title: [Silent cerebral infarct in patients with sickle cell anemia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ictus is a complication in patients with Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA), in these is of importance the precocious diagnosis of Silent Cerebral Infarcts (SCI).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence of ICS in patients with SCA without neurological symptoms but with images in Cerebral Magnetic Resonance (RMC).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 18 patients (13 males, 5 females) with ages between 5 and 24 years (11.5 4,9), without history of neurological alterations, taken care at the Instituto Hematol gico de Occidente Banco de Sangre, Estado Zulia Venezuela. Methods. A clinical history was made to each patient in addition to detailed physical and neurological examinations that included the state of mind, conscience, language, sensitivity, cranial pairs, muscular force, reflexes, cerebella tests, neck and march. Later, RMC studies were carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that 2/18 (11,1%) patients without neurological manifestations showed alterations in the RMC and they were diagnosed as ICS. The findings by images showed asymmetry of lateral ventricles and one of them showed gliosis as well.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  11,1% of the all the studied cases (2/18) showed SCI, for what is suggested to carry out neurological evaluation and images, once a year, and to offer opportune therapies, for their impact in the function neurocognitive
authors.affiliation: Universidad del Zulia. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biologicas., Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela. olferrer@hotmail.com
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ferrer O
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Plumacher-Rincón
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arteaga-Vizcaíno
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weir-Medina
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernández-Pernía
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005911:Gliosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D020547:Lateral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests