Professor of Radiology Pilvi Ilves gives her inaugural lecture on childhood stroke which can have severe consequences 

On Thursday, 22 May, at 16:15, Professor of Radiology of the University of Tartu Pilvi Ilves gives her inaugural lecture on childhood stroke in the university’s assembly hall. The lecture is in Estonian.

Stroke is mostly associated with older people whose blood vessels have calcified. In reality, it can occur throughout life – even in fetuses, newborns, and children, although rarely. Childhood stroke can have severe and long-term consequences. According to Professor Ilves, stroke can be treated if the child is quickly hospitalised. However, the condition often goes unnoticed at the right time.

“If an adult experiences stroke symptoms, an ambulance is called. If a child develops a speech disorder, weakness on one side of the body, or facial paralysis while in daycare, for instance, the parent is called and asked to take the child home,” Ilves explained.

In newborns and fetuses, the most common known cause of stroke is maternal infection during pregnancy. In childhood, the cause of stroke can also be genetic. The consequences of stroke often include motor, speech, cognitive and behavioural problems, as well as epilepsy.

Unlike adults, a child often has to live with a severe disability for the rest of their life after a stroke. Therefore, it is important to identify possible developmental deviations after a stroke so that rehabilitation can start as early as possible. According to Pilvi Ilves, it is mistakenly believed that a child recovers from a stroke better than an adult. “In reality, more than half of children develop lifelong, often combined disabilities. The lifelong impact of childhood stroke on the individual, family and society is several times greater than that of stroke in adulthood,” the professor noted.

In her inaugural lecture, Pilvi Ilves gives an overview of the possible causes of stroke, including genetic risks in children, and the neuroradiological methods used to assess the brain plasticity of a child with a stroke, their future development prognosis, and post-stroke rehabilitation options. “Genetic studies introduced in recent years may shed new light on the hereditary causes of stroke and the risk of recurrence. Based on brain MRI studies of children who have had a stroke, doctors can advise who needs rehabilitation and for what reason,” the professor explained.

Pilvi Ilves graduated from the University of Tarty Faculty of Medicine in paediatrics (cum laude) in 1986 and, after internship in anaesthesiology and intensive care, started working as an anaesthesiologist at the paediatric intensive care unit of the Tartu Clinical Children’s Hospital in 1987. This is where she started doing the then-innovative ultrasound examinations in 1988. In 1994–1999, Ilves did her doctorate in the Children’s Clinic, where she studied children born with oxygen deprivation, primarily using brain ultrasound examinations to assess their brain damage and prognosis. This sparked an interest in radiology, and in 1999, she started a radiology residency. After graduating in 2003, Ilves started working as a radiologist at the Radiology Service of Tartu University Hospital. She has furthered her education at the Department of Pediatric Research at Oslo University Hospital in Norway and at university hospitals in Sweden, Finland and Canada. From 2004 to 2009, she worked as a radiologist at Karlstad Central Hospital in Sweden.

Pilvi Ilves has worked at the University of Tartu since 1997, first as a senior laboratory assistant at the Department of Paediatrics, then as a senior assistant at the Department of Haematology and Oncology from 2004, and as an associate professor from 2006. On 1 September 2009, at Ilves’ initiative, a separate Department of Radiology was created at the university. Since then, Ilves has been the head of this department and, since 1 January 2010, she has also been a radiologist and the head of the Radiology Clinic of Tartu University Hospital. On 1 September 2024, she became Professor of Radiology.

Her main research areas have been children born with oxygen deprivation, children who have had a stroke, and, in recent years, also radiation protection. She has received several research grants from the Estonian Research Council. Ilves leads the childhood stroke research group of the University of Tartu. Three doctoral theses have been defended and 206 research articles have been published under her supervision. She is a member of several professional associations and has chaired the certification committee of the Estonian Society of Radiology since 2008.

The aim of the inaugural lecture is to give the university’s new professor an opportunity to introduce herself, her specialisation and field of research. At the end of the public lecture, the audience can ask questions. Everyone interested is welcome. A live webcast will be available on UTTV.