Citation

Laxe S, León D, Salgado D, Zabaleta M. Neurocirugia (Astur) 2014; 26(2): 84-89.

Vernacular Title

Descripción de la evolución funcional del traumatismo craneoencefálico en una población pediátrica tras un programa de rehabilitación integral.

Affiliation

Servicio de Rehabilitación, Hospital Universitario Donostia, Donostia, Gipuzkoa, España.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Sociedad Espanola de Neurocirugia, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.neucir.2014.09.008

PMID

25455764

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of mortality and disability in children in the developed countries. Despite the plasticity of an infant's brain, injury at this early stage can lead to important sequelae that will affect functioning later in life. The understanding of the functional profile after a traumatic brain injury is important for planning interventions and treatment resources once the preventive phase has failed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of the patients admitted in a neurorehabilitation unit with the aim of describing their functioning after an intensive rehabilitation programme.

RESULTS: A total of 65 records of children with a mean age of 10.38 years that had been admitted to a rehabilitation programme were reviewed. Of the traumatic brain injuries, 89.2% were severe and 78.4% were secondary to traffic accidents. The mean length of stay was 79.35 days. At discharge, 72% were able to walk, but 76.9% showed some cognitive impairment. Despite good physical recovery, only 29.2% of the children were able to return to school. Permanence of deficits made 21.5% of the children unable to return to any type of education.

CONCLUSIONS: The population under study was characterised by a good clinical outcome as well as good physical improvement. Nevertheless, cognitive problems were notable and were the main factor responsible for the changes in school attendance and return to normal life.

Language: es