Search

IMPORTANCE: Pediatric large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke has a poor natural history. However, uptake of mechanical thrombectomy is hindered by a lack of clinical trial data in children. A randomized clinical trial is not feasible due to small sample sizes and absence of equipoise. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether pediatric patients with acute LVO stroke who undergo thrombectomy have better clinical outcomes than matched patients managed conservatively. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This matched case-control study used pooled stroke registry data from 5 tertiary referral hospitals in Australia and Canada from January 2011 to April 2022. Patients were aged 1 month to younger than 18 years with acute LVO stroke. Pooled data identified 31 thrombectomy patients and 46 control patients. Five patients undergoing thrombectomy with basilar artery occlusion were excluded due to insufficient controls. Using a hierarchal matching system (site of occlusion, age group, side of occlusion, and sex), deidentified consensus matching of patients and controls was undertaken while blinded to clinical outcome. Data were analyzed from July to November 2022. EXPOSURE: In the case cohort, mechanical thrombectomy was undertaken for management of acute LVO stroke. The control cohort received medical treatment only. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was the functional clinical status 3 months following stroke, measured by the pediatric modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Clinical outcomes were compared between groups using ordinal regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 52 included patients, 31 (60%) were male, and the mean (SD) age was 10.3 (4.4) years. Matching was achieved for 26 children undergoing thrombectomy with 26 controls. There was no significant difference between groups for site or side of occlusion, age, sex, etiology, thrombolysis status, baseline Alberta Stroke Programme Early CT Score, or time since last seen well to presentation. Patients undergoing thrombectomy had superior clinical outcomes than control patients at 3 months on the pediatric mRS (odds ratio, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.32-10.67; P = .01). These superior outcomes were maintained at final follow-up (odds ratio, 3.65; 95% CI, 1.25-10.68; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In the absence of a randomized clinical trial, this case-control study demonstrates better clinical outcomes with thrombectomy than medical management alone for pediatric patients aged 2 to 18 years with anterior circulation LVO stroke.

IMPORTANCE: The incidence and natural history of large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke in children is largely unknown. These knowledge gaps limit the uptake of reperfusion therapies and reduce the efficiency of pediatric acute stroke pathways. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and natural history of pediatric LVO stroke. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted between January 2010 and December 2019, with a mean (SD) follow-up of 37.0 (28.8) months. Admissions from all pediatric hospitals in the state of New South Wales, Australia, with a final diagnosis of arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) in patients 1 month to younger than 17 years were included. A total of 85 of 251 identified cases were excluded based on selection criteria. Data were analyzed from July 2020 to June 2021. EXPOSURES: One-third of patients with LVO received mechanical thrombectomy with or without intravenous thrombolysis while the remainder were treated conservatively. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was the pediatric modified Rankin Scale (ped-mRS) score 3 months after stroke. Ordinal logistic regression was used to compare non-LVO, LVO without thrombectomy, and LVO with thrombectomy groups. RESULTS: Of 161 included patients, 56 (34.8%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 6.1 (5.4) years. A total of 166 AIS admissions were studied, and clinical follow-up was available for 164 of 166 admissions. LVO was present in 39 admissions (23.5%). The incidence of LVO stroke was 0.24 per 100 000 patients per year (95% CI, 0.13-0.35). Patients with LVO who did not receive thrombectomy (n = 26) had poor neurological outcomes, with 19 (73.1%) experiencing moderate to severe disability or death (ped-mRS score of 3 to 6) at 3 months (6 of 12 patients receiving thrombectomy [50.0%]; 25 of 38 patients with LVO [65.8%]). Patients with LVO without thrombectomy had significantly worse clinical outcomes than patients with non-LVO at 3 months (odds ratio, 3.64; 95% CI, 1.68-7.87; P = .001). Most patients with LVO presented within time windows suitable for thrombectomy (27 of 39 [69.2%] within 6 hours; 35 of 39 [89.7%] within 24 hours). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this population-based cohort study, the natural history of pediatric patients with LVO stroke treated conservatively was poor, with most experiencing lifelong disability or death. Nearly 90% of pediatric patients with LVO presented within time windows suitable for thrombectomy.