Hospitalization rates and radiological findings in infants with head trauma after a fall

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to determine the necessity of performing computed tomography (CT) scans in infants with head trauma because of falls because of concerns regarding radiation exposure by evaluating the hospitalisation rates. Materials and Methods: The present study included 1060 patients who underwent cranial CT in the emergency department owing to a pediatric fall between 2018 and 2022. Two patients were excluded due to treatment refusal. Skull fractures, their characteristics, associated skin findings, and intracranial hemorrhage on CT scans and patients’ demographic features (age & sex), medical history, and hospitalisation rates were investigated. Results: Of the 1058 patients with head trauma who presented to the emergency department in the secondary care centre, fractures were detected in only 28 patients. Of these patients, 1.8% were treated as inpatients. Subdural hematomas and epidural hematomas were detected in 10.7% (n=3) and 7.1% (n=2) of patients with fractures, respectively. Furthermore, subdural hematomas and epidural hematomas were detected in 0.3% and 0.2% of trauma admissions, respectively. Conclusions: In conclusion, positive CT findings and a low percentage of patients requiring hospitalisation stand out in the patients examined. Therefore, care should be taken when requesting tomography between the ages of 0-2.