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Screening High Risk Children

Program: Diagnosing and Treating Pediatric Stroke
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Andrew Schorr:

So the last thing that I wanted to ask you about, Dr. Fullerton, is newborn babies are screened for so many things. Is this just so rare that it's not worth doing, or is there something you think as a pediatric neurologist could be done to try to evaluate newborns or even as a pediatrician see kids as they're growing up to look out for these sorts of potential problems?

Dr. Fullerton:

I think that there's no good way of screening these children outside of the setting of sickle cell disease, and so sickle cell disease is something that's part of the newborn screen, and those children who have sickle cell disease actually should be carefully followed by a pediatric hematologist, and there's a way of actually preventing the strokes in those children. They can be screened with a very simple ultrasound device that basically evaluates the blood vessels to the brain, and then there actually is a way of preventing stroke in the high risk children. Outside of that setting, stroke is rare enough that there really are no good screening techniques and no screening techniques that would be meaningful, and in the case of the neonatal strokes in particular because their risk of recurrence is so low, there's not a big downside to a delayed diagnosis in those children, and so if those children don't have their stroke diagnosed until they're six or eight months of age, there's not a big downside to that.

Andrew Schorr:

Well, while these conditions are rare, I am very glad that you have your center at UCSF with a multidisciplinary team, and I'm happy that we can do this program to let people know more about you and that there's help and very positive treatment options. Dr. Heather Fullerton, pediatric neurologist, Director of the UCSF Pediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease Center, thank you for being with us today on Patient Power.

Dr. Fullerton:

Thank you very much.

Andrew Schorr:

As always, knowledge can be the best medicine of all. Thank you for joining us. I'm Andrew Schorr. You've been listening to Patient Power sponsored by UCSF Medical Center.

Please remember the opinions expressed on Patient Power are not necessarily the views of UCSF Medical Center, its medical staff or Patient Power. Our discussions are not a substitute for seeking medical advice or care from your own doctor. That’s how you’ll get care that’s most appropriate for you.

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