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seizures/stroke/Trileptal
Thu, 07/28/2005 - 07:18If your parenting gut makes you think your child has had a stroke, PLEASE go your neurologist or family doctor.
Since my child had his stroke while he was in the hospital nursery, I only have the description from the nurse who made the observation. She saw my infant having seizures. His eye was twitching.
My child had a mal-formed artery in his brain where insufficient blood flow did not occur. The result was an area of the brain that died. This area is related to the fine and gross motor skills - hand movement, walking, speaking. There is definitely 2 signs - weakness or rigidity. The technical terms are hemiplegia or hemiparesis.
Hemiplegia: Paralysis of one side of the body resulting from disease or injury to the motor centers of the brain.
Hemiparesis: Partial paralysis orweakness on one side of the body
Cerebral Palsy: A difference in typical motor function that is acquired at an early age, usually less than one year of age, and is due to a brain injury that is non-progressive. Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy is just one type of cerebral palsy.
To learn more about hemiplegia, hemiplegic cerebral palsy, or hemiparesis, visit the Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association website.
My child has the weakness aspect and has PT, OT and SLP. He also has verbal apraxis. The therapies are absolutely critical. You have to re-map the brain for the affected side to learn how to perform tasks. We have had to make almost all play activities into PT/OT activities so that he mainntains the use of his left side. He is definitinely right handed but knows that his left hand has been affected by the stroke. The most recent seizures are been associated with scar tissue and brain development.
I have just accepted the use of the medicine for the next 2 years. It is more important for my toddler to be seizure-free while at pre-school then kindergarden.
I do think the blood tests for Trileptal are critical. I am having another test run tonight to have my neuro evaluate whether my toddler needs to have more med in the AM dose. His left hand has had some spasms this week.
You can call me at work - 404-584-3388 if you have more questions.
here is more information:
What is a stroke?
A stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), occurs when the blood supply to any part of the brain is interrupted, resulting in tissue death and loss of brain function. If blood flow is interrupted for longer than a few seconds, brain cells can die, causing permanent damage.
What causes a stroke in an infant or child?
A stroke may be caused by a blood clot that forms in the brain (a thrombus) or a blood clot, piece of plaque, or other material that travels to the brain from another location (an embolism). The resulting stroke-related symptoms depend on the area of the brain affected, the extent of the damage, and the cause of the stroke. Bleeding (hemorrhage) within the brain can, on rare occasions, cause symptoms that mimic stroke.
Types of strokes: Ischemic Stroke, Hemorrhagic Stroke
Strokes are classified as either ischemic or hemorrhagic.
In children, ischemic stroke is more common than hemorrhagic stroke.
An arterial ischemic stroke is due to a blockage of the inflow of arterial blood.
A hemorrhagic stroke ocurs when a blood vessel in the brain breaks or ruptures.
Before 28 days of age: Perinatal stroke encompasses cerebrovascular events that occur between the 28 weeks of gestation and one month following birth. A stroke that occurs before birth may also be called an in-utero stroke or fetal stroke. Another term often used in this group is prenatal stroke. Prenatal stroke occurs in the period before birth Stroke occurs more frequently in the perinatal and prenatal age group than in older children.
Childhood strokeoccurs between 1 month and 18 years of age.
Arterial ischemic stroke around the time of birth is recognized in one in 4000 full-term infants (2).
Arterial ischemic stroke which occurs in childhood ranges from 0.6 to 7.9 per 100,000 children (1).
The incidence of hemorrhagic stroke in children is estimated at 1.5 to 5.1 per 100,000 children per year.
NINDS Stroke Information (all ages)