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[Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhages in childhood]
C Veira1, D Castro-Vilanova, A Ferreiro
1Unidad de Neuropediatría, Hospital Doce de Octubre, Madrid, España.
Insights
Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage in children is most commonly caused by ruptured vascular malformations, such as arteriovenous malformations. Diagnostic imaging like angiography and magnetic resonance are crucial for identifying these bleeds.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Neuroradiology
- Hematology
Context:
- Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage in children under 15 is a critical condition.
- Cerebral vascular malformations are the leading cause, followed by hematological disorders and tumors.
Purpose:
- To analyze the etiological factors and clinical presentation of spontaneous, non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhages in pediatric patients.
- To evaluate diagnostic modalities for these hemorrhages.
Summary:
- A 16-year retrospective review identified 44 pediatric cases (excluding neonates) of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage.
- Vascular malformations accounted for the majority of identified causes (20/30), followed by hematological disorders (7/30).
- Arteriovenous malformations were the most frequent vascular cause, and acute intracranial hypertension was the commonest presentation.
Impact:
- Highlights the predominance of vascular malformations in pediatric intracranial bleeding.
- Emphasizes the importance of advanced imaging techniques like angiography and MRI for diagnosis.
- Underscores the role of hemostasis disorders in pediatric intracranial bleeding.
Introduction:
Spontaneous or non-traumatic intracranial haemorrhages seen in children of under 15 years old are most frequently due to cerebral vascular malformations, followed at a considerable distance by blood disorders, vasculopathies, tumours and the complications of radio-therapy.
Objective:
To present the cases of spontaneous and non-traumatic cerebral haemorrhage seen at our hospital.
Material And Methods:
We reviewed all the paediatric cases of spontaneous cerebral haemorrhage diagnosed in our hospital over the previous sixteen years, excluding bleeding in the neonatal period. Computerized tomography was done in all cases, study of the cerebrospinal fluid, angiography and/or magnetic resonance in some cases.
Results:
We selected 44 patients, of who the aetiology could be determined in 30. Of these, 20 cases were due to vascular malformations, 7 were associated with haematological disorders, 2 with cerebral tumours and one case with meningococcal sepsis. The commonest form of presentation was that of an acute intracranial hypertension syndrome, also showing focal deficits, partial crises and meningism.
Conclusions:
The commonest cause of spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage in children is due to rupture of a vascular malformation, namely an arterio-venous malformation. Angiography and/or magnetic resonance are the techniques of choice for diagnosis. The various causes of disorders of haemostasia also are important in giving rise to intracranial bleeding.