Treatment of a Pediatric Arterial Ischemic Stroke With Tenecteplase

Although rare, stroke in children is a worrisome event that can have a profound impact on their development and future health outcomes as adults. While the use of the thrombolytics has become a mainstay of treatment for ischemic stroke in adults at comprehensive stroke centers, neither the efficacy nor the safety of thrombolytics for stroke in children has been established. This is, in part, due to the rarity of the pathology and difficulty in recruitment for clinical studies. Additionally, the more recently adopted thrombolytic, tenecteplase, has even fewer known cases of use in the treatment of ischemic stroke in children. We present a case of a 16-year-old male who presented with an ischemic stroke affecting the middle cerebral artery territory, which was promptly, safely, and successfully treated with tenecteplase.