The prevalence of neurocranium injury in children in Brod-Posavina County.

Head injuries are very common in children and are the most frequent cause of disability and death among children. This retrospective study included 350 children hospitalized for injury of neurocranium over a 5-year period at Dr Josip Bencevic General Hospital in Slavonski Brod. Boys were more commonly injured (63.4%) than girls. The most common injuries were recorded in children aged 7-14 (47.1%), followed by those aged 1-6 (33.8%) years. The injuries occurred slightly more often in urban (50.9%) than in rural (46.6%) setting. Children were more commonly injured in the street or on the road (38.6%), followed by injuries sustained at home (35.2%), at school (9.3%) and on playgrounds (5.7%). They were most commonly injured by fall (50%), followed by traffic injuries (33.5%). Statistically significant differences were found in the following age groups: all children younger than one year were injured by fall; children aged 1-14 were mostly injured by fall (less in traffic, and due to hitting), and those aged 15-18 mostly in traffic (less by fall and due to hitting). Children were mostly injured in the street or on the road (in traffic accidents), followed by injuries at home (mostly by fall), at school and around the house or in the yard (mostly by fall); on the playground (due to hitting) and on the road (in traffic accidents) (statistically significant difference). Most of them had head contusion and cerebral commotion combined (46.8%), followed by head contusion alone (12.5%) and skull fractures (10.5%). Hemorrhages and hematomas were rare (epidural, subdural, subarachnoid hemorrhage), found in 3.2% of cases. We hope that our results will prove helpful in planning preventive measures and treatment of injured children.

Head injury in children.

Nowadays, head injuries are becoming more frequent in children. The most common cause of head injuries in children is fall, and, in more severe injuries, traffic accident trauma. In traumatic brain injuries in infants and small children, the most common symptoms are paleness, somnolence and vomiting, the so called "pediatric contusion syndrome". After the first year of age, light head trauma occurs after minor falls, whereas the most severe injuries are caused by car accidents, including pedestrians, or fall from the height. As the child grows, severe head trauma is more likely to occur after bicycle or car accidents. Brain injuries involving or penetrating the brain by broken bone fragments include contusions and lacerations of the brain. Unconsciousness need not always occur during contusion, as it may also appear after swelling of the brain or high intracranial pressure complications. Despite comprehensive injuries in such types of accidents, the outcome of survivors is surprisingly good. Such severe neurocranium injuries usually include heavy bleeding with hematoma (epidural bleeding, subdural bleeding, intracerebral bleeding, and traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage). Improved prehospital care, readiness and accessibility of multidisciplinary teams, establishment of regional centers, and efforts to prevent and decrease traffic accidents contribute to mortality rate reduction.