Assessment of Cerebral Perfusion in Childhood Strokes

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Abstract
Children (33) who had strokes were studied by dynamic and static scintigraphy, 29 by CT [computed tomography] scanning, and 10 by cerebral angiography. The accuracy of dynamic scintigraphy in stroke detection during the 1st wk of clinical symptoms was 94% while CT scanning was 60% accurate and static scintigraphy 11% accurate. During the 2nd wk the accuracy of CT scanning increased to 100%, but static scintigraphy improved to only 50%. Of scintiangiograms performed during the 1st wk 50% showed either luxuriant perfusion or flip-flop patterns. In some patients these 2 flow patterns changed to that of cerebral hemispheric ischemia after going through a phase during which perfusion appeared to be equal in the 2 hemispheres. Dynamic scintigraphy is believed to be the test of choice for stroke detection in children during the 1st wk.