Risk of pediatric head injury after motor vehicle accidents.

OBJECT: Injury to the brain as a result of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) represents a frequent cause of pediatric disability. The authors analyze the correlation between the relative risk of pediatric brain injury and the use of child safety seats (CSSs). METHODS: A national database of MVAs was examined to provide data for the analysis of four age categories (infant, toddler, young child, and adolescent) and four restraint categories (unrestrained, properly restrained, improperly restrained, and other). The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) was used to assess the severity of head injury; children with no injuries and children with moderate-to-maximum head injuries were evaluated. The data confirm that proper use of a CSS substantially increases the likelihood of not sustaining head injury in an MVA. The data are most dramatic for infants (the likelihood of sustaining no head injury was 15.2% for unrestrained infants compared with 92.8% for properly restrained infants) but the protective effect is seen in all age categories, with the least difference observed in the adolescent category. For children who sustain a moderate-to-maximum head injury, proper use of a CSS reduces the incidence of injury, again most dramatically for the infant category (unrestrained infants had a 7% risk of moderate-to-maximum head injury compared with only 0.5% for properly restrained infants). CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in CSSs have reduced the risk of moderate-to-maximum head injuries in children of all age categories. Overall, a CSS is most protective for the infant and toddler categories. The improperly restrained child still has substantial protection, although the properly restrained child has more. Detailed parental education regarding appropriate restraint system installation and use should be required.

Saccular aneurysm associated with posterior cerebral artery fenestration manifesting as a subarachnoid hemorrhage in a child.

Fenestrations of the cerebral arteries are uncommon, and aneurysms in association with fenestrations are even more uncommon. We report the case of a saccular aneurysm associated with a posterior cerebral artery fenestration in a child with subarachnoid hemorrhage. The patient was successfully treated with Guglielmi detachable coils. This case is unusual because of the patient's age and the location of the fenestration.

The circle of sagittal synostosis surgery.

Sagittal synostosis, the premature closure of the sagittal suture, accounts for more than 50% of all nonsyndromic single-suture synostoses. Although no detrimental neurologic effects can be directly attributed to the synostosis, a number of patients will have relatively increased intracranial pressure. Surgical correction for sagittal synostosis has evolved from simple removal of bone strips to extensive cranial remodeling, all in a attempt to achieve a normal head shape. The lack of outcome measures has limited the surgeon's ability to choose one surgical procedure over another. The use of a cranial helmet for passive molding of the head after surgery is effective when used with limited endoscopic surgery. We present the results of using an extended strip craniectomy combined with long-duration molding helmet therapy and compare it with other reported methods. The results suggest that passive molding with the helmet may have a greater effect on cranial shape than surgery.

Clinical significance of terminal syringomyelia in association with pediatric tethered cord syndrome.

An association between terminal syringomyelia (TS) and tethered cord syndrome (TCS) has been recognized. The clinical significance of TS and the need for concurrent treatment is not known. Thirty-four patients with TCS undergoing surgery for tethered cord release were evaluated for the incidence of TS. The clinical and radiological response to untethering with and without syrinx drainage was assessed. The group incidence of TS was 29.4%. There were no significant differences in the sex, age, underlying pathology or preoperative symptoms between the TCS group (TCS, n = 24) and the TCS group with TS (TCS + TS, n = 10). In the TCS group, 37.5% of the patients were asymptomatic preoperatively, and in the TCS + TS group 50% were asymptomatic preoperatively. After surgery, none of these asymptomatic patients developed symptoms. All of the symptomatic TCS + TS patients improved clinically, 12 of 15 symptomatic TCS patients improved, 2 patients were unchanged and 1 had worsening scoliosis. Syrinx did not develop in patients lacking it preoperatively. In patients where postoperative imaging was available, preoperative syringes improved. TS is clearly associated with TCS. Tethered cord release alone may be sufficient to improve preoperative symptoms and TS may be an associated phenomenon that does not mandate separate treatment.

Automating 3D meshing method for patient-specific modeling.

The purpose of this study was to develop an automating meshing method for patient-specific modeling. Three-dimensional geometries of two six-month-old infant heads were reconstructed from the CT data. Finite element meshes including cranial bone of skull, brain, and suture were generated. Both static and dynamic analyses were performed to verify the models. The study for blunt impact of infant head was performed by using these patient-specific models.