European journal of pediatric surgery : official journal of Austrian Association of Pediatric Surgery ... [et al] = Zeitschrift für Kinderchirurgie
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Thoracic injuries continue to be a leading cause of childhood trauma, despite the government's efforts to curb the scourge of this problem. Our review focuses on the incidence, etiology, and management of thoracic trauma in the pediatric population with reference to the recent experience at our institution in a developing country. ⋯ Thoracic trauma has remained a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. Concerted effort from governments, civil societies, and the medical profession are needed to address this challenge.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the consequence of external forces that traumatically injure the brain. Closed head injury is common in children and is estimated to result in 650,000 to 1 million emergency department visits annually with approximately 7,400 deaths in the United States. ⋯ The purpose of this article is to review current approaches, recommendations, and guidelines on pediatric head trauma with special emphasis on cCT. Therefore, after an overview on classification and TBI scores, diagnostic imaging, and management rules for clinical important TBI, as well as own experience including remarks on cCT technique will be discussed.
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Nonoperative management (NOM) is considered the standard therapy for clinically stable children with blunt solid organ injuries (SOI) grade I to IV. The capability of angioembolization (AE) to decrease the NOM failure rate in adults with blunt SOI has been demonstrated. The inclusion of AE in the pediatric SOI management is rarely reported. ⋯ The impact of this interventional approach is situated between the possibility for NOM in the obvious stable child and the need for open surgery in the obvious unstable patient with grade IV to grade V SOI. There is evidence that AE is capable to decrease the failure rate and complications in the NOM. Although available data are based on cohort studies rather than prospective randomized-controlled trials, we conclude, AE represents a safe and effective therapy and should be part of the interdisciplinary trauma management protocol for SOI in children and adolescents.