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Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology

  • 35 Accesses

Synonyms

Childhood or adolescent brain injury

Definition

A pediatric traumatic brain injury is defined as a traumatic insult or blow to the head, occurring in childhood, which is sufficient to cause an altered state of consciousness. The injury is acquired and not developmental.

Categorization

Penetrating (Open) Head Injuries

Penetrating head injuries involve an object penetrating the skull and entering into brain tissue. They account for nearly 10% of all childhood brain injuries. Neurological deficits and posttraumatic epilepsy are often subsequent to penetrating head injuries. Deficits typically reflect localization of brain injury. While an injury from the object can cause localizing effects, along the path of penetration, additional damage can occur from the object fragmenting into parts. Secondary injuries can also occur including cerebral infection, swelling, bleeding, and increased intracranial pressure.

Closed Head Injuries

Closed head injuries occur when the brain tissue is...

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References and Readings

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuropsychology, Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, 4141 Shore Dr., 46254, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Samantha Backhaus

Authors
  1. Samantha Backhaus
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samantha Backhaus .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Richmond, Virgin Islands, USA

    Jeffrey Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation , West Orange, New Jersey, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Suite 200 , Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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Backhaus, S. (2017). Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury. In: Kreutzer, J., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_264-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_264-2

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