title: [Severe traumatic braininjury in children and adolescents].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Present a critical review of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children and adolescents, focusing on severe TBI, the mortality and the factors related with poor outcome.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  It was made a systematic review in MEDLINE, SciElo e Lilacs, with the key words: traumatic brain injury, craniocerebral trauma, children and mortality. The most important articles related in the Guidelines of Brain Trauma Foundation (2000 e 2003) were selected too. TBI is one of the most important causes of mortality and morbidity in children and adolescents, and morbidity in children and adolescents. The mortality variation was between 10% and 55%, depending of the patients select criteria, trauma severity and units where the studies were made. The children mortality was, in general, lower than that found in adults and the most important factors related with an increased mortality were: Glasgow Coma Score, hypotension, cerebral swelling and lower cerebral perfusion press. Severe TBI endpoint treatment is to correct the secondary brain lesions related factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The factors related with better outcomes in children with severe TBI are still obscures, despite the large number of studies, large numbers of studies. Many of these factors can be avoided or correct by aggressive fluid resuscitation, surgery treatment, monitoration and adequate intensive care.
authors.affiliation: UTI Pediátrica, Hospital João XXIII, FHEMIG.
authors.forename: Luís Fernando Andrade de
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: SAMU, Belo Horizonte.
authors.forename: Carolina de Araújo
authors.initials: Cde A
authors.lastname: Affonseca
authors.affiliation: UTI, Hospital João XXIII, FHEMIG.
authors.forename: Sérgio Diniz
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.affiliation: UFMG.
authors.forename: Alexandre Rodrigues
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: UFMG.
authors.forename: Eugênio Marcos Andrade
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Goulart