Abstract WMP108: Endovascular Therapy in Children With Large Vessel Occlusion: a Clinical Series of Five Cases

Background & Purpose: Children were excluded from the recent positive mechanical thrombectomy trials and the literature on endovascular therapy in this population needs to be built. We report here case series of pediatric patients who received mechanical thrombectomy at our institution. Methodology: Our prospectively collected UCLA acute stroke database from 2000 to present was retrospectively reviewed. Only patients <18 years old with large vessel occlusion who underwent acute endovascular therapy were included in this study. Demographic, clinical, pre- and post-intervention imaging, and the interventional procedure data were analyzed. The Pediatric National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (PedNIHSS) score at presentation and at discharge, as well as pediatric-modified Rankin Scale (Ped-mRS) up-to 90 days were used. Results: All five patients (ages 2-15) suffered an embolic stroke. Three of them had congenital heart disease and one had repeated episodes of syncope and bradycardia. No risk factors other than PFO were identified in the fifth patient. Occlusion sites were ICA-M1 (n=2), M1 (n=2), and M1-M2 (n=1). IV tPA was used in one case. Time from last known well to reperfusion ranged from 3h to 9h 28min and the patients’ initial collaterals were scored between grades 2 - 3. AOL score of 3 was achieved in all cases, TICI 2a in two and TICI 2b in three cases. Merci was used in two cases, Penumbra, Solitaire and Mindframe Capture were used each in one case. One patient developed intracerebral hemorrhage that required hemicraniectomy. The PedNIHSS score at discharge ranged from 0 to 8 and the Ped-mRS score up-to 90 days ranged from 0 to 4, with 80% of children having Ped-mRS ≤ 3. Conclusion: Mechanical thrombectomy may be a safe and feasible treatment option in pediatric stroke patients with large vessel occlusion.