Pediatric stroke is a rare condition, with an incidence of about 3 children per 100,000 in the pediatric population, but it is among the 10 most common causes of death in patients under the age of 24, and moreover, most children present with lifelong, concomitant neurological deficits after a stroke.
A child with sudden neurological deficits is a patient who requires prompt diagnostic imaging; often, in the pediatric population, symptoms indicative of stroke can come from completely different causes and such a condition is called " stroke mimick."
According to current international recommendations, when a pediatric stroke is suspected, the diagnostic modality of choice is MRI imaging of the head and neck including the vascularization in that area, and the imaging study should be performed within 60 minutes of the child entering the hospital. Currently, patients 16 years of age and older with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke and symptoms lasting less than 4.5 hours may be eligible for thrombolytic treatment under the same conditions as adult patients. The results of endovascular treatment, i.e. thrombectomy, in children are also very promising, says Prof. Ilona Kopyta, who is vice-chairman of the Section of Vascular Diseases of the Polish Society of Child Neurologists. The efforts to develop the recommendation were led by Prof. Kopyta in cooperation with the chairman of the Section, i.e. Prof. Ewa Pilarska from the Medical University of Gdansk. - Both of us are also equal first authors of the recommendation , and this information can be found under the affiliations of the co-authors of the publication. As in the case of the textbook( Stroke in children and adolescents, PZWL, 2021), of which we are also both equal co-editors," adds Prof. Kopyta.
Also noteworthy is the fact that, according to information obtained during the session : " Global perspectives in cerebrovascular diseases in children" , in which Prof. Kopyta participated as a member of the scientific committee of the conference ( Founding Congress of the International Pediatric Stroke Organization, Vienna, 2022) and during the session :
"Challenges in the Diagnosis and Management of Pediatric Stroke in Resource-Limited Settings," which she co-chaired (International Pediatric Stroke Organization virtual conference, April 29, 2023) national recommendations for the management of children with stroke are few in Europe. Globally, they come from the US and Australia. So this publication sets our country apart internationally.
In Europe, only a handful of countries have recommendations for pediatric stroke that take into account local conditions
