Causes of Diffuse Axonal Injuries in Children (Part A)
Most parents are unfamiliar with the term “diffuse axonal injury” but they have heard of Shaken Baby Syndrome. These two terms refer to the same type of child brain injury which can occur from car accidents or any other type of accident where there is rapid acceleration and deceleration that causes your child’s head to jerk about.
What are diffuse axonal injuries?
Child brain trauma suffered from diffuse axonal injuries is due to a rapid back and forth movement of the head. When the head is shaken violently such as in a car crash, the brain moves back and forth in the skull, causing the axons in the nerve cells to become disrupted. The scraping of brain tissues during this movement causes shearing and lesions, often resulting in cranial bleeding.
There are many medical complications that arise from diffuse axonal injuries. Brain tissues are highly sensitive and the slightest agitation may cause long term, or even fatal effects. In almost 90% of severe child brain injury cases including diffuse axonal injuries, the child enters a comatose state with little to no chance of recovery.
Diagnosis of Diffuse Axonal Injuries
The most common sign of child brain injury resulting from diffuse axonal injuries is lack of consciousness, which can last for more than 6 hours. Conscious children may exhibit some of the other symptoms of a child brain injury such as blurred vision, vomiting, ringing in the ears, and headaches.
To diagnose diffuse axonal injuries a doctor will perform a MRI, a CT scan, an EEG, or an Evoked Potentials test. MRI tests are the most common, as CT Scans often result in false negatives. If the child is conscious and old enough to evaluate, they may be asked questions to test their cognitive ability.
When examining the test results, doctors will consider the scans of the brain tissue, as well as the electrical activity in the brain and the visual, auditory, and sensory pathways. Any abnormalities in normal functionality may alert the doctor to a child brain injury that can be pinpointed to diffuse axonal injuries.
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