[Functional outcome after diffuse axonal injury in childhood traumatic brain injury]

We investigated the functional prognosis after traumatic diffuse axonal injury in children. We evaluated the status of the acute stage, as well as the functional independence measure (FIM) and intelligence quotient (IQ) at 4, 12, and 24 months after the injury. Physical disabilities persisted in all but 1 case, but 5 cases could walk by themselves after 1 year. IQ at 2 years after the injury was 64 in one case, but between 81 and 100 in others. Concerning the higher cortical function, all cases showed memory disturbance. None developed epilepsy. All cases showed abnormalities on cerebral MRI. Five of the 7 cases showed EEG abnormalities. As to the course of recovery scaled by FIM and IQ, marked improvement was seen in 4 cases during the first 4 months, 3 cases during the first 1 year. After 1 year, the degree of improvement became slower in all. All cases showed learning disability at school.