Childhood stroke and supraventricular tachycardia

Abstract

Acquired hemiplegia in childhood is uncommon. All causes of stroke in adults should be considered in children, including atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease even though it is rare. In addition, children suffer from many conditions that may result in stroke. Unlike adults, a cardiac illness resulting in stroke is extremely unusual in an otherwise healthy child. We report a case of a four-year-old child; he presented with the sudden onset of a right hemiplegia associated with supraventricular tachycardia. Cerebral angiography indicated a left internal carotid artery occlusion. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of childhood stroke with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).