Mirajus Siraj, Mansoorul Haq, Nisar Ahmed Malik, Afira Aziz, Roohina Saeed.
Head injury in paediatric age group:.
J Surg Pak Jan ;15(4):190-2.

Objective To document and analyze the presentation and outcome of head injury in paediatric age group in tertiary care hospital. Study design Descriptive study. Place & Duration of study Department of Neurosurgery, Foundation University Medical College, Rawalpindi, from June 2003 to May 2008. Methodology Retrospective review was conducted over 5 years period. All paediatrics patients with head injury managed in the unit were enrolled in the study. Data collected on history, physical examination findings, base line investigations, radiological findings and diagnosis. Patients were divided into three groups according to the severity of the injury based upon Glasgow coma score (GCS). Results In a five year period 1245 paediatric patients with head injury were managed. There were 76% (n= 946) males and 24% (n=299) females. The age ranged from 2 weeks to 12 years. History of fall from height was the commonest cause of head injury found in 65% (n=747) cases, followed by road traffic accident (RTA) 22% (n =274) and other causes 13 % (n=224). Sixty seven patients had associated injuries. In 79% (n=983) cases mild head injury with GCS 14-15 was present. Forty six patients underwent neurosurgical procedures. Eleven patients with severe head injury died within 5 days of admission. Three patients died postoperatively. Conclusions Head injury in paediatric age group carries substantial morbidity and mortality. Recognizing the pattern of head trauma in children in Pakistan helps to identify high risk groups and environment, which will than help us to design more appropriate preventive measures.

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