Recent research has found that routine early use of MRI in children with suspected ischemic stroke could speed diagnosis and treatment. This message was underscored by the experience of 13-year-old Isaac Webber in the U.K., who, as The Guardian reports, had a close call when his stroke diagnosis was delayed.
When Isaac’s parents realized something was wrong, he was taken to a hospital and underwent CT, which showed no abnormality. A pediatrician requested an MRI scan, but the request was rejected by a radiologist until a stroke specialist intervened. Five hours after symptom onset, an MRI was finally ordered, the stroke was diagnosed and thrombolysis was administered. Isaac survived, but faces long-term difficulties writing and reading.
For more from The Guardian on Isaac’s experience and the questions it raises about pediatric stroke diagnosis and treatment, follow the link below: