International Paediatric Stroke Study: stroke associated with cardiac disorders.

Background And Hypothesis: The aetiologies of arterial ischaemic stroke in children are diverse and often multifactorial. A large proportion occurs in children with cardiac disorders. We hypothesized that the clinical and radiographic features of children with arterial ischaemic stroke attributed to cardiac disorders would differ from those with other causes.

Postoperative encephalopathy with choreoathetosis.

Since the 1980s, survival of children with CHD has increased significantly with the introduction of new surgical techniques that incorporate cardiorespiratory arrest (CRA), extracorporeal circulation (ECC), and deep hypothermia. However, an increase in survival has been associated with an increase in recognized postoperative neurological complications. Postoperative encephalopathy with choreoathetosis, also known as "postpump chorea", is one of these well-defined neurological complications and was first reported in 1961.

Interrater reliability of the Pediatric National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (PedNIHSS) in a multicenter study.

Background And Purpose: Stroke is an important cause of death and disability among children. Clinical trials for childhood stroke require a valid and reliable acute clinical stroke scale. We evaluated interrater reliability (IRR) of a pediatric adaptation of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale.

Ribosomal DNA assay of culture-negative Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis.

Culture-negative bacterial meningitis with secondary complications remains a significant challenge. Optimal treatment requires identification of the infecting organism. While the gold standard for diagnosis remains cerebrospinal fluid culturing, a significant number of cultures remain negative despite clinical evidence of meningitis.

Postmortem intracranial neuropathology in children following cardiac transplantation.

At Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, the medical information of 405 pediatric patients who received orthotopic cardiac transplantation were reviewed. Of those who died (n=136), 86% (n=117) underwent postmortem examinations, and the brain was examined in 61% (n=82, male=39). The number and type of intracranial lesions present were compiled, and these were matched to underlying functional cardiac disease categories.