Improving diagnosis of childhood arterial ischaemic stroke

Abstract

Introduction: At least half of childhood stroke survivors suffer long-term impairments. Rapid identification of stroke is essential to minimize the extent of injury by restoring perfusion to viable brain. Improving diagnosis of childhood stroke requires correct identification of stroke by prehospital and emergency physicians, rapid performance of appropriate neuroimaging to confirm infarction, and targeted investigations to determine underlying causes, which guide treatment decisions to reduce recurrence risk. Areas covered: This review will summarize the barriers to rapid stroke diagnosis in pre-hospital and emergency department settings, describe recent progress in understanding of the spe..