Related Experiment Videos
Insights
Neonatal arterial cerebral infarction can be detected using computed tomography (CT) scans, even if initial scans are normal. Early diagnosis is crucial for managing these serious infant brain injuries.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neurology
- Pediatric radiology
- Vascular neurology
Background:
- Cerebral infarction in neonates is a significant cause of neurological deficits.
- Arterial origin infarcts are less commonly diagnosed in the neonatal period.
Observation:
- Five neonates with large cerebral infarctions of arterial origin were identified.
- Seizures were present in four neonates within the first day of life.
- Computed tomography (CT) scans diagnosed infarcts between 5-12 days, with earlier scans being normal.
Findings:
- One premature infant was asymptomatic, with a hemorrhagic infarct also detected by cranial ultrasound.
- Birth trauma was noted in three infants; severe asphyxia in one.
- Two infants showed positive outcomes at one year of age.
Implications:
- Properly timed CT examinations can now recognize neonatal cerebral infarcts.
- This improves the diagnosis and potential management of arterial infarcts in newborns.
- Delayed diagnosis of neonatal stroke may have been common previously.
Abstract:
Five neonates with large cerebral infarctions of arterial origin are presented. Four had severe focal seizures on the first day of life. The fifth, a premature infant, was asymptomatic. The diagnoses were made by computed tomography (CT) scans between 5 and 12 days of life; CT scans obtained in the first few days of life were normal. In the fifth infant, the infarct was hemorrhagic and was also noted by cranial ultrasound. Three of the infants had a history of trauma to the head or neck during labor and birth. Only one was severely asphyxiated at birth. Two apparently are doing well at 1 year of age. Cerebral infarcts of arterial origin in neonates probably have been missed in living patients in the past, but now are recognized in the newborn period by properly timed CT examination.