Tests conducted on volunteered children with sickle cell anemia in a Brain Arteries Ultrasound Workshop held by the Academic Affairs in Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital – Dammam, the tests showed that two cases had a cerebral artery velocity which results in high risks of strokes.
The Regional Executive Director of National Guard Health Affairs - the Eastern Region Dr. Ahmed Al Arfaj said: "We called these children to participate in the test and train the participants on how to use the device to detect the defect in the cerebral artery velocity; the tests showed that two cases might suffer a stroke if the cerebral artery velocity wasn’t detected earlier”.
He explained that the objective of the participation of these children is to enable participants to examine the largest possible number of children who came with their parents, and this would positively develop the patients screening," he added: "This workshop is highly important at this time due, to the availability of devices that can detect cerebral artery velocity”.
Director of Academic Affairs and Continuous Education in the Eastern Region Dr. Kamal Al Sheikh Mubarak said: "The workshop was held with the participation of 60 specialists and technicians, it’s accredited with 22 CME hours by the Saudi Commission for Medical Specialties," he added, "the workshop had a number of recommendations such as the participants should begin conducting this type of screening at their hospitals, and send their report to the Organizing Committee regarding any developments or questions that could arise in the future”.
He said, “scientific international papers were submitted in the same field, which stressed the importance of this screening and the need to conduct it on all children with sickle cell anemia regularly and annually, and this large number of participants from inside and outside the Kingdom is a clear indication of its importance."
The Head of the Pediatric Radiology Department in King Abdul Aziz Medical City - Riyadh Dr. Hisham al-Shaalan said that: "The workshop targeted the radiologists, ultra-sound radiologists and Hematology pediatric doctors", he added: " the workshop highlighted the importance of doing the ultrasound X-ray of cerebral arteries, as a globally known preventive procedure to determine the risk factors of having a brain stroke, and therefore the possibility of providing appropriate treatment for children, and avoiding its occurrence”.
He explained that "the rate of sickle cell anemia in the Kingdom ranges from 10 to 12 %, and concentrated in the Eastern and Southern Regions, and the stroke rates range from 1 to 2 % among children with sickle cell anemia, where there are no symptoms which can indicate the possible occurrence of brain strokes”.