Clinical profile, management, and outcome of pediatric neurotrauma: a multicentric observational study

Pediatric neurotrauma (pNT) includes pediatric traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. The incidence and distribution of pNT by age and sex remain understudied, with several gaps in both epidemiological and clinical data. This study aimed to estimate the epidemiological parameters, clinical presentations, surgical interventions, and outcomes in our patient population with pNT.

A multicentric, ambispective study was conducted at five tertiary care pediatric neurosurgical centers in Northern India from January 2011 to December 2022. The study included children under 16 years of age admitted with a history of head injury. Data on demographics, radiological findings, management, and outcomes were recorded.

A total of 2,250 children were admitted; 77.5% were male and 22.5% were female. The most common age group was 6 months to 2 years (37.3%). The primary mechanism of injury was fall from height (64.6%), followed by road traffic accidents (26.1%). Overall, 84.6% of children had mild head injury, 14.2% moderate, and 1.2% severe. The most common abnormality on computed tomography brain was contusion (9.2%). Surgical interventions were required in only 0.8% of children. A favorable outcome, as measured by Glasgow Outcome Scale, was achieved in 99.2% of patients, and the mortality rate was 0.1%.

Our findings indicate that pNT is most common in children aged 6 months to 2 years and predominantly affects boys. The most frequent cause was a fall from height, and the majority of patients sustained mild head injuries requiring only observation, which led to excellent outcomes. Surgical intervention was necessary in only a few cases, and mortality was rare. This study highlights the epidemiological pattern of pNT in our population and delineates various causes of such trauma.