Acute Ischemic Stroke due to Internal Carotid Artery Dissection in a 10-Year-Old Child

A 10-year-old girl was transferred to our hospital with left hemiparesis. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed a signal lesion in the right posterior limb of the internal capsule and magnetic resonance angiography showed poor visualization of the right internal carotid artery (ICA), and a defect area was present in a part of the supraclinoid portion of the right ICA. Based on the clinical and radiological findings, the patient was diagnosed with ischemic stroke due to right ICA dissection (ICAD). She received 5 days of intravenous argatroban followed by oral aspirin. A month later, her hemiparesis markedly improved. As early diagnosis of ICAD is crucial for prompt treatment in children with unexplained gross neurologic abnormalities, this disease should be suspected and MRI should be performed even without a history of blunt trauma to the head and neck.