What role does MRI play in predicting stroke risk in children with sickle cell disease?
MRI can be used to identify children with sickle cell disease who are at high risk of stroke. The Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease found that 8.1% of children with an asymptomatic MRI lesion versus 0.5% of those with a normal MRI had a stroke during the ensuing 5 years. Additionally, the Silent Cerebral Infarct Multicenter Clinical Trial found that regular blood transfusion significantly reduced the incidence of the recurrence of cerebral infarction in children with sickle cell. The role of cervical MRA in stroke risk prediction remains undefined.