A CT scan showed no abnormality, ruling out a bleed, and the paediatrician’s request for an MRI scan – which would identify a stroke – was rejected by the radiologist. I kept saying it looked like a stroke and the paediatrician explained that was very rare and there were lots of other things it could be,” she says. “I had been holding it together until then, but now I was just sobbing. Melanie, waiting briefly in a relatives’ room, was suddenly terrified. On arrival at hospital, Isaac was becoming harder to rouse, but the doctors did not know why. Research funded by the Stroke Association, recently published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, found that diagnosis is frequently delayed, and that the routine early use of MRI scans in children with suspected ischaemic stroke – around half of childhood strokes are caused by a blood clot, as opposed to a bleed – could significantly accelerate the process and improve outcomes.ĭoctors involved in the research are now formulating new guidelines on treatment – more research, improved awareness and clearer plans are vital to ensure other children like Isaac receive the best possible treatment. “Isaac looked just like them.”Īlthough stroke is the fourth biggest cause of death in the UK, and awareness of its symptoms has improved hugely, its incidence in children – with about 400 cases a year in the UK – is less well known. Having worked as a healthcare assistant on a stroke unit, she had seen many affected patients. Melanie told the crew that she suspected – correctly – that Isaac had had a stroke.
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