Impact of Road Traffic Injury to Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury in Southern Thailand.

Background: Motor vehicle is a major transportation in Southern Thailand as the result of road traffic injury and death. Consequently, severe disability and mortality in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) were observed from traffic accident, particularly motorcycle accident. To identify the risk of intracranial injury in children, the association of treatment outcome with various factors including mechanisms of injury, clinical characteristics, and intracranial pathology can be assessed.

Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted on children, who were younger than 15 years old with TBI and were enrolled from 2004 to 2015. Several clinically relevant issues were reviewed and statistically analyzed.

Results: A total of 948 casualties were enrolled. Compared with falling down, the motorcycle accident was significantly associated with intracranial injury (odds ratio 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-2.76). Other factors associated with intracranial injury were hemiparesis (odds ratio 5.69, 95% CI 1.44-22.36), positive of basal skull fracture signs (odds ratio 15.66, 95% CI 3.44-71.28), and fixed reaction to light of both pupils (odds ratio 5.74, 95% CI 1.71-19.23). Mortality found in thirty cases (3.2%). Furthermore, the risk of death correlated with motorcycle accident ( P = 0.02) and severe head injury ( P < 0.001). Neurosurgical intervention was not associated with outcome, but severe head injury, hemorrhagic shock, epidural, and subdural hematoma were impact factors.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate road traffic injury, especially motorcycle accident leading to brain injury and death. Prevention program is a necessary key to decrease mortality and disability in pediatric TBI.