Delayed epidural hematoma: presentation in a pediatric patient.
Epidural hematomas remain at the pinnacle of neurosurgical emergencies, representing approximately 3% to 8% of all serious head injuries. Mortality from this entity is usually prevented once the diagnosis is clear. Although readily recognized on non-contrast head CT, the occasional patient may go on to develop a clinically significant hematoma after an initial negative CT. This phenomenon is appropriately termed delayed epidural hematoma. We present a case in which a 3-year-old boy developed a large epidural hematoma, which was not evident until the second CT, several hours after the injury. We feel that maintaining a high clinical suspicion, coupled with a low threshold for CT scanning, is the key to morbidity prevention in this illness.
Summers
L E
LE
Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Mascott
C R
CR
D000058:Accidental Falls; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006407:Hematoma, Epidural, Cranial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed