Clinico-Epidemiological Profile, Etiology, and Imaging in Neonatal Stroke: An Observational Study from Eastern India.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the clinico-epidemiological profile, etiology, and imaging findings in neonatal stroke (NS). Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study on neonates presenting with stroke between August 2014 and July 2016 to a tertiary care hospital in eastern India. Results: In all, 43 neonates were analyzed, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.3:1. About 88% babies were born at term and the rest were preterm. In 37%, the etiology of stroke was related to hypoxic injury, 21% had sepsis, and 35% had idiopathic causes. Seizures were the most common mode of presentation (62%) followed by poor feeding, abnormal tone, recurrent apnea, encephalopathy, and hemiparesis. There was an almost equal prevalence of ischemic stroke (53%) and hemorrhagic stroke (HS). Middle cerebral artery territory was the primary site of involvement in arterial ischemic stroke, and intra ventricular hemorrhage was the most common presentation of HS. Conclusion: NS is an acute emergency with high morbidity and mortality. Magnetic resonance imaging helps in diagnosis and prognostication in the absence or paucity of focal neurological signs in neonates.