Post-varicella angiopathy: a series of 4 patients with focus on virologic and neuroimaging findings

Autor: John R. Østergaard, Brian Stausbøl-Grøn, Johnny Christensen, Ulrike Dunkhase-Heinl
Rok vydání: 2013
Předmět:
Zdroj: Dunkhase-Heinl, U, Stausbøl-Grøn, B, Christensen, J & Ostergaard, J R 2014, ' Post-varicella angiopathy : a series of 4 patients with focus on virologic and neuroimaging findings ', Pediatric Neurology, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 581-5 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2014.01.019
ISSN: 1873-5150
DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2014.01.019
Popis: BACKGROUND: Post-varicella angiopathy is an important cause of childhood stroke and follows a particular pattern. Specific treatment guidelines have not been developed because of a lack of epidemiological, laboratory, and neuroimaging data. Prospective randomized controlled trials evaluating different treatment strategies have not been performed, and expert opinions on diagnostic criteria, prognosis, and treatment are diverging.METHODS: This case series describes the clinical course, laboratory, and neuroimaging findings of four children with post-varicella angiopathy, who all underwent cerebrospinal fluid assessment and received antiviral, immunosuppressive, and antiplatelet treatment.RESULTS: Cerebrospinal fluid analysis was positive for varicella-zoster virus markers in three children. At follow-up, three children had a mild hemiparesis and one child had no neurological symptoms. Neuroimaging showed complete vascular remission in three patients and improvement in one.CONCLUSIONS: Systematic search for virologic markers in cerebrospinal fluid will contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of idiopathic childhood stroke and can be considered as a prerequisite for the development of clear diagnostic criteria and relevant treatment strategies for post-varicella angiopathy. The role of antiviral and immunosuppressive medication needs to be clarified.
Databáze: OpenAIRE