Frequency of Common CT Brain Findings in Pediatric Patients Following Accidental Falls

Abstract

Background: Accidental falls are a common cause of pediatric head trauma and may produce skull fractures, cerebral contusions, and intracranial hemorrhage. Computed tomography is useful for rapidly identifying acute traumatic abnormalities in clinically selected children. Objective: To determine the frequency and pattern of CT brain findings among children undergoing imaging after accidental falls. Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional observational study included 69 children aged 1–16 years who underwent non-contrast CT brain examination following accidental falls. Demographic characteristics, clinical features, acute traumatic CT abnormalities, and incidental findings were summarized using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Results: The mean age was 8.42 ± 4.26 years; 37 participants (53.6%) were male and 32 (46.4%) were female. Scalp swelling was present in 36 patients (52.2%), vomiting in 26 (37.7%), loss of consciousness in 25 (36.2%), and ENT bleeding in 16 (23.2%). Hematoma was the most frequently recorded CT abnormality, occurring in 19 patients (27.5%), followed by cerebral contusion in 13 (18.8%), skull fracture in 11 (15.9%), extradural hematoma in 10 (14.5%), subdural hemorrhage in 10 (14.5%), and other intracranial hemorrhage in nine (13.0%). Calcification and remote infarction were each identified in two patients (2.9%) and were classified as incidental findings. Conclusion: Hematomas, cerebral contusions, and skull fractures were the most frequently recorded traumatic CT abnormalities among children selected for imaging after accidental falls. Clinically indicated CT can identify important traumatic injuries, but the findings do not support routine CT examination of all children following falls