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Traumatic low attenuation subdural fluid collections in children younger than 3 years

Robert G Wells1, John R Sty

  • 1Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53201, USA. rwells@chw.org

Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|October 15, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Posttraumatic subdural fluid collections in young children typically develop within the first week after head injury. This study tracked the timing and size of these nonhemic collections in infants and toddlers.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Radiology
  • Neuroradiology
  • Trauma Imaging

Background:

  • Subdural fluid collections are a common finding in pediatric head trauma.
  • Understanding the temporal evolution of these collections is crucial for diagnosis and management.
  • Distinguishing nonhemic fluid from clotted blood is important in evaluating head injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish the time course for the development of posttraumatic nonhemic subdural fluid collections in infants and young children.
  • To characterize the initial appearance and growth of these fluid collections after head trauma.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 55 head trauma patients under 3 years old.
  • Review of computed tomography (CT) scans to identify low attenuation subdural fluid.
  • Determination of the time from head trauma to initial visualization and maximum size of fluid collections.

Main Results:

  • Low attenuation subdural fluid was first visualized within 4 days of trauma in 44 patients.
  • Initial mean size was 4.6 mm, with a maximum observed size of 7.7 mm.
  • Coexistence of subdural fluid and intracranial hemorrhage was noted in 81% of patients within the first week.

Conclusions:

  • Posttraumatic nonhemic subdural fluid collections in young children most frequently develop within the first week post-trauma.
  • These findings aid in the interpretation of imaging in pediatric head injury cases.
Abstract

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