• Neil Patel, Michael West, Joanie Wurster, and Cassie Tillman.
• Department of Trauma, St. Mary's Medical Center/Palm Beach Children's Hospital, Fl, 33409, USA.
• Surg Neurol Int. 2013 Jan 1; 4: 128.

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs in an estimated 80% of all pediatric trauma patients and is the leading cause of death and disability in the pediatric population. Decompressive craniectomy is a procedure used to decrease intracranial pressure by allowing the brain room to swell and therefore increase cerebral perfusion to the brain.MethodsThis is a retrospective study done at St. Mary's Medical Center/Palm Beach Children's Hospital encompassing a 3 year 7 month period. All the pediatric patients who sustained a TBI and who were treated with a decompressive craniectomy were included. The patients' outcomes were monitored and scored according to the Rancho Los Amigos Score at the time of discharge from the hospital and 6 months postdischarge.ResultsA total of 379 pediatric patients with a diagnosis of TBI were admitted during this time. All these patients were treated according to the severity of their injury. A total of 49 pediatric patients required neurosurgical intervention and 7 of these patients met the criteria for a decompressive craniectomy. All seven patients returned home with favorable outcomes.ConclusionThis study supports the current literature that decompressive craniectomy is no longer an intervention used as a last resort but an effective first line treatment to be considered.

3 keywords...

hide…