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Summary
Minor head trauma in children is common, but current research lacks a strong evidence base for clinical guidelines. More consistent definitions and assessments are needed for better management strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Minor head trauma is a frequent reason for pediatric medical consultations.
- Existing literature lacks sufficient evidence for robust clinical practice guidelines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the literature on minor head trauma in children.
- To inform the development of clinical practice guidelines for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of Medline and Health databases (1966-1997).
- Inclusion of articles on head trauma in infants, children, and adolescents.
- Abstract review for relevance to mild head trauma, with data abstraction and summarization.
Main Results:
- 108 articles were abstracted from over 1000 identified sources.
- Prevalence of intracranial injury ranged from 0% to 7% in children with mild head trauma.
- Computed tomography (CT) scans demonstrated higher sensitivity and specificity for intracranial abnormalities compared to skull radiographs.
Conclusions:
- The current body of literature is insufficient for evidence-based recommendations on managing mild head trauma in children.
- Inconsistent definitions and the need for multisite assessments hinder clarification in this field.