Pattern of head injury among the paediatric population: Experience of a local neurosurgical centre

Objective: To review the pattern of head injury among the paediatric population. Method: The hospital records of all patients younger than 12 years of age who had been admitted to the Neurosurgical Department at Tuen Mun Hospital for head injury between January 1992 and June 1996 were reviewed. The demographic data, causes and location of injury, initial Glasgow Coma Scale, associating symptoms and signs, radiological findings, and outcome were analyzed. Results: A total of 1240 patients were registered, the male to female ratio being 1.7 : 1. Annual incidence was 1.7 per 1000 population, and 41% of patients were younger than 1 year of age. Fall was the commonest cause, accounting for 77.5% of the cases, followed by accidental blow (13.5%), and traffic accident (7.9%). Of theses cases, 1.9% had significant intracranial injuries, of which epidural haematoma accounted for 48% of this category. Conclusions: Recognizing the pattern of head injury among children helps to identify any high-risk groups and environment, which will then help us to design more appropriate preventive measures. Chinese Abstract Figure Chinese Abstract.