Epidemiology of neonatal stroke: A population-based study.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to obtain population-based data on the incidence, clinical presentation, management, imaging features, and long-term outcomes of patients with all types of neonatal stroke (NS).

METHODS

Full-term neonates with NS born between January 2007 and December 2013 were identified through the Nova Scotia Provincial Perinatal Follow-up Program Database. Perinatal data and neonatal course were reviewed. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed at 18 and 36 months of age using standardized testing.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine neonates with NS were identified during the study period, giving an incidence of 47 per 100,000 live births in Nova Scotia. Arterial ischemic stroke was the most common stroke type (76%), followed by neonatal hemorrhagic stroke (17%), then cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (7%). The majority of neonates presented with seizures (86%) on the first day of life (76%). At 36 months of age, 23 (79%) of the children had a normal outcome, while 3 (10%) were diagnosed with cerebral palsy (2 with neonatal arterial stroke and one with neonatal hemorrhagic stroke) and 3 (10%) had recurrent seizures (1 patient from each stroke subtype group).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of NS in Nova Scotia is higher than what has been reported internationally in the literature. However, the neurodevelopmental outcomes at 3 years of age are better. Further studies are required to better understand the reasons for these findings.