[Intraparenchymal hematomas: specific features in children].
BACKGROUND
Intraparenchymatous haemorrhages are rare in infancy, but their effects may be very harmful. The aetiology, clinical characteristics and prognosis regarding life and function are different from those in adults.


OBJECTIVE
We decided to analyze the characteristics of this pathology in children and compare them with those in adults.


METHODS
We reviewed the clinical histories of the patients under 13 years of age presenting with a spontaneous intraparenchymatous haemorrhage during a 10 year period.


RESULTS
The study group was made up of 10 patients, 5 boys and 5 girls, aged between 23 days and 11 years. In 7 patients the aetiology was a burst arteriovenous malformation; in one a serious liver disorder due to alpha-l-antitrypsin deficiency; bleeding from an undiagnosed tumour caused another case and no aetiology was found in a further case. Two patients died, 6 patients had residual neurological defects and in the other two there were no sequelae.


CONCLUSIONS
Intraparenchymatous haematomas in children have a high mortality (20%) and many sequelae. The figures are comparable with those for elderly persons aged over 70 and much greater than in the case of young adults. The commonest aetiology is an arteriovenous malformation, followed at a considerable distance by coagulopathies and tumours.
Marzo-Sola
M E
ME
Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, España.
Carod-Artal
J
J
Garaizar
C
C
Prats-Viñas
J M
JM
D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006406:Hematoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed