Outcome of head trauma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome of head trauma and its related factors in Iranian children.

METHODS: In a nonrandomized cross-sectional study 380 patients younger than 18-yr-old admitted to the surgery ward of Ali-E-Bne-Abitaleb Hospital, Rafsanjan due to head trauma were included. In all of them, skull X-ray and brain CT scan were performed under the supervision of the neurologist and neurosurgeon according to special indications. Patients were followed till discharge from the hospital or death. At the time of discharge, the patients were evaluated by pediatrician. Demographic information and imaging findings were statistically analyzed using SPSS software.

RESULTS: Male to female ratio was 3:1 Most cases were in the age range of 7-12 year. Seventy two percent and 11% of patients' admission was due to motor accidents and falling, respectively. Eighty two percent of patients were discharged with complete recovery; also 12% of skull-radiographs and 17% of brain CT scans were abnormal.

CONCLUSION: Head trauma had more prevalence and mortality in male than female. Also in the present study, motor accidents as an etiology of head trauma was more frequent than the western countries, which demands special precautions to decrease this problem.