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Central nervous system anoxic-ischemic insult in children due to near-drowning
Insights
In near-drowning cases without head trauma, initial CT scans are often normal, even in comatose children. A normal scan does not rule out severe outcomes, and abnormal findings suggest but don't guarantee poor neurological outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Near-drowning incidents pose significant risks for pediatric neurological injury.
- Computed Tomography (CT) is a key imaging modality in assessing brain injury.
Abstract:
An analysis of admission and follow-up CT examinations of the brains of 17 children who had nearly drowned (15 of whom were comatose and two of whom were conscious on admission) indicated that a normal initial CT scan is common in the majority of comatose patients, a severe neurologic outcome may develop in spite of a normal initial CT examination, and abnormal initial or follow-up CT findings indicate the strong but not inevitable probability of a severe neurologic outcome. We conclude that when there is no head trauma, an initial CT examination is not necessary. Prediction of the clinical outcome cannot be made on the basis of the initial CT findings.