Pediatric spinal cord injury in the Netherlands: Data from the Dutch Spinal Cord Injury Database 2015-2022

Context/Objective: The Dutch Spinal Cord Injury Database (DSCID) collects nationwide data on patients with newly acquired spinal cord injury (SCI) undergoing inpatient rehabilitation in the Netherlands. Pediatric SCI is rare and underrepresented in research. This study aimed to describe the pediatric SCI population, examine differences between age groups (0-8 vs. 9-17 years) and etiology (traumatic (T-SCI) vs. non-traumatic (NT-SCI)), and evaluate the applicability of the DSCID for this population. Design Retrospective observational study using data from DSCID. Setting Dutch inpatient rehabilitation centers.Participants: Children aged 0-17 years with newly acquired SCI admitted between 2015 and 2022. Interventions Not applicable. Outcome Measures Demographics, SCI characteristics, and DSCID data completeness. Applicability assessed by data completeness (>90%) and comment review.Results: Admission data were available for 55 patients; discharge data for 45 (82%). Median age 15 years (IQR 13-17); 67% male; 51% NT-SCI; 44% AIS D; 29% T1-S3, 12% C5-C8, and 15% C1-C4 (All AIS A-C). Children aged 0-8 years had a significantly lower male-to-female ratio. T-SCI patients were significantly older and more often had a high cervical lesion. Admission data were nearly complete (>90%) for pain and skin, whereas sexual function had the lowest completion rate (0% for females).Conclusion: DSCID shows that the NT-SCI and T-SCI groups are equal of size in the Dutch pediatric population. While the DSCID provides useful insight, it is not fully applicable to pediatric SCI. A revised dataset could improve understanding and relevance for pediatric SCI.