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Screening guidelines for blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) exist for adults but not for children. To determine whether adult screening criteria apply to children, researchers reviewed records for 1209 children aged <15 years with blunt trauma who were admitted to a single level I trauma center during a 5-year period.
Of 128 children retrospectively identified as having one or more adult risk factors, only 42% underwent computed tomography angiography, digital subtraction cerebral angiography, or both. Fourteen BCVIs (9 single carotid, 3 bilateral carotid, and 2 single vertebral artery injuries) were identified in 11 patients. Most BCVIs occurred from motor vehicle collisions.
Adult risk factors for BCVI were present in the 52 patients who u…