title: [Skull and brain injuries in children].
abstract: Our contribution reviews the diagnostic algorithm of head injuries in children. According to the Heidelberg consensus on head injury, patients should be divided into three risk groups. In low-risk patients clinical observation is the method of choice and radiological examinations are usually unnecessary. Patients at medium risk should be observed carefully. Sometimes neurosurgical consultation or CT is necessary. High risk patients in most instances need CT and neurosurgical consultation. Skull X-ray is helpful only in selected cases. A simple fracture as demonstrated by skull X-ray has no therapeutic consequence. However, normal findings in skull X-ray do not exclude intracranial injury. CT is the method of choice to detect intracranial hemorrhage, epi- or subdural hematoma and cerebral contusion. If patients present with severe clinical deficits, CT allows characterization of lesions and initiation of specific therapy.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Neuroradiologie, Universität Heidelberg.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fiebach
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Schellinger
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zieger
mesh_terms: D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography
vernacular_title: Das Schädel-Hirn-Trauma des Kindes.