Acute silent cerebral infarction in children with sickle cell anemia

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Abstract
Silent cerebral infarctions (SCI) occur in up to 35% of children with sickle cell anemia (HbSS) but are rarely recognized during the initial 10–14 days when diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can differentiate acute infarctions from remote events. We report acute SCI in seven children with HbSS who had areas of restricted diffusion on MRI without persistent focal neurologic deficits. Four had acute SCI identified following acute anemic events. Our observations suggest that SCI are detectible in the acute phase, present with subtle neurologic symptoms, result in permanent neurologic injury, and may be caused by acute anemic events. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2010;54:461–464.
Funding Information
  • NHLBI Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center Program (U54 HL 70588)
  • NIH NORTH and Central Texas Clinical and Translational Science Initiative (KL2 RR024983)
  • First American Real Estate Information Services, Inc.