edema.

Ischaemic stroke in the basal ganglia and internal capsule in childhood

Ischaemic stroke in childhood is rare. In particular, there have only been a few reports of lacunar infarcts in children. In this study, four children with true lacunar infarcts and four with larger subcortical infarcts are described. We compare the clinical features and the possible pathogenesis of ischaemic strokes in the basal ganglia and internal capsule in childhood with those in adults, and discuss diagnostic and therapeutic management.

Cerebral ischemia in children and young adults

Cerebral ischemia is very rare in children and young adults. There can be a multitude of causes; in many cases etiology remains undetermined. We report here on 7 cases, 11 to 25 years of age. Pathogenetic factors (lupus erythematodes, endocarditis, fibromuscular dysplasia) and risk factors (cigarette smoking, oral contraceptives) were found in 5 patients whereas in 2 cases the etiology was not determinable. Three patients were treated with low weight dextrans, two patients received prostaglandin E1, and in 2 cases regional thrombolysis was performed. Three female patients died, two with occlusions of the rostral part of the basilar artery and one with an occlusion of the carotid artery and lupus erythematodes as the primary disease. Long-term observations of the surviving patients showed good recovery from neurological deficits. Prognosis quoad sanationem seems better in this age group than in elderly patients.

Ischemic strokes in children

Of 44 infants and children (neonates excluded) with ischemic strokes of arterial origin documented by CT scan and/or cerebral angiography, idiopathic strokes, occurring in 22 cases, accounted for half the total. Eight of these patients had basal ganglia and/or capsular infarcts without cortical involvement. The outcome in the idiopathic group was favorable: after an average follow-up duration of 48 months, no child had recurrence, two children developed secondary epilepsy, and only two were severely mentally retarded. However, residual dystonia and dyskinesia constituted an incapacitating handicap, having been observed in 14 children of the idiopathic group and in 18 of the whole series. It may be concluded from the present study that the long-term prognosis of ischemic strokes in children is excellent except for the risk of secondary evolutive dystonia in the absence of any detectable cause.