title: Assessment of pediatric near-drowning victims: is there a role for cranial CT?
abstract: Previous studies have suggested that CT examinations of the brain in children soon after near-drowning incidents are not helpful in predicting clinical outcome and are not necessary. The clinical and CT findings of 19 pediatric near-drowning victims were reviewed for correlation with clinical and neurologic outcome. As expected, a normal initial CT scan was poorly predictive of outcome, whereas an abnormal CT scan in the initial 36 h following an immersion incident was associated with a dismal prognosis. Three children with abnormal initial CT examinations were identified and all died within 3 days of admission. A CT scan performed in the immediate near-drowning period, therefore, may be helpful in identifying some patients who have sustained severe neurologic injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Frewen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015701:Near Drowning / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011379:Prognosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed