Arteriopathies in paediatric patients: A approach for radiologists

Arteriopathies are the most commonly identified cause of arterial ischaemic stroke among children and are associated with a high rate of recurrence. Furthermore, in recent years, the management of arterial stroke in children has evolved, with the acceptance of recanalisation treatments that were previously recommended only in adults. This shift has highlighted the need for early diagnosis of both the stroke and its potential underlying cause, in order to initiate the most appropriate treatment and secondary prevention strategies. One of the main challenges in studying arteriopathies has been the lack of a unified classification and nomenclature system to facilitate diagnosis and grouping. This article outlines the imaging techniques required in each scenario, presents the various proposed and accepted classification systems, and describes the characteristic imaging findings of the most common entities.