Purpose or Case Report: To investigate of imaging findings of brain computed tomography (CT) and demographic findings of children with head trauma under 2 years.
Methods & Materials: Seventy-seven patients younger than 2 years who visited emergency department of our institution with head trauma between Mar 2014-Feb 2015, were included in our study ( M:F = 39:38, mean age = 14.31±5.77 months, age range, 0.8-23.8 months). A retrospective review of clinical information and imaging findings of CT scan was performed.
Results: Incidence of brain CT findings were as follows; no acute pathologic findings (n=44, 57.1%), isolated scalp swelling or hematoma (n=17, 22.1%), skull fracture (n=9, 11.7%), skull fracture with EDH(n=6) or SDH(n=1) (n=7, 9.1 %). Of 22 patients younger than 12 months, 7 showed skull fracture (31.8%). Of 55 patients between 12 and 24 months, 9 showed skull fracture (16.3%). The most common mechanism of injury was fall from height/fall down stairs (22/33, 66.6%) followed by walked or ran into stationary object (6/33, 18.1%) and fall to ground (5/33, 15.1%). Also, fall from height was the most common injury mechanism in children with skull fracture with/without hemorrhage (13/16, 81.2%). No one did not require surgical treatment until discharge and during follow-up.
Conclusions: No clinically important traumatic brain injury was observed under 2 years in our study. Considering exposure of radiation from brain CT, a careful nurological examination should be performed before brain CT. However, when we face children under 12 months with head trauma, we have to consider the presence of skull fracture with/without hemorrhage.