title: Risk of traumatic brain injuries in children younger than 24 months with isolated scalp hematomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to determine the association between scalp hematoma characteristics and traumatic brain injuries in young children with blunt head trauma who have no other symptoms or signs suggestive of traumatic brain injuries (defined as "isolated scalp hematomas").
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a secondary analysis of children younger than 24 months with minor blunt head trauma from a prospective cohort study in 25 Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network emergency departments. Treating clinicians completed a structured data form. For children with isolated scalp hematomas, we determined the prevalence of and association between scalp hematoma characteristics and (1) clinically important traumatic brain injury (death, neurosurgery for traumatic brain injury, intubation >24 hours for traumatic brain injury, or positive computed tomography (CT) scan in association with hospitalization ≥2 nights for traumatic brain injury); and (2) traumatic brain injury on CT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 10,659 patients younger than 24 months were enrolled, 2,998 of 10,463 (28.7%) with complete data had isolated scalp hematomas. Clinically important traumatic brain injuries occurred in 12 patients (0.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.2% to 0.7%); none underwent neurosurgery (95% CI 0% to 0.1%). Of 570 patients (19.0%) for whom CTs were obtained, 50 (8.8%; 95% CI 6.6% to 11.4%) had traumatic brain injuries on CT. Younger age, non-frontal scalp hematoma location, increased scalp hematoma size, and severe injury mechanism were independently associated with traumatic brain injury on CT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients younger than 24 months with isolated scalp hematomas, a minority received CTs. Despite the occasional presence of traumatic brain injuries on CT, the prevalence of clinically important traumatic brain injuries was very low, with no patient requiring neurosurgery. Clinicians should use patient age, scalp hematoma location and size, and injury mechanism to help determine which otherwise asymptomatic children should undergo neuroimaging after minor head trauma.
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY. Electronic address: psd6@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Dayan
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schutzman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schunk
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lichenstein
authors.affiliation: Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring Emergency Physicians, Silver Spring, MD.
authors.forename: Lillian A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Foerster
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hoyle
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Emergency Division, District of Columbia.
authors.forename: Shireen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Atabaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miskin
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wisner
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
authors.forename: SallyJo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zuspan
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuppermann
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006406:Hematoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D059906:Neuroimaging; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012535:Scalp / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed