Diagnostic Testing for Acute Head Injury in Children: When Are Head Computed Tomography and Skull Radiographs Indicated?

Abstract

Intracranial injury may occur with few or subtle signs and symptoms, especially in infants younger than 1 year. The relative risk for intracranial injury is increased almost fourfold in the presence of a skull fracture, although the absence of a skull fracture does not rule out intracranial injury. The significance of nonsurgical intracranial injury in neurologically normal children needs further study.