[PS3] Parallel Session 3: Stroke Cerebrovascular

[PS3-1C-K] Paediatric Stroke: Current knowledge and research priorities

^○Mark T. MACKAY^{1, 2, 3} (1.Department of Neurology, Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Australia, 2.Department of Paediatrics, Universtiy of Melbourne, 3.Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia)

The past 20 years have seen a 35% increase in prevalence of pediatric stroke. Stroke is among the top ten causes of death in children. Most children will experience long-term physical or cognitive impairments, but the nature, severity and predictors of specific deficits are not well defined. Haemorrhagic stroke is associated with higher mortality, greater neurological impairment and more significant economic burden than ischaemic stroke, yet there is little published data to guide clinical management. Improving understanding of outcomes following pediatric stroke is a key priority for families but limited understanding of the neurobiological principles of recovery impact on the ability to develop targeted disease-, and age-specific paediatric rehabilitation strategies. This presentation will provide an overview of current knowledge of disease mechanisms, informed by multinational collaborative research initiatives. Important research priorities to (i) improve knowledge of stroke pathogenesis, (ii) predict functional outcomes, (iii) identify barriers and enablers to accessing hyperacute interventions, and (iv) develop targeted secondary preventative treatments will be discussed.