Abstract
Stroke is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in children. The aim of the
study was to evaluate long-term neurological outcome in children with arterial ischemic
stroke (AIS) and explore predictive factors that affect poor outcome. Fifty-six patients
aged between 1 month and 17 years who were treated at M. Iashvili Children's Central
Hospital, Tbilisi, Georgia, with an onset of stroke from 2007 to 2017 were included.
To explore predictive factors of outcome, the following data were collected: demographic
characteristics, risk factors, he presenting signs, radiological features, and presence
of stroke recurrence. Neurological status at discharge and long-term neurological
outcome at least 1 year after stroke was evaluated according to Pediatric Stroke Outcome
Measure subscale. The reported outcome after childhood stroke was variable with long-term
neurological deficits in one-third of patients (30.4%). The neurological outcome was
worse in males, in patients with multiple stroke episodes, and in those with infarctions
involving a combination of cortical and subcortical areas. Pediatric AIS carries the
risk of long-term morbidity, and neuroimaging has a predictive influence on outcome.
Keywords
predictors of outcome - pediatric stroke - arterial ischemic stroke
