Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Stroke in a Teenager

BACKGROUND The importance of thrombolytic therapy within the first 3 hours of onset of symptoms of an acute stroke has been stressed, and in consequence, the diagnosis is most commonly made based on clinical grounds. Intracranial hemorrhage is the major life-threatening complication with the use of thrombolytic therapy. Because of the very small time window before administering thrombolytics, it is often not possible to investigate the unusual causes of a stroke that occurs most often in children. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to present the decision and risk of thrombolysis for an acute ischemic stroke in children. CASE A case of a teenager with an acute ischemic stroke who received thrombolysis and had resolution of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Thrombolytic therapy is effective in acute ischemic strokes; however, in children, one must consider and exclude stroke mimickers and recognize that potentially life-threatening bleeding complicates the use of these medications.