Cerebral infarction secondary to sickle cell disease: arteriographic findings.

Cerebral angiograms were performed in 14 children with sickle cell disease and clinical findings of cerebral infarction. The angiogram was normal in four patients. Ten patients had abnormalities in the carotid artery or its branches. The internal carotid artery was stenosed or occluded usually with bilateral disease. The anterior and middle cerebral arteries were involved in nine patients and branch occlusion was frequent. The posterior fossa arteries were not involved in these patients. The risk of angiography is low if appropriate precautions are taken. In these patients the indications for arteriography were to evaluate the effects of hypertransfusion therapy on cerebrovascular disease.