Stroke

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Diagnosis

Early diagnosis of stroke is important for many reasons, including the prevention of a second stroke — which children are at higher risk of than adults — and starting a treatment program to help your child recover. If you think that your child has suffered from a stroke, you should contact their doctor immediately for a definite diagnosis.

In most cases, your child's pediatrician will then refer you to a neurologist, a board-certified medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of nervous system disorders, including diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.

The neurologist will perform a thorough physical examination of you child to determine if he or she has had a stroke. If so, the doctor will locate the involved blood vessel, and determine the cause of the stroke. Your child's examination may include blood or urine tests, an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), an echocardiogram or imaging tests.

Imaging tests may include:

• Computed Tomography (CT) Scan -- With this test, X-ray beams are used to create a three-dimensional image of the brain.

• Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) -- This procedure uses a strong magnetic field to show the arteries in the neck and brain.

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) -- Using a strong magnetic field, a MRI can generate a three-dimensional image of the brain. A MRI is often used to locate an area of the brain that's been damaged by an ischemic stroke.

• Arteriography -- This shows arteries in the brain that can't be seen in regular X-rays and may be done if the tests listed above do not reveal the cause of the stroke. The doctor will make a small incision, usually in the patient's groin, then insert a catheter, which is a flexible, thin tube, carefully through the arteries and into the carotid or vertebral artery. The doctor will then inject a dye into the catheter that helps the patient's cranial arteries appear more clearly in an X-ray image.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated October 2, 2008