Growth monitoring following traumatic brain injury.
Hypopituitarism is an important consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Growth monitoring can be used as an indicator of pituitary function in children. A retrospective audit of case notes of 123 children who required intensive care unit admission with TBI found that only 71 (33%) of 212 attendances in 38 of 85 children followed up had documented height and weight measurements. Children were reviewed in 11 different specialty clinics, which showed a wide variation in the frequency of growth monitoring. Serial growth measurements were available for only 22 patients (17%), which showed a reduction in height standard deviation scores (0.17 (SD 0.33), p = 0.017) over a mean follow-up period of 25.2 (SD 21.6) months. In conclusion, growth monitoring following TBI was poorly performed in this cohort, highlighting the need for a co-ordinated approach by primary and secondary care and all departments in tertiary centres involved in the follow-up of children with TBI.
Moon
R J
RJ
Paediatric Endocrinology, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Southampton, UK.
Wilson
P
P
Kirkham
F J
FJ
Davies
J H
JH
D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007223:Infant; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008297:Male; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000503:physiopathology