Stroke in children. Experience in an emergency service
*Correspondencia: Dra. Malka Huici Sánchez. Servicio de Urgencias. Hospital Sant Joan de Déu. Pg. Sant Joan de Déu, 2. E-08950 Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona).
E-mail: mhuici@hsjdbcn.org
Aims: To describe the characteristics of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in patients treated in a paediatric emergency department and to detect clinical differences, depending on whether the condition was ischaemic or haemorrhagic.
Patients and methods: An analytical, observation-based, retrospective study was conducted in the paediatric emergency department of a tertiary care hospital. The sample included patients aged between 1 month and 18 years who were treated in the service over a period of 10 years (January 2001 to December 2011) with a final diagnosis of CVD. Haemorrhages due to traumatic injury or secondary to tumours, thrombosis of the venous sinuses and patients who were not treated in the service were all excluded.
Results: The final sample consisted of 61 patients, 39 (63.9%) of whom were males, with a mean age of 4.6 years (range: 1.3 months-17.5 years). Of them, 26 (42.6%) presented ischaemic CVD and 35 (57.4%) had haemorrhagic CVD. Headache (n = 20; 57.1%; p = 0.008) and vomiting (n = 25; 71.4%; p = 0.001) are more frequent in haemorrhagic CVD, and hemiparesis (n = 17; 65.4%; p < 0.001) and facial palsy (n = 7; 26.9%; p = 0.001) in ischaemic CVD. The main causes of haemorrhagic CVD are arteriovenous malformations (n = 17; 38.6%) and the ischaemic ones are triggered by arteriopathies (n = 6; 42.3%). On discharge from hospital, 27 (44.3%) presented different degrees of disability and 6 (9.8%) died.
Conclusions: CVD is a rare entity, although it presents a high morbidity and mortality rate. Haemorrhagic CVD is seen to predominate slightly and it is observed how haemorrhagic CVD presents more often with signs of intracranial hypertension, while the ischaemic form tends to have more neurological focus.
Pacientes y métodos Estudio retrospectivo, analítico observacional, realizado en el servicio de urgencias pediátrico de un hospital de tercer nivel. Se incluyen pacientes entre 1 mes y 18 años de edad atendidos en el servicio durante 10 años (enero de 2001 a diciembre de 2011) con diagnóstico final de ECV. Se excluyen las hemorragias por traumatismos o secundarias a tumores, las trombosis de senos venosos y los pacientes no atendidos en el servicio.
Resultados Se incluyen 61 pacientes, 39 (63,9%) de sexo masculino, con una mediana de edad de 4,6 años (rango: 1,3 meses-17,5 años). De ellos, 26 (42,6%) presentan ECV isquémica y 35 (57,4%) ECV hemorrágica. La cefalea (n = 20; 57,1%; p = 0,008) y los vómitos (n = 25; 71,4%; p = 0,001) son más frecuentes en la ECV hemorrágica, y la hemiparesia (n = 17; 65,4%; p < 0,001) y la parálisis facial (n = 7; 26,9%; p = 0,001), en la ECV isquémica. Las principales causas de la ECV hemorrágica son las malformaciones arteriovenosas (n = 17; 38,6%), y las de la ECV isquémica, las arteriopatías (n = 6; 42,3%). Al alta, 27 (44,3%) presentaban diferentes grados de discapacidad y 6 (9,8%) fallecieron.
Conclusiones La ECV es una entidad poco frecuente, aunque presenta una elevada morbimortalidad. Se observa un ligero predominio de la ECV hemorrágica y se comprueba que la ECV hemorrágica se presenta más con signos de hipertensión intracraneal, y la isquémica, con focalidad neurológica.
