Acute neonatal arterial occlusion: is thrombolysis safe and effective?

PurposeWe report our experience of the management of arterial occlusion in the newborn.MethodsA case note review was carried out after ethical approval. Doppler ultrasonography confirmed the occlusion. Thrombolysis was the primary intervention. Surgery was used selectively. A good outcome was one without tissue loss or functional impairment or minimal tissue loss without functional impairment. Data are presented as medians with ranges.ResultsTen patients (9 male; median gestational age, 35.5 weeks [range, 28-39 weeks]) presented on day 1 (range, 1-8 days). Initial management included systemic tissue plasminogen activator (8 patients) and surgery (2 infants in whom thrombolysis was contraindicated). Improvement was noted in 7 of 8 infants treated medically and in both who underwent surgery. Three infants had significant tissue loss. Outcome at 29 months (range, 1.3-95.4 months) was good in the remaining 7.ConclusionsA multidisciplinary approach, thrombolysis and selective surgery achieved tissue preservation and function in the majority while minimizing complications. Early referral to centers with multidisciplinary teams is recommended.