Aortic Valve Thrombus, Stroke, and Endovascular Thrombectomy in a Child With APML and Trisomy 21

Gayathri Plant1, Adam Kirton2, Gregory M T Guilcher3,4,5

  • 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON.

APML, a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia, is highly curable, with cure rates over 90%. Despite its therapeutic success, APML poses elevated bleeding risks due to frequent prior disseminated intravascular coagulation. Less commonly recognized but critical is the thrombotic risk. We document a unique pediatric case: a 13-year-old with trisomy 21 diagnosed with APML had an asymptomatic aortic valve thrombus leading to thromboembolic arterial ischemic stroke. Through endovascular thrombectomy, cerebral circulation was re-established, extracting a fibrin thrombus with APML cells. Neurological recovery was swift. This report underscores the importance of vigilance for thrombotic complications in APML, highlighting the potential severity of overlooked risks.