BACKGROUND

Spontaneous or non-traumatic intracranial haemorrhages seen in children of under 15 years old are most frequently due to cerebral vascular malformations, followed at a considerable distance by blood disorders, vasculopathies, tumours and the complications of radio-therapy.

OBJECTIVE

To present the cases of spontaneous and non-traumatic cerebral haemorrhage seen at our hospital.

METHODS

We reviewed all the paediatric cases of spontaneous cerebral haemorrhage diagnosed in our hospital over the previous sixteen years, excluding bleeding in the neonatal period. Computerized tomography was done in all cases, study of the cerebrospinal fluid, angiography and/or magnetic resonance in some cases.

RESULTS

We selected 44 patients, of who the aetiology could be determined in 30. Of these, 20 cases were due to vascular malformations, 7 were associated with haematological disorders, 2 with cerebral tumours and one case with meningococcal sepsis. The commonest form of presentation was that of an acute intracranial hypertension syndrome, also showing focal deficits, partial crises and meningism.

CONCLUSIONS

The commonest cause of spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage in children is due to rupture of a vascular malformation, namely an arterio-venous malformation. Angiography and/or magnetic resonance are the techniques of choice for diagnosis. The various causes of disorders of haemostasia also are important in giving rise to intracranial bleeding.