Use of Rotterdam CT scores for mortality risk stratification in children with traumatic brain injury.

Objectives: The Rotterdam CT score refined features of the Marshall score and was designed to categorize traumatic brain injury type and severity in adults. The objective of this study was to determine whether the Rotterdam CT score can be used for mortality risk stratification after pediatric traumatic brain injury.

Design: In children with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, a comparison of observed versus predicted mortality was calculated using published model probabilities of adult mortality.

Monitoring and prediction of intracranial hypertension in pediatric traumatic brain injury: clinical factors and initial head computed tomography.

Background: Control of intracranial hypertension (ICH) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is standard care. However, predicting risk for ICH is essential to balance risks and benefits of intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring. Current recommendations for ICP monitoring in pediatric trauma patients are extrapolated from adult studies.

Early post-traumatic seizures in moderate to severe pediatric traumatic brain injury: rates, risk factors, and clinical features.

We performed a retrospective, observational study at a level I pediatric trauma center of children with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) from January 2002 to September 2006 to identify clinical and radiographic risk factors for early post-traumatic seizures (EPTS). Two hundred and ninety-nine children ages 0-15 years were evaluated, with 24 excluded because they died before the initial head computed tomography (CT) was obtained (n=20), or because their medical records were missing (n=4). Records were reviewed for accident characteristics, pre-hospital hypoxia or hypotension, initial non-contrast head CT characteristics, seizure occurrence, antiepileptic drug (AED) administration, and outcome.