Headaches in a Pediatric Emergency Department: Etiology, Imaging, and Treatment

Abstract

The majority of the headaches in the pediatric emergency department were secondary to concurrent illness and minor head trauma, and required no pharmacological treatment or only treatment with minor analgesics. In a small minority of patients, headaches were secondary to serious neurological conditions, which required immediate medical attention. Computed tomography scans showed new abnormalities in a minority of patients and should be reserved for those with neurological diagnoses such as head trauma and ventriculoperitoneal shunt, as well as for those patients with recent onset of headaches with no clear etiological explanation, and for those with high-risk medical conditions, such as hypocoagulabilities. Future prospective studies are needed to assess the efficacy of the various pharmacological treatments in this population.