Late outcome after severe traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
Eighteen surviving adolescents with severe traumatic brain injury were re-examined a mean period of 7.1 years after their trauma in order to determine their life situation, motor, cognitive functions and pattern of handicap.


METHODS
A structured interview, the EB test of motor function, Ravens's progressive matrices, Peabody's neuropsychological test, SPIQ and the WHO classification of handicap were used.


RESULTS
The group had a mean WHO Classification of Handicap score of 1.61 (SD 1.60) revealing mild handicap, and performed as a group significantly subnormal (p < 0.0001) in gross motor, fine motor, sensibility and perception sub-tests. The EB test revealed a mean value of 2.23 (SD 0.89) corresponding to mild disability. The mean non-verbal IQ score of 93.1 (SD 13.9) and the verbal score of 93.4 (SD 14.8) were within normal limits.


CONCLUSIONS
Only 28% of the group of surviving adolescent TBI victims functioned within normal limits. The most crucial disabling component was poor social integration, which was clearly demonstrated in the WHO score.
Emanuelson
I
I
Bräcke Ostergård Regional Pediatric Rehabilitation Centre, Göteborg, Sweden.
von Wendt
L
L
Beckung
E
E
Hagberg
I
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003071:Cognition; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000145:classification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D012720:Severity of Illness Index