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Surgical Treatment of Severe Head Trauma

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Pediatric Surgery

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Abstract

Traumatic brain injury remains a serious public health problem and is among the most common causes for death and disability in childhood and adolescence. The goal of contemporary pediatric neurointensive care is the prevention of secondary injury. A prompt and rigorous resuscitation including stabilization and control of ventilation is essential. Multimodal monitoring and careful management of intracranial hypertension is recommended to optimize cerebral perfusion and minimize cerebral swelling. Mass lesions including epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma, and intracerebral hematoma account only for a small portion of intracranial pathology in childhood trauma. Intracranial mass lesions with minimal intracranial shift in children with an awake or minimally impaired status and/or mild deficits should be treated conservatively with intensive care monitoring. Clinical deterioration, moderate-to-severe coma score on presentation, or large mass lesions with significant shift or cerebral herniation require emergency craniotomy and evacuation of the hematoma. A multidisciplinary team is required to optimize the treatment of children with severe traumatic brain injury in each phase of management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Hans G. Eder

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  1. Hans G. Eder
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Correspondence to Hans G. Eder .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Our Lady’s Children's Hospital, National Children’s Research Centre, Dublin, Ireland

    Prem Puri

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Eder, H.G. (2020). Surgical Treatment of Severe Head Trauma. In: Puri, P. (eds) Pediatric Surgery. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38482-0_141-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38482-0_141-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-38482-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-38482-0

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