Treatment Practices and Outcomes After Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury in Children

Risk Factors for Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury in a Cohort of Pediatric Patients With Cervical Seat Belt Sign

BACKGROUND

Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BVCI), injury to the carotid or vertebral arteries, may result from forces involving seatbelts. Although previous studies have not found a seat belt sign to be a significant predictor for BCVI, it is still used to screen patients for BCVI.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to determine risk factors for BCVI within a cohort of patients with seat belt signs.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using our institutional trauma registry and included patients younger than 18 years with blunt trauma who both had a computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the neck performed and had evidence of a seat belt sign per the medical record. We reported frequencies, proportions, and measures of central tendency and conducted univariate analysis to evaluate factors associated with BCVI. We estimated the magnitude of the effect of each variable associated with the study outcome by conducting logistic regression and reporting odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

Among all study patients, BCVI injuries were associated with Injury Severity Score higher than 15 ( P = 0.04), cervical spinal fractures ( P = 0.007), or basilar skull fractures ( P = 0.01). We observed higher proportions of children with BCVI when other motorized and other blunt mechanisms were reported as the mechanisms of injury ( P = 0.002) versus motor vehicle collision.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant risk factors for BCVI in the presence of seat belt sign are: Injury severity score greater than 15, cervical spinal fracture, basilar skull fracture, and the other motorized mechanism of injury, similar to those in all children at risk of BCVI.

Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury in Pediatric Hanging Victims

INTRODUCTION

Incidence of blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) following hanging in the pediatric population is ill-defined. Current guidelines recommend screening imaging during the initial trauma evaluation. Necessity of screening is questioned given BCVI is considered rare after hanging, especially when asymptomatic. This study aims to elucidate the incidence of BCVI in pediatric hangings and determine the value of radiographic work-up.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was performed of pediatric hangings reported to the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB), 2017-2019. Imaging, diagnoses, and findings suggestive of BCVI, such as Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ≤8, presence of cervical injury, and soft tissue injury were considered. Statistical analysis was carried out to compare incidence.

RESULTS

197 patients met study criteria, with 179 arriving in the trauma bay with signs of life. BCVI incidence was 5.6% (10 of 179). Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) of the neck was the only reported screening modality in this data set. A CTA was completed in 46% of the cases.

DISCUSSION

BCVI incidence following pediatric hanging is more common than previously thought. Less than half of patients had a CTA reported in this cohort. This may result in an underestimate. Given the potentially devastating consequences of a missed BCVI, the addition of CTA to initial work-up may be worthwhile to evaluate for cervical vascular injury, but further studies into the outcomes of children who do receive prophylactic therapy are needed.

Diagnostic accuracy of screening tools for pediatric blunt cerebrovascular injury: An ATOMAC multicenter study

BACKGROUND

Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) is rare but significant among children. There are three sets of BCVI screening criteria validated for adults (Denver, Memphis, and Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma criteria) and two that have been validated for use in pediatrics (Utah score and McGovern score), all of which were developed using retrospective, single-center data sets. The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of each set of screening criteria in children using a prospective, multicenter pediatric data set.

METHODS

A prospective, multi-institutional observational study of children younger than 15 years who sustained blunt trauma to the head, face, or neck and presented at one of six level I pediatric trauma centers from 2017 to 2020 was conducted. All patients were screened for BCVI using the Memphis criteria, but criteria for all five were collected for analysis. Patients underwent computed tomography angiography of the head or neck if the Memphis criteria were met at presentation or neurological abnormalities were detected at 2-week follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 2,284 patients at the 6 trauma centers met the inclusion criteria. After excluding cases with incomplete data, 1,461 cases had computed tomography angiography and/or 2-week clinical follow-up and were analyzed, including 24 cases (1.6%) with BCVI. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for each set of criteria were respectively 75.0, 87.5, 9.1, and 99.5 for Denver; 91.7, 71.1, 5.0, and 99.8 for Memphis; 79.2, 82.7, 7.1, and 99.6 for Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma; 45.8, 95.8, 15.5, and 99.1 for Utah; and 75.0, 89.5, 10.7, and 99.5 for McGovern.

CONCLUSION

In this large multicenter pediatric cohort, the Memphis criteria demonstrated the highest sensitivity at 91.7% and would have missed the fewest BCVI, while the Utah score had the highest specificity at 95.8% but would have missed more than half of the injuries. Development of a tool, which narrows the Memphis criteria while maintaining its sensitivity, is needed for application in pediatric patients.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Diagnostic Test/Criteria; Level II.

Risk factors for blunt cerebrovascular injury in the pediatric patient: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

While blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) is a rare complication of blunt trauma, it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In the pediatric population, unique anatomy and development require screening criteria that accurately diagnose these injuries while limiting unwarranted radiation.

METHODS

We searched Medline OVID, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases for studies that investigated the risk factors of BCVI in individuals younger than 18 years of age. We adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items in Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and assessed the quality of each study using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We compared key characteristics of the papers, including incidence of BCVI, incidence of risk factors, and statistical significance of risk factors.

RESULTS

Of 1304 studies, 16 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 15 were retrospective cohort studies and one was a retrospective case control study. Most of the studies included all pediatric blunt trauma admissions, but four only included those which underwent imaging, one only included those with cervical seatbelt sign, and one excluded those who did not survive 24-h post-admission. The ages included as pediatric varied between papers. Papers examined different risk factors and reported differing statistical significances. Though no single risk factor was found to be statistically significant in every study, cervical spine and skull fractures were found to be significant by most. Maxillofacial fractures, depressed GCS score, and stroke were found to be statistically significant by multiple studies. Twelve studies examined cervical soft tissue injury, and none found it to be statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk factors most found to be statistically significant for BCVI were cervical spine fracture (10/16 studies), skull fracture (9/16), maxillofacial fractures (7/16), depressed GCS score (5/16), and stroke (5/16). There is a need for prospective studies on this topic.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, Systematic Review.

Multi-Center Validation of the McGovern Pediatric Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury Screening Score

Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) is defined as blunt trauma to the head and neck leading to damage to the vertebral and/or carotid arteries; debate exists regarding which children are considered at high risk for BCVI and in need of angiographic/vessel imaging. We previously proposed a screening tool, the McGovern score, to identify pediatric trauma patients at high risk for BCVI, and we aim to validate the McGovern score by pooling data from multiple pediatric trauma centers. This is a multi-center, hospital-based, cohort study from all prospectively registered pediatric (<16 years of age) trauma patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) between 2003 and 2017 at six Level 1 pediatric trauma centers. The registry was retrospectively queried for patients who received a computed tomography angiogram (CTA) as a screening method for BCVI. Age, length of follow-up, mechanism of injury (MOI), arrival Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, and focal neurological deficit were recorded. Radiological variables queried were the presence of a carotid canal fracture, petrous temporal bone fracture, and CT presence of infarction. Patients with BCVI were queried for mode of treatment, type of intracranial injury, artery damaged, and BCVI injury grade. The McGovern score was calculated for all patients who underwent CTA across all data groups. A total of 1012 patients underwent CTA; 72 of these patients were found to have BCVI, 51 of which were in the validation cohort. Across all data groups, the McGovern score has a >80% sensitivity (SN) and >98% negative predictive value (NPV). The McGovern score for pediatric BCVI is an effective, generalizable screening tool.

Development and validation of machine learning models for the prediction of blunt cerebrovascular injury in children

BACKGROUND

Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) is a rare finding in trauma patients. The previously validated BCVI (Denver and Memphis) prediction model in adult patients was shown to be inadequate as a screening option in injured children. We sought to improve the detection of BCVI by developing a prediction model specific to the pediatric population.

METHODS

The National Trauma Databank (NTDB) was queried from 2007 to 2015. Test and training datasets of the total number of patients (885,100) with complete ICD data were used to build a random forest model predicting BCVI. All ICD features not used to define BCVI (2268) were included within the random forest model, a machine learning method. A random forest model of 1000 decision trees trying 7 variables at each node was applied to training data (50% of the dataset, 442,600 patients) and validated with test data in the remaining 50% of the dataset. In addition, Denver and Memphis model variables were re-validated and compared to our new model.

RESULTS

A total of 885,100 pediatric patients were identified in the NTDB to have experienced blunt pediatric trauma, with 1,998 (0.2%) having a diagnosis of BCVI. Skull fractures (OR 1.004, 95% CI 1.003-1.004), extremity fractures (OR 1.001, 95% 1.0006-1.002), and vertebral injuries (OR 1.004, 95% CI 1.003-1.004) were associated with increased risk for BCVI. The BCVI prediction model identified 94.4% of BCVI patients and 76.1% of non-BCVI patients within the NTDB. This study identified ICD9/ICD10 codes with strong association to BCVI. The Denver and Memphis criteria were re-applied to NTDB data to compare validity and only correctly identified 13.4% of total BCVI patients and 99.1% of non BCVI patients.

CONCLUSION

The prediction model developed in this study is able to better identify pediatric patients who should be screened with further imaging to identify BCVI.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Retrospective diagnostic study-level III evidence.

A case report of blunt intraoral cerebrovascular injury in a child following intraoral trauma: The pen is mightier than the sword

Carotid artery dissection in the paediatric population is uncommon and in rare cases it can be due to intraoral blunt trauma associated with a stick-like object such as pen or chopstick in the mouth at the time of injury. Given the rarity of the condition, there is significant knowledge gap in evidence-based diagnosis and management of paediatric blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI). This case report presents a rare case of asymptomatic carotid artery dissection due to intraoral blunt trauma in a young patient and the successful conservative management. This report also demonstrated the sonographic progression of the carotid artery dissection on follow up imaging.

Neck Trauma: Cervical Spine, Seatbelt Sign, and Penetrating Palate Injuries

Pediatric cervical spine, blunt cerebrovascular, and penetrating palate injuries are rare but potentially life-threatening injuries that demand immediate stabilization and treatment. Balancing the risk of a missed injury with radiation exposure and the need for sedation is critical in evaluating children for these injuries. Unfortunately, effective clinical decision tools used in adult trauma cannot be uniformly applied to children. Careful risk stratification based on history, mechanism and examination is imperative to evaluate these injuries judiciously in the pediatric population. This article presents a review of the most up-to-date literature on pediatric neck trauma.

Successful flow diversion treatment of ruptured infectious middle cerebral artery aneurysms with the use of Pipeline Flex with Shield technology

BACKGROUND

Rupture of infectious intracranial aneurysms (IIAs) is associated with a high likelihood of mortality. Endovascular treatment of IIAs via parent artery sacrifice offers good efficacy and outcomes; however, depending on the lesion's location, neurologic deficit may result.

CASE DESCRIPTION

We describe a pediatric patient with ruptured IIAs off the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) treated with coil embolization and endovascular flow diversion using the Pipeline Flex Embolization Device (PED) with Shield technology. We chose to place a flow diverter because 1) there was a second, more distal IIA not amenable to direct coil embolization, 2) there was significant potential for aneurysm regrowth and need for retreatment, and 3) we believed the diseased parent MCA needed to be reconstructed.

CONCLUSIONS

In the setting of previous hemicraniectomy, PED-Shield gave us the option to discontinue dual antiplatelet therapy should the patient require further neurosurgical intervention. Our case supports a role for PED-Shield to address ruptured pseudoaneurysms.

Comparison of anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy for treatment of blunt cerebrovascular injury in children <10 years of age: a multicenter retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE

Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) is uncommon in the pediatric population. Among the management options is medical management consisting of antithrombotic therapy with either antiplatelets or anticoagulation. There is no consensus on whether administration of antiplatelets or anticoagulation is more appropriate for BCVI in children < 10 years of age. Our goal was to compare radiographic and clinical outcomes based on medical treatment modality for BCVI in children < 10 years.

METHODS

Clinical and radiographic data were collected retrospectively for children screened for BCVI with computed tomography angiography at 5 academic pediatric trauma centers.

RESULTS

Among 651 patients evaluated with computed tomography angiography to screen for BCVI, 17 patients aged less than 10 years were diagnosed with BCVI (7 grade I, 5 grade II, 1 grade III, 4 grade IV) and received anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy for 18 total injuries: 11 intracranial carotid artery, 4 extracranial carotid artery, and 3 extracranial vertebral artery injuries. Eleven patients were treated with antiplatelets (10 aspirin, 1 clopidogrel) and 6 with anticoagulation (4 unfractionated heparin, 2 low-molecular-weight heparin, 1 transitioned from the former to the latter). There were no complications secondary to treatment. One patient who received anticoagulation died as a result of the traumatic injuries. In aggregate, children treated with antiplatelet therapy demonstrated healing on 52% of follow-up imaging studies versus 25% in the anticoagulation cohort.

CONCLUSION

There were no observed differences in the rate of hemorrhagic complications between anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy for BCVI in children < 10 years, with a nonsignificantly better rate of healing on follow-up imaging in children who underwent antiplatelet therapy; however, the study cohort was small despite including patients from 5 hospitals.

Analysis of blunt cerebrovascular injury in pediatric trauma

BACKGROUND

Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) occurs in <1% of pediatric patients. The two principal screening criteria for BCVI in children are the Utah and McGovern Score with motor vehicle accident (MVA) considered to be a predictor for BCVI. We sought to confirm previously reported risk factors and identify novel associations with BCVI in pediatric patients.

METHODS

The Pediatric Trauma Quality Improvement Program (2014-2016) was queried for patients younger than 16 years presenting after blunt trauma. A multivariable logistic regression was used to determine risk of BCVI.

RESULTS

From 69,149 pediatric patients, 109 (<0.2%) had BCVI. The median age was 13 years, and the median Injury Severity Score was 25. More than half the patients were involved in MVAs (53.2%) and had a skull base fracture (53.2%). Factors independently associated with BCVI include skull base fracture (odds ratio [OR], 3.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.40-6.14; p < 0.001), cervical spine fracture (OR, 3.15; 95% CI, 1.91-5.18; p < 0.001), intracranial hemorrhage (OR, 3.11; 95% CI, 1.89-5.14; p < 0.001), Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.33-3.54; p = 0.003), and mandible fracture (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.05-3.84; p = 0.04). Motor vehicle accident was not an independent predictor for BCVI (p = 0.07).

CONCLUSION

In the largest analysis of pediatric BCVI to date, skull base fracture had the strongest association with BCVI. Other associations to pediatric BCVI included cervical spine and mandible fracture. Motor vehicle accident, previously identified to be associated with BCVI, was not an independent risk factor in our analysis. A future multicenter study incorporating newly identified variables in a scoring system to screen for BCVI is warranted.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV (Prognostic/Epidemiologic).

Pediatric blunt cerebrovascular injuries: A national trauma database study

BACKGROUND

The incidence of blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVIs) in children is unknown. We aimed to determine the rate and consequences of BCVIs in pediatric blunt trauma patients.

METHODS

We queried the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) for all blunt trauma patients between 2007 and 2014. BCVI patients were identified by ICD-9 codes. Demographic, emergency room, and concomitant injury data were analyzed.

RESULTS

There were 732,702 blunt trauma patients, and 1682 BCVIs were identified (0.23%). 791 (47%) sustained carotid artery injuries (CAIs), 957 (57%) had vertebral artery injuries (VAIs), and 4% of patients sustained both. A majority of the injuries occurred in white patients (61%) and in motor vehicle accidents (53%). The average age was 12.1 ± 5.4 years. CAIs had more skull base fractures (55% vs 35%, p < 0.0001), and cervical spine fractures were more common in VAIs (26 vs 11%, p < 0.0001). Intensive care length of stay was longer in the CAI patients (9.2 vs 7.9 days, p = 0.03), as was length of stay (12.5 vs 9.7 days, p = 0.0002). 5% of CAI patients were coded for stroke, versus 2% of VAIs (p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

BCVIs are rare in children. Vertebral injuries are more common. Carotid injuries are associated with a longer length of stay and higher stroke rates.

TYPE OF STUDY

Retrospective cohort study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Posttraumatic cerebrovascular injuries in children. A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Posttraumatic craniocervical vascular injuries in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) are rare, and children-specific, evidence-based standards on screening and therapy of posttraumatic carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF), craniocervical artery dissections (CCAD), traumatic aneurysms (TA), and posttraumatic sinus venous thrombosis (SVT) is lacking. The aim of this review is to summarize the data on epidemiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of these traumatic lesions in a systematic manner.

METHODS

We performed a systematic PubMed search for records of CCF, CCAD, TA, and SVT related to pediatric TBI published until June 2019.

RESULTS

After screening 2439 records, 42 were included in the quantitative analysis. Incidences for CCAD in blunt TBI were 0.21% (range 0.02-6.82%). 11.7% (range 1.69-15.58%) of pediatric aneurysms were found to be traumatic of origin, whereas 38.2% (range 36.84-40%) of all pediatric SVT were due to blunt TBI. For all of the posttraumatic cerebrovascular pathologies, we found a clear male predominance with 68.75% in CCF, 63.4% in CCAD, 60% in TA, and 58.33% in SVT. Clinical presentation did not differ from the adult population with exception of young child. While there is only recommendation for the therapy of CCAD and SVT in the pediatric population, no such recommendation exists for the treatment of CCF's and TA's, and data from randomized controlled trials is lacking.

CONCLUSION

While these results show that posttraumatic CCF, CCAD, TA, and SVT are rarely encountered in children, misdiagnosis may have potentially drastic consequences due to a longer lifetime burden in the pediatric population. Awareness, early recognition, and prompt initiation of the appropriate therapy are essential to avoid morbidity and mortality. Further studies should focus on the development of clinical and radiological screening criteria of posttraumatic vascular lesions in children.

Anti-coagulation management in pediatric traumatic vascular injuries

BACKGROUND

Pediatric traumatic vascular injuries are rare. Given the paucity of data to guide anti-coagulation (AC) management of these injuries in children, who have a lower overall risk for thrombosis compared to their adult counterparts, we sought to examine and summarize our recent experience.

METHOD

We conducted a retrospective review of all patients (<18 years old) who sustained traumatic vascular injuries between 2010-2018 at a Level 1 and Level 2 Pediatric Trauma Center.

RESULTS

Ninety-nine patients had traumatic vascular injuries. Eighty-four patients sustained a major arterial injury, 26 had a major venous injury, and 11 had both arterial and venous injuries. The arterial injury cohort had a median age of 13.3 years. Most of the arterial injury patients (65/84, 77%) required vascular repair. In-hospital AC management for the arterial injury patients consisted of a post-operative heparin drip (18%, 15/84), aspirin (39%, 26/84), enoxaparin (23%, 19/84), or none (42%, 43/84). Approximately one-half of the patients with arterial injuries (54%, 45/84) were discharged home on AC therapy, most commonly aspirin. Fifty-six patients (66%) followed up post-injury, of which 25% (14/56) had experienced complications.

CONCLUSION

Pediatric traumatic arterial injuries that require surgical intervention other than ligation should be considered for discharge AC - most commonly aspirin - in the absence of contraindications. Pediatric patients with vascular injuries to the aorta, carotid artery, inferior vena cava, portal vein, or lower extremities that are managed non-operatively should also be considered for AC. The preferred AC for pediatric venous injuries is enoxaparin, in the absence of contraindications.

STUDY TYPE

Treatment Study LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Modern Management of Bleeding, Clotting, and Coagulopathy in Trauma Patients: What Is the Role of Viscoelastic Assays?

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to briefly outline the current state of hemorrhage control and resuscitation in trauma patients with a specific focus on the role viscoelastic assays have in this complex management, to include indications for use across all phases of care in the injured patient.

Recent Findings

Viscoelastic assay use to guide blood-product resuscitation in bleeding trauma patients can reduce mortality by up to 50%. Viscoelastic assays also reduce total blood products transfused, reduce ICU length of stay, and reduce costs. There are a large number of observational and retrospective studies evaluating viscoelastic assay use in the initial trauma resuscitation, but only one randomized control trial. There is a paucity of data evaluating use of viscoelastic assays in the operating room, post-operatively, and during ICU management in trauma patients, rendering their use in these settings extrapolative/speculative based on theory and data from other surgical disciplines and settings.

Summary

Both hypocoagulable and hypercoagulable states exist in trauma patients, and better indicate what therapy may be most appropriate. Further study is needed, particularly in the operating room and post-operative/ICU settings in trauma patients.

Pediatric blunt cerebrovascular injury: the McGovern screening score

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the incidence, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) at a busy Level 1 trauma center and to develop a tool for accurately predicting pediatric BCVI and the need for diagnostic testing. METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study of a prospectively collected database of pediatric patients who had sustained blunt trauma (patient age range 0-15 years) and were treated at a Level 1 trauma center between 2005 and 2015. Digital subtraction angiography, MR angiography, or CT angiography was used to confirm BCVI. Recently, the Utah score has emerged as a screening tool specifically targeted toward evaluating BCVI risk in the pediatric population. Using logistical regression and adding mechanism of injury as a logit, the McGovern score was able to use the Utah score as a starting point to create a more sensitive screening tool to identify which pediatric trauma patients should receive angiographic imaging due to a high risk for BCVI. RESULTS A total of 12,614 patients (mean age 6.6 years) were admitted with blunt trauma and prospectively registered in the trauma database. Of these, 460 (3.6%) patients underwent angiography after blunt trauma: 295 (64.1%), 107 (23.3%), 6 (1.3%), and 52 (11.3%) patients underwent CT angiography, MR angiography, digital subtraction angiography, and a combination of imaging modalities, respectively. The BCVI incidence (n = 21; 0.17%) was lower than that in a comparable adult group (p < 0.05). The mean patient was age 10.4 years with a mean follow-up of 7.5 months. Eleven patients (52.4%) were involved in a motor vehicle collision, with a mean Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8.6. There were 8 patients (38.1%) with carotid canal fracture, 6 patients (28.6%) with petrous bone fracture, and 2 patients (9.5%) with infarction on initial presentation. Eight patients (38.1%) were managed with observation alone. The Denver, modified Memphis, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST), and Utah scores, which are the currently used screening tools for BCVI, misclassified 6 (28.6%), 6 (28.6%), 7 (33.3%), and 10 (47.6%) patients with BCVI, respectively, as "low risk" and not in need of subsequent angiographic imaging. By incorporating the mechanism of injury into the score, the McGovern score only misclassified 4 (19.0%) children, all of whom were managed conservatively with no treatment or aspirin. CONCLUSIONS With a low incidence of pediatric BCVI and a nonsurgical treatment paradigm, a more conservative approach than the Biffl scale should be adopted. The Denver, modified Memphis, EAST, and Utah scores did not accurately predict BCVI in our equally large cohort. The McGovern score is the first BCVI screening tool to incorporate the mechanism of injury into its screening criteria, thereby potentially allowing physicians to minimize unnecessary radiation and determine which high-risk patients are truly in need of angiographic imaging.

Management of Penetrating Cerebrovascular Injuries in Pediatric Trauma: A Retrospective Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND

Blunt cerebrovascular injury is uncommon in the pediatric population; penetrating cerebrovascular injuries are even rarer and are thus poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the diagnosis and management of penetrating cerebrovascular injuries and describe outcomes of available treatment modalities.

METHODS

Clinical and radiographic data were collected retrospectively from a multicenter trauma registry for children screened for cerebrovascular injury during 2003 to 2013 at 4 academic pediatric trauma centers.

RESULTS

Among 645 pediatric patients evaluated with computed tomography angiography with blunt cerebrovascular injury, 130 also had a penetrating trauma indication. Seven penetrating cerebrovascular injuries were diagnosed in 7 male patients (mean age 12.4 years, range 12-18 years). Focal neurological deficit and concomitant intracranial injury were each seen in 2 patients. There were 2 intracranial carotid artery injuries, 4 extracranial carotid artery injuries, and 1 vertebral artery injury. The majority of injuries were higher than grade I (5/7; 71%): 2 were grade I, 1 grade II, 2 grade III, and 2 grade IV. The 2 patients with grade III injuries required open surgery, and 1 patient with a grade IV injury underwent endovascular treatment. Two patients suffered immediate stroke secondary to the penetrating cerebrovascular injury. There were no delayed neurological deficits from the penetrating injuries, and no patients died as a result of the injuries.

CONCLUSION

This is the largest series of penetrating cerebrovascular trauma in the pediatric literature. Although rare, penetrating cerebrovascular injuries can be high-grade injuries that require urgent recognition and may require aggressive endovascular and/or open surgery for treatment.

A cohort study of blunt cerebrovascular injury screening in children: Are they just little adults?

BACKGROUND

Blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVIs) are rare with nonspecific predictors, making optimal screening critical. Radiation concerns magnify these issues in children. The Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) criteria, the Utah score (US), and the Denver criteria (DC) have been advocated for pediatric BCVI screening, although direct comparison is lacking. We hypothesized that current screening guidelines inaccurately identify pediatric BCVI.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of pediatric trauma patients treated from 2005 to 2015 with radiographically confirmed BCVI. Our primary outcome was a false-negative screen, defined as a patient with a BCVI who would not have triggered screening.

RESULTS

We identified 7,440 pediatric trauma admissions, and 96 patients (1.3%) had 128 BCVIs. Median age was 16 years (13, 17 years). A cervical-spine fracture was present in 41%. There were 83 internal carotid injuries, of which 73% were Grade I or II, as well as 45 vertebral injuries, of which 76% were Grade I or II, p = 0.8. More than one vessel was injured in 28% of patients. A cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurred in 17 patients (18%); eight patients were identified on admission, and nine patients were identified thereafter. The CVA incidence was similar in those with and without aspirin use. The EAST screening missed injuries in 17% of patients, US missed 36%, and DC missed 2%. Significantly fewer injuries would be missed using DC than either EAST or US, p < 0.01.

CONCLUSIONS

Blunt cerebrovascular injury does occur in pediatric patients, and a significant proportion of patients develop a CVA. The DC appear to have the lowest false-negative rate, supporting liberal screening of children for BCVI. Optimal pharmacotherapy for pediatric BCVI remains unclear despite a relative high incidence of CVA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Diagnostic study, level III.

Blunt Cerebrovascular Injuries: Advances in Screening, Imaging, and Management Trends

Blunt cerebrovascular injury is a relatively uncommon but sometimes life-threatening injury, particularly in patients presenting with ischemic symptoms in that vascular territory. The decision to pursue vascular imaging (generally CT angiography) is based on clinical and imaging findings. Several grading scales or screening criteria have been developed to guide the decision to pursue vascular imaging, as well as to recommend different treatment options for various injuries. The data supporting many of these guidelines and options are limited however. The purpose of this article is to review and compare these scales and criteria and the data supporting clinical efficacy and to make recommendations for future research in this area.

Management Issues in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients with Trauma

The management of critically ill pediatric patients with trauma poses many challenges because of the infrequency and diversity of severe injuries and a paucity of high-level evidence to guide care for these uncommon events. This article discusses recent recommendations for early resuscitation and blood component therapy for hypovolemic pediatric patients with trauma. It also highlights the specific types of injuries that lead to severe injury in children and presents challenges related to their management.

Blunt cerebrovascular injury in children

Blunt cerebrovascular injury in children is an uncommon occurrence that if missed and left untreated can result in devastating long-term neurologic consequences. Diagnosis can be readily obtained by a computed tomographic angiogram of the head and neck. If confirmed, treatment with antithrombotic therapy dramatically reduces the risk of a cerebrovascular accident. The difficulty lies in determining which child should be screened for such an injury. Several institutions have come up with criteria for screening. In this article, we review the nuances of the cerebrovascular system and its resulting injury. We present recent literature on the subject in an attempt to add clarity to this challenging situation.