Acute pediatric stroke-what's the hurry? A case for emergency physician-performed echocardiography

Am J Emerg Med. 2014 Nov;32(11):1440.e3-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2014.04.023. Epub 2014 Apr 18.

Abstract

Acute ischemic stroke in a pediatric population is uncommon and has a different etiology from the adult population. We describe a case of acute ischemic stroke for which emergent, physician-sonographer–performed transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) changed his outcome.The patient in this case presented with left-sided hemiparesis,with subsequent CT Angiography (CTA) imaging and follow-on neurosurgical embolectomy for a proximal middle cerebral artery occlusion after which showed early recovery of muscular deficit. The cause ultimately was from an atrialmyxoma that was identified early by emergency physician-performed TTE and led to early resection possibly preventing recurrence of stroke.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Echocardiography*
  • Heart Neoplasms / complications
  • Heart Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Heart Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Cerebral Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Myxoma / complications
  • Myxoma / diagnostic imaging*
  • Myxoma / surgery*
  • Stroke / diagnostic imaging
  • Stroke / etiology*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed