Cerebrovascular Disorders and Stroke Program

For health professionals

Identifying strokes in infants and children can be very hard. If you suspect that a child in your care may be experiencing acute onset of a stroke call Boston Children's Hospital at 617-355-6369 and ask for the clinician on call for the CVD and Stroke Program.

Indications your patient may be having a stroke

The signs of stroke in children include sudden onset of:

• Weakness on one side of the body
• Loss of vision
• Ataxia or difficulty maintaining gait stability
• Expressive or receptive language function
• Loss of sensation on one side of the body
• New unexplained seizure especially if followed by post-ictal lateralized weakness
• Sudden alteration of consciousness

We recommend rapid referral to a pediatric stroke center if any of the aforementioned symptoms occur.