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Medical complications after acquired pediatric injury to the Central nervous system: a scoping review
Kristine Marie M Vege1,2, Grethe Månum3,4, Katharina Stibrant Sunnerhagen5
1Department of Research, Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Bjørnemyr, Norway.
Insights
This review summarizes medical complications in children after central nervous system (CNS) injury. More comprehensive, longitudinal studies are needed to understand long-term outcomes in pediatric CNS injury survivors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation medicine
Background:
- Pediatric central nervous system (CNS) injuries can lead to significant long-term medical complications.
- Understanding these complications is crucial for improving patient care and outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of medical complications in children (2-17 years) post-CNS injury in subacute and chronic phases.
- To identify knowledge gaps in the literature regarding these long-term complications.
Main Methods:
- A scoping review of publications from Embase and Medline databases.
- Adherence to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines.
- Inclusion of 373 publications from 11,497 identified articles (2000-2024).
Main Results:
- Acquired brain injury was the most common CNS injury, often neoplastic.
- Epilepsy and endocrine disturbances were frequent in brain injury; scoliosis and pressure ulcers in spinal cord injury.
- Most studies reported single complications; comprehensive approaches were rare.
Conclusions:
- A substantial body of literature exists on pediatric CNS injury complications.
- There is a need for more longitudinal studies with a comprehensive approach to medical complications.
- Further research should focus on the subacute and chronic phases post-pediatric CNS injury.
Purpose:
This scoping review aims to give an overview of the literature describing medical complications in children from 2 to 17 years, arising in the subacute and chronic phases after pediatric CNS injury, and to identify knowledge gaps on the subject.
Methods:
Our scoping review of publications in databases Embase and Medline follows the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA).
Results:
We identified 11,497 articles published from 2000 to 2024. Initial screening reduced these to 1,220, which were reviewed in full-text, resulting in inclusion of 373 publications. Acquired brain injury was the most common CNS injury, with neoplastic etiology as the dominating subgroup. The majority of the articles were retrospective studies and case studies. Most publications reported one complication, and comprehensive approaches were scarce. Epilepsy and endocrine disturbances were the most frequently reported complications in brain injury patients, and scoliosis and pressure ulcers predominated in the spinal cord injury group.
Conclusion:
Despite a broad literature on the current topic, more longitudinal studies are needed, especially studies with a comprehensive approach to the medical complications that can occur after the acute phase in children with CNS injury.
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