Pediatric Cranioencephalic Trauma in Senegal: A Consideration of 164 Cases

The cranioencephalic trauma (CET) is a worldwide public health problem. This study is aims to evaluate the epidemiologic, clinical, paraclinical, and types of treatment of CET in Senegalese children. The study includes children younger than 15 years, victims of CET from January 2008 to December 2012. The series included 164 patients. The average age was 4.96 years, with a sex ratio of 2.72. Patients were transported by unequipped medical ambulance and 65.8% of the case was discharged within the first 6 hours out of the 79.3%. Two causes of accidents were noted: domestic accident (DA) 56.6%, and road traffic accident (RTA) 29.9%. The initial loss of consciousness (ILC), vomiting, and seizures were reported in 49.5, 33.3, and 17.2% cases, respectively. The initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score was between 13 and 15 in 65.2%, and between 3 and 8 in 16.5% of the cases. The CT scan revealed that 38.1% of the injuries affected the bone whereas 34.75% were normal. Biologically, there was anemia in 51.2% of the cases and electrolyte imbalance in 16.46%. All patients received medical treatment. Surgery was performed in 21 (12.8%) of the patients. The short-term evaluation results were marked by early mortality in three (1.29%) cases. Pediatric CET is dominated by DAs accounting for a significant sequelae. A significant proportion of clinically benign CET patients shows significant lesions on CT scan. Prevention must be the priority.