Neuroimaging in Accidental Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review and Update

Neuroimaging plays a critical role in the management of traumatic brain injury in children. It aids in the detection of injury and its complications, in the direction of treatment, and in the prediction of outcomes. CT remains the screening tool of choice in acute pediatric traumatic brain injury, despite radiation exposure concerns. MR imaging is increasingly being used in the evaluation of pediatric traumatic brain injury to determine the full extent of the injury and to follow up on injuries detected with initial CT. The use of advanced neuroimaging techniques in predicting clinical outcomes is also under investigation. In this article, we reviewed the common imaging findings in pediatric traumatic brain injury and new developments in traumatic brain injury imaging.

Learning Objective: Describe the conventional imaging findings of traumatic brain injury in children and discuss the roles of both conventional and advanced neuroimaging techniques in pediatric traumatic brain injury.