Head Injury
Introduction
Head injuries are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. Approximately one of ten children will experience traumatic loss of consciousness during childhood. Annually, over 500,000 children are hospitalized following a head injury, with 3,000 to 4,000 deaths resulting; an additional 15,000 of these children will require prolonged hospitalization, often with a poor outcome. The majority of head injuries, however, are of a mild nature with outpatient management or a simple overnight stay in the hospital being all the treatment needed.
Falls are the most common cause of head injuries in children less than 10 years of age while motor vehicle accidents are responsible for the majority of head injuries in adolescents. Child abuse , unfortunately is another not uncommon cause of head injury. In the last decade there have been major treatment advances in both the management of the injury and its long term sequelae such as memory difficulties and decreased academic functioning.
This article will discuss the classification, clinical management and long-term sequelae of pediatric head injuries.
