[Headache occurrence and assessment of regional blood flow after brain concussion in children].
OBJECTIVE
Headaches which can last for many months and even years belong to the most frequent consequences of closed head injuries in children. The method which makes it possible to demonstrate the presence and extent of the nervous tissue damage caused by trauma is the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) evaluation with single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT). In the present study the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed 10-15 days after trauma, 3 months and one year in cases of brain concussion. We tried to establish whether there was a correlation between changes in rCBF and the occurrence of posttraumatic headache.


METHODS
SPECT was applied in 32 children, aged 6-16, 10-15 days, and then 3 and 12 months after brain concussion. In all children no changes were found in CT and MRI examinations.


RESULTS
In the studied group in the early period after trauma, blood flow impairment was found in 21 children, mostly in frontal areas. One year after trauma the rCBF improved in 11 children, in 10 cases the pattern was normal. In a group of 4 children with headache one year after brain concussion, three of them still presented the impairment of blood flow.


CONCLUSIONS
SPECT shows a great sensitivity and usefulness in the assessment of consequences of head trauma and it can explain some posttraumatic complaints in children.
Lemka
Małgorzata
M
Klinika Neurologii Rozwojowej Katedro Neurologii, Akademia Medyczna w Gdańsku. mlemka@amg.gda.pl
Brockhuis
Bogna
B
Lass
Piotr
P
Pilarska
Ewa
E
D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon