Nonpharmacological rehabilitation interventions for motor and cognitive outcomes following pediatric stroke: a systematic review

The aim of this review was to evaluate the evidence for nonpharmacological rehabilitation interventions for motor and cognitive impairment following pediatric stroke. A literature search was conducted using multiple scientific databases. Studies were included if (1) the study population was > 50% pediatric (< 18 years) stroke, (2) a diagnosis of stroke was explicitly stated, (3) there were ≥ 3 pediatric stroke participants included in the study sample, and (4) motor or cognitive outcome measures were used to assess effect of treatment. Levels of evidence were assigned to each study to determine the strength of the evidence for each intervention. A total of 18 articles met inclusion criteria. Most studies (N = 14) examined rehabilitation of the upper limb, with constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) as the most common intervention. Overall, the evidence supports the use of CIMT, forced use therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, functional electrical stimulation, and robotics, but suggests no beneficial effect of transcranial direct current stimulation. Very few studies assessed interventions for the lower limb (N = 1) or cognitive impairment (N = 3).Conclusion: Effective rehabilitation approaches are important for optimizing outcomes in children who have had a stroke. Although the number of published clinical trials has increased in recent years, little evidence-based guidance exists for this clinical population. What is Known: • Pediatric stroke is a significant cause of disability in children that is often associated with long-term motor and cognitive sequelae. • There is a need to establish a knowledge base regarding available evidence-based rehabilitation therapies for this clinical population. What is New: • Most studies examining interventions for motor function focus on upper limb rehabilitation, whereas few studies have investigated interventions for improving lower limb or cognitive impairment. • An important gap exists regarding evidence-based rehabilitative treatment approaches for pediatric stroke.

Tailored suprainsular partial hemispherotomy: a new functional disconnection technique for stroke-induced refractory epilepsy

OBJECTIVEHemispherotomy is currently the most frequently performed surgical option for refractory epilepsy associated with large perinatal or childhood ischemic events. Such an approach may lead to good seizure control, but it has inherent functional consequences linked to the disconnection of functional cortices. The authors report on 6 consecutive patients who presented with severe epilepsy associated with hemiplegia due to stroke and who benefitted from a new, stereoelectroencephalography-guided partial disconnection technique.METHODSThe authors developed a new disconnection technique termed "tailored suprainsular partial hemispherotomy" (TSIPH). Disconnection always included premotor and motor cortex with variable anterior and posterior extent.RESULTSAt a mean follow-up of 28 months, there were no deaths and no patient had hydrocephalus. Motor degradation was observed in all patients in the 2 weeks after surgery, but all patients completely recovered. The 6 patients were seizure free (Engel class IA) at the last follow-up. No neuropsychological aggravation was observed.CONCLUSIONSTSIPH appears to be a conservative alternative to classic hemispherotomy, leading to favorable outcome in this series.

Immunotherapy for arterial ischaemic stroke in childhood: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

There is little evidence about either prevention or treatment of childhood arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS). However, drugs that regulate the immune and inflammatory response could theoretically prevent occurrence or recurrence of AIS. Additionally, as an acute treatment, they may limit the neurological damage caused by AIS. Here, we systematically review the evidence on the use of immunotherapy in childhood AIS.

DESIGN

A systematic review of publications in databases Embase and Medline from inception. All types of evidence were included from trials, cohorts, case-control and cross-sectional studies and case reports.

RESULTS

34 reports were included: 32 observational studies and 2 trials. Immunotherapy was used in two key patient groups: arteriopathy and acute infection. The majority were cases of varicella and primary angiitis of the central nervous system. All three cohorts and 80% of the case studies were treated with steroids. Recurrence rates were low. Analytical studies weakly associated steroids with lower odds of new stroke and neurological deficits, and better cognitive outcomes in the context of Moyamoya disease and tuberculosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Immunotherapies are used in children with AIS, mainly as steroids for children with arteriopathy. However, there is currently little robust evidence to either encourage or discourage this practice. There is weak evidence consistent with the hypothesis that in certain children at risk, steroids may both reduce the risk of occurrent/recurrent stroke and enhance neurological outcomes. As the potential benefit is still uncertain, this indicates that a trial of steroids in childhood AIS may be justified.

Neurological outcome after arterial ischemic stroke in children

BACKGROUND

Stroke is an important cause of disability in children. Pediatric stroke may be due to significant permanent cognitive and motor handicap in children. In this study, we evaluated long-term outcomes of stroke in pediatric patients who have been discharged with definite diagnosis of stroke in Tehran Mofid children's Hospital and Imam Hossein children's Hospital located in Isfahan, Iran, from 2005 to 2012.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 53 children with stroke were included in the study. Stroke outcomes as motor disability, seizures, and cognitive dysfunctions were assessed.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 4 years, 15 (29%) patients experienced full recovery. Thirty-eight (71%) patients had some degree of neurological handicap.

CONCLUSION

Approximately 70% of children with arterial ischemic stroke suffer from long-term neurological disabilities including motor deficits, cognitive impairment, and late seizures. Stroke recurrence is the most important risk factor responsible for severe adverse neurological outcomes in pediatric stroke.

Global fibrinolytic activity, PAI-1 level, and 4G/5G polymorphism in Thai children with arterial ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND

Prolonged euglobulin clot lysis time (ECLT) and increased level of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were reported to be risk factors of arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) by some studies; however, these findings were not supported by other studies. The objective of this study was to determine the association of ECLT, PAI-1 level, and polymorphisms of 4G and 5G of PAI-1 gene to the development of AIS in Thai children.

METHODS

This study included patients aged 1-18 years old. Diagnosis of AIS was confirmed by imaging study. The control group was age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Demographic data were recorded, and blood was tested for ECLT, PAI-1 level, lipid profiles, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and 4G and 5G polymorphisms of PAI-1 gene.

RESULTS

There were 70 subjects participating in this study, consisting of 30 patients and 40 controls. Demographic data, lipid profiles, and FBS were similar between the 2 groups. Furthermore, ECLT and PAI-1 level did not differ between patient and control groups; however, both showed significant correlation (r = .352, P = .006). The 4G/5G polymorphism was the most common genotype in both patient and control groups (69.0% vs. 80.0%). However, 4G and 5G polymorphisms of PAI-1 gene did not correlate with PAI-1 level in this study (P = .797).

CONCLUSIONS

The PAI-1 level and 4G/5G polymorphism may not be a risk factor of AIS in this population. It was also found that the 4G/5G polymorphism was the most common PAI-1 genotype in this study.

Acute encephalopathy with unilateral cortical-subcortical lesions in two unrelated kindreds treated with glucocorticoids prenatally for congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency: established facts and novel insight

BACKGROUND

Prenatal glucocorticoid (GC) treatment of the female fetus with 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) may prevent genital virilization and androgen effects on the brain, but prenatal GC therapy is controversial because of possible adverse effects on fetal programming, the cardiovascular system and the brain.

CASE REPORTS

We report 2 patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-OHD who were treated prenatally with dexamethasone, suffered from an acute encephalopathy and showed focal and multifocal cortical and subcortical diffusion restrictions in early MRI and signs of permanent alterations in the follow-up neuroimaging studies. Both patients recovered from the acute episode. Whereas the first patient recovered without neurological sequelae the second patient showed hemianopsia and spastic hemiplegia in the neurological follow-up examination.

CONCLUSION

These are 2 children with CAH, both treated prenatally with high doses of dexamethasone to prevent virilization. The question arises whether prenatal high-dose GC treatment in patients with CAH might represent a risk factor for brain lesions in later life. Adverse effects/events should be reported systematically in patients undergoing prenatal GC treatment and long-term follow-up studies involving risk factors for cerebrovascular disease should be performed.

Cerebrovascular disorders in childhood

Cerebrovascular problems in childhood include diverse problems of vascular supply to the brain and occur with an overall frequency of from 5 to 8/100000 children/year. Signs and symptoms at manifestation are manifold. They depend not only on localization of the infarction but also on age at injury and specific risk factors. Acute arterial ischemic insult in neonates is oligosymptomatic (short-lasting seizures); hemiparesis is the most common symptom in children. Risk factors are multiple for both neonates and children, with more thromboembolic events in neonates and (infection-related) vasculopathies or cardiac problems in children. MRI (diffusion weighted) is the golden standard for diagnosis. In the absence of evidence for treatment in both groups, guidelines suggest use of platelet aggregation. There are some special indications for anticoagulation. Thrombolysis should be evaluated. Two-thirds of children and neonates face lifelong neurological and neuropsychological problems. Spinal artery ischemia presents with acute spinal symptoms, mostly paraplegia. Risk factors and prognosis are similar to cerebral insults. Sinus venous thromboses are significantly less common. Provoking factors in newborns are mainly neonatal problems, and in children infections, especially in the ENT region. For diagnosis the delta sign in CT is less sensitive than MR/MR venography. In the absence of any evidence, LMWH or heparinization for 3-6 months are recommended. Prognosis is better in children than in neonates. Deep vein thrombosis and/or young age worsen the outcome.

Paediatric Stroke: Review of the Literature and Possible Treatment Options, including Endovascular Approach

Stroke is among the top 10 causes of death in childhood. More than half of the surviving children have long-term neurological sequelae. Ischemic stroke (IS) includes arterial ischemic stroke and cerebral venous thrombosis with venous infarction. Haemorrhagic stroke (HS) includes intracerebral haematoma or subarachnoid haemorrhage. Risk factors for stroke are different in children and in adults. 10–30% of IS have no identified risk factors. However, multiple risk factors are recognizable in the majority of stroke in children; thus, a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation is crucial. Vascular abnormalities, such as arteriovenous malformations, aneurysms, vessel dissection, stenosis, and moyamoya disease, are frequently associated with both IS and HS and lead to high recurrence rates. Endovascular and surgical treatment options are sometimes indicated, performed on the basis of expert opinion, and extrapolated from the adult procedures. In the present paper, we review the recent literature and we discuss the treatment in five cases managed at our institutions.