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Ischemic Stroke in Children a Case Report

Received: 20 April 2025     Accepted: 3 May 2025     Published: 12 June 2025
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Abstract

Ischemic stroke in children is a rare yet serious condition with high risk of morbidity and long-term neurological sequelae. Early diagnosis and management are often challenging due to subtle clinical presentations and the wide differential diagnoses in pediatric patients. We report a case of a 2-year-old girl who presented with persistent left-sided hemiparesis first noticed at the age of 9 months. MRI revealed chronic infarction in the right corona radiata and lentiform nucleus. Magnetic resonance venography (MRV) suggested left transverse sinus thrombosis. There was no evidence of cardiac abnormalities, thrombophilia, or infection. The patient was diagnosed with chronic ischemic stroke and underwent regular physiotherapy. One year later, she developed generalized tonic-clonic seizures. EEG findings supported the diagnosis of epilepsy with structural etiology. Laboratory investigations revealed vitamin D insufficiency, which may have contributed to post-stroke epilepsy. This case underscores the complexity of diagnosing pediatric stroke, particularly when presentation is delayed. Arteriopathy and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis were the most likely causes. Risk factors for post-stroke epilepsy in this case include neurological deficits, cortical involvement, and low vitamin D levels. Early neuroimaging, appropriate rehabilitation, and long-term monitoring are essential in optimizing neurological outcomes. Pediatric stroke, though uncommon, can lead to significant disability if not identified and managed early. This case illustrates the importance of timely neuroimaging and long-term follow-up, especially in children under one year of age who are at increased risk of poor outcomes and epilepsy.

Published in American Journal of Pediatrics (Volume 11, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajp.20251102.20
Page(s) 101-107
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Pediatric Ischemic Stroke, Hemiparesis, Post-stroke Epilepsy, Cerebral Infarction, Arteriopathy, Transverse Sinus Thrombosis, Vitamin D Insufficiency

References
[1] Rosa M., De Lucia S., Rinaldi V. E., Le Gal J., Desmarest M., Veropalumbo C., et al. Paediatric arterial ischemic stroke: acute management, recent advances and remaining issues. Ital J Pediatr. 2015; 41: 1–12.
[2] Klučka J., Klabusayová E., Musilová T., Kramplová T., Skříšovská T., Kratochvíl M., et al. Pediatric patient with ischemic stroke: initial approach and early management. Children. 2021; 8(8): 649.
[3] Mastrangelo M., Giordo L., Ricciardi G., De Michele M., Toni D., Leuzzi V. Acute ischemic stroke in childhood: a comprehensive review. Eur J Pediatr. 2022; 1–14.
[4] Ciccone S., Cappella M., Borgna-Pignatti C. Ischemic stroke in infants and children: practical management in emergency. Stroke Res Treat. 2011; 2011(1): 736965.
[5] Tsze D. S., Valente J. H. Pediatric stroke: a review. Emerg Med Int. 2011; 2011(1): 734506.
[6] Mallick A. A., Ganesan V., Kirkham F. J., Fallon P., Hedderly T., McShane T., et al. Childhood arterial ischaemic stroke incidence, presenting features, and risk factors: a prospective population-based study. Lancet Neurol. 2014; 13(1): 35–43.
[7] Chiang K. L., Cheng C. Y. Epidemiology, risk factors and characteristics of pediatric stroke: A nationwide population-based study. QJM An Int J Med. 2018; 111(7): 445–54.
[8] Bernard T. J., Manco-Johnson M. J., Lo W., MacKay M. T., Ganesan V., Deveber G., et al. Towards a consensus-based classification of childhood arterial ischemic stroke. Stroke. 2012; 43(2): 371–7.
[9] Ferriero D. M., Fullerton H. J., Bernard T. J., Billinghurst L., Daniels S. R., DeBaun M. R., et al. Management of stroke in neonates and children: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2019; 50(3): e51–96.
[10] Hollist M., Au K., Morgan L., Shetty P. A., Rane R., Hollist A., et al. Pediatric stroke: overview and recent updates. Aging Dis. 2021; 12(4): 1043.
[11] Chulpayev B., Benitez S., Van Dine S., Erdfarb A. J., Moshé S. L., Ballaban-Gil K., et al. Pediatric Ischemic Strokes. Adv Clin Radiol. 2020; 2: 319–24.
[12] Yücel G., Arslan A. K., Özgör B., Güngör S. Risk factors for epilepsy following arterial ischemic stroke childhood: A retrospective cohort study. Epilepsy Behav. 2024; 157: 109873.
[13] Felling R. J., Rafay M. F., Bernard T. J., Carpenter J. L., Dlamini N., Hassanein S. M. A., et al. Predicting Recovery and Outcome after Pediatric Stroke: Results from the International Pediatric Stroke Study. Ann Neurol. 2020; 87(6): 840–52.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Kinasih, N. M. P. L., Suwarba, I. G. N. M., Mahalini, D. S. (2025). Ischemic Stroke in Children a Case Report. American Journal of Pediatrics, 11(2), 101-107. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20251102.20

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    ACS Style

    Kinasih, N. M. P. L.; Suwarba, I. G. N. M.; Mahalini, D. S. Ischemic Stroke in Children a Case Report. Am. J. Pediatr. 2025, 11(2), 101-107. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20251102.20

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    AMA Style

    Kinasih NMPL, Suwarba IGNM, Mahalini DS. Ischemic Stroke in Children a Case Report. Am J Pediatr. 2025;11(2):101-107. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20251102.20

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajp.20251102.20,
      author = {Ni Made Praba Laras Kinasih and I Gusti Ngurah Made Suwarba and Dewi Sutriani Mahalini},
      title = {Ischemic Stroke in Children a Case Report
    },
      journal = {American Journal of Pediatrics},
      volume = {11},
      number = {2},
      pages = {101-107},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajp.20251102.20},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20251102.20},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajp.20251102.20},
      abstract = {Ischemic stroke in children is a rare yet serious condition with high risk of morbidity and long-term neurological sequelae. Early diagnosis and management are often challenging due to subtle clinical presentations and the wide differential diagnoses in pediatric patients. We report a case of a 2-year-old girl who presented with persistent left-sided hemiparesis first noticed at the age of 9 months. MRI revealed chronic infarction in the right corona radiata and lentiform nucleus. Magnetic resonance venography (MRV) suggested left transverse sinus thrombosis. There was no evidence of cardiac abnormalities, thrombophilia, or infection. The patient was diagnosed with chronic ischemic stroke and underwent regular physiotherapy. One year later, she developed generalized tonic-clonic seizures. EEG findings supported the diagnosis of epilepsy with structural etiology. Laboratory investigations revealed vitamin D insufficiency, which may have contributed to post-stroke epilepsy. This case underscores the complexity of diagnosing pediatric stroke, particularly when presentation is delayed. Arteriopathy and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis were the most likely causes. Risk factors for post-stroke epilepsy in this case include neurological deficits, cortical involvement, and low vitamin D levels. Early neuroimaging, appropriate rehabilitation, and long-term monitoring are essential in optimizing neurological outcomes. Pediatric stroke, though uncommon, can lead to significant disability if not identified and managed early. This case illustrates the importance of timely neuroimaging and long-term follow-up, especially in children under one year of age who are at increased risk of poor outcomes and epilepsy.
    },
     year = {2025}
    }
    

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    AU  - Ni Made Praba Laras Kinasih
    AU  - I Gusti Ngurah Made Suwarba
    AU  - Dewi Sutriani Mahalini
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    JF  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JO  - American Journal of Pediatrics
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    AB  - Ischemic stroke in children is a rare yet serious condition with high risk of morbidity and long-term neurological sequelae. Early diagnosis and management are often challenging due to subtle clinical presentations and the wide differential diagnoses in pediatric patients. We report a case of a 2-year-old girl who presented with persistent left-sided hemiparesis first noticed at the age of 9 months. MRI revealed chronic infarction in the right corona radiata and lentiform nucleus. Magnetic resonance venography (MRV) suggested left transverse sinus thrombosis. There was no evidence of cardiac abnormalities, thrombophilia, or infection. The patient was diagnosed with chronic ischemic stroke and underwent regular physiotherapy. One year later, she developed generalized tonic-clonic seizures. EEG findings supported the diagnosis of epilepsy with structural etiology. Laboratory investigations revealed vitamin D insufficiency, which may have contributed to post-stroke epilepsy. This case underscores the complexity of diagnosing pediatric stroke, particularly when presentation is delayed. Arteriopathy and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis were the most likely causes. Risk factors for post-stroke epilepsy in this case include neurological deficits, cortical involvement, and low vitamin D levels. Early neuroimaging, appropriate rehabilitation, and long-term monitoring are essential in optimizing neurological outcomes. Pediatric stroke, though uncommon, can lead to significant disability if not identified and managed early. This case illustrates the importance of timely neuroimaging and long-term follow-up, especially in children under one year of age who are at increased risk of poor outcomes and epilepsy.
    
    VL  - 11
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