Therapeutic Guidelines for Children with Severe Head Injury : From an Age-Specific Point of View(<SPECIAL ISSUES>Neurotrauma-Current Strategies and Dilemmas)

Abstract

There have been no standard therapeutic guidelines for severely head injured children in Japan. Last year, the Japan Society of Neurotraumatology revised their therapeutic guidelines for severe head injury, including a special chapter for children and the aged. Herein, the guideline for children is briefly introduced. Therapeutic problems are also discussed by comparing this new guideline with the guideline published in the USA by Adelson, et al. in 2003. In Japan, the use of hypertonic saline and external ventricular drainage are not common. Clinical data such as ICP and CPP were scarce. An Optimal head injury treatment regimen for children should be clarified and further studies are required to identify age specific ICP, CPP and other physiological variables.