[Neurootologically detectable brain stem damage in mild to moderate pediatric craniocerebral trauma]

Children with mild to moderate brain injury often show by conventional neurological and radiological primary examination no pathologic findings. But follow-up controls demonstrated, that the initial neurologic damage is not always sufficiently registered. With the additional neurootological examination is an accepted method available, which permits objective statements about lesions in the peripheral and central sensory system. With this examination we were able to demonstrate in a definite collective of children with mild brain injury neurological deficits in a high percentage; 40% had in impairment of the auditory system. In the course nearly all children showed a spontaneous recovery of the sensory system. Kind and localisation of the posttraumatic lesions pointed out, that mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries in childhood predominantly yield to an indirect damage of the brainstem.