Mineralizing angiopathy with basal ganglia stroke after minor head trauma; a clinical profile and follow up study of a large series of paediatric patients from North India

Mineralizing Lenticulostriate Vasculopathy: An Emerging Risk Factor for Basal Ganglia Stroke After Minor Head Trauma in Young Children

Mineralizing lenticulostriate vasculopathy is a well-recognized risk factor for basal ganglia stroke after minor head trauma in infants and young children; it is diagnosed on head computed tomography by the presence of basal ganglia calcification, seen as punctate hyperdensities on axial and linear hyperdensities on reconstructed coronal and sagittal images. In children with anterior fontanel window, its presence is suggested by branching hyperechogenic stripes in the basal ganglia region on cranial ultrasound. Brain magnetic resonance imaging, including susceptibility-weighted sequences and brain magnetic resonance angiography, fail to detect calcification or vascular abnormalities. Although its etiology remains unknown, mineralizing lenticulostriate vasculopathy is considered to represent end-stage pathology of lenticulostriate vasculopathy, a neonatal radiographic condition detected during routine neonatal cranial ultrasonographic examination and represents nonspecific finding associated with a multitude of etiologies. The significance of mineralizing lenticulostriate vasculopathy lies in the fact that it has emerged as one of the most common risk factors for basal ganglia stroke in Indian children, accounting for one-fourth to one-half of all causes of stroke in some studies. The outcome of stroke in children with mineralizing lenticulostriate vasculopathy appears to be favorable with the majority achieving complete or nearly complete recovery of their motor functions. Stroke recurrence following repeat head trauma is seen in a small proportion of children despite aspirin treatment.

Diagnosis of Pediatric Stroke in Resource Limited Settings

Global awareness of stroke as a significant cause of neurologic sequelae and death in children has increased over the years as more data in this field becomes available. However, most published literature on pediatric stroke have limited geographic representation. Data on childhood stroke from developing countries remains limited. Thus, this paper reviewed geographic/ethnic differences in pediatric stroke risk factors highlighting those reported in low- and middle-income countries, and proposes a childhood arterial ischemic stroke diagnostic algorithm for resource limited settings. Stroke risk factors include cardiac disorders, infectious diseases, cerebral arteriopathies, hematologic disorders, inflammatory diseases, thrombophilia and genetic conditions. Infection of the central nervous system particularly tuberculous meningitis, is a leading cause of pediatric arterial ischemic stroke in developing countries. Stroke should be considered in children with acute focal neurologic deficit especially in the presence of aforementioned risk factors. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging with angiography is the neuroimaging modality of choice but if unavailable, cranial computed tomography with angiography may be performed as an alternative. If both are not available, transcranial doppler together with neurologic exam may be used to screen children for arterial ischemic stroke. Etiological diagnosis follows with the aid of appropriate laboratory tests that are available in each level of care. International collaborative research on stroke risk factors that are prevalent in low and middle income countries will provide information for drafting of stroke care guidelines that are universal yet inclusive taking into consideration regional differences in available resources with the goal of reducing global stroke burden.

A rare cause of stroke in young children: minor head trauma associated with mineralising lenticulostriate angiopathy in three patients

Acute basal ganglia infarct following minor head trauma in association with mineralisation of lenticulostriate arteries is an increasingly recognised entity in childhood stroke. Three cases with a classical history and phenotypical features of mineralising angiopathy are described. Case 1 was a 2-year-old girl who presented with acute onset hemiparesis with a same-side upper motor neuron (UMN)-type facial palsy following minor head trauma. Case 2 was a 14-month-old boy who presented with a left side hemiparesis and a left UMN-type facial nerve palsy following a minor fall. Case 3 was an 8-month-old boy who, following a fall from his cot, had a sudden-onset hemiparesis on the right side and deviation of the angle of the mouth to the left. In brain computed tomography, all three cases demonstrated characteristic basal ganglia calcification of the mineralising angiopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated features supportive of acute infarcts in the lentiform nucleus, caudate nucleus and putamen. Two of the patients had iron deficiency anaemia with haemoglobin of 7.0 g/dL and 7.8 g/dL, respectively. On follow-up, Case 1 had mild residual weakness and the other two made a complete recovery. None of the patients had a recurrence of stroke. Basal ganglia stroke with mineralising angiopathy should be considered in toddlers presenting with sudden-onset focal neurological deficits preceded by minor head trauma.Abbreviations: ADC: apparent diffusion coefficient; CT: computed tomography; DWI: diffusion-weighted imaging; Hb: haemoglobin; IDA: iron deficiency anaemia; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; SLV: sonographic lenticulostriate vasculopathy; SWI: susceptibility weighted imaging; UMN: upper motor neuron.