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Successful clinical treatment of child stroke using mechanical embolectomy
Sophie Dubedout1, Christophe Cognard, Claude Cances
1Department of Pediatric Neurology, Hopital Des Enfants, Toulouse, France.
Insights
Mechanical embolectomy is a promising treatment for pediatric basilar artery occlusion, offering a chance for full recovery in children. This intervention, when coordinated between neurology and interventional radiology, shows successful outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Interventional Neuroradiology
- Vascular Neurology
Background:
- Childhood stroke incidence is estimated at 13/100,000, with significant morbidity despite decreasing mortality.
- Current guidelines advise against thrombolysis for pediatric stroke, lacking recommendations for mechanical embolectomy.
- Mechanical embolectomy is established in adult stroke but sparsely reported in pediatric cases.
Observation:
- A case of a healthy 7-year-old child with basilar artery occlusion is presented.
- Mechanical embolectomy was performed 6 hours after symptom onset.
Findings:
- The child achieved a successful medical outcome.
- Complete recovery was observed post-intervention.
Implications:
- Mechanical embolectomy is a viable treatment for pediatric basilar artery occlusion.
- Successful outcomes in this case and prior reports suggest its efficacy.
- Collaboration between neurology and interventional radiology is crucial for optimal results.
Background:
Stroke in childhood is less common than stroke in adults, but recent study estimate incidences up to 13/100,000. Mortality is decreasing but morbidity remains very high, with variable effects for two thirds of patients. Recent guidelines for optimal treatment in childhood stroke recommend advise against the use of thrombolysis, except for specific research protocols. There is no recommendation about intra-arterial thrombolysis or mechanical embolectomy. Various investigators have published cases of mechanical embolectomy in adult stroke, and a few cases of children are also reported.
Patient:
We report a case of mechanical embolectomy 6 hours after a basilar artery occlusion in a healthy 7-year-old child.
Result:
He presented a successful medical outcome and had made a complete recovery.
Conclusion:
This patient and the 10 published pediatric cases suggest mechanical embolectomy can be successfully used to treat basilar artery occlusion in children with coordination of neurology and interventional radiology services.
