Neonatal head injuries

A retrospective case note review of head injuries in neonates admitted to t he Neonatal Surgical Unit in Glasgow between 1990 and 1996 (n=25) was carri ed out. Most injuries were caused by a fall (68%) and resulted in scalp hae matomata and associated skull fractures in the majority of patients. Three neonates were involved in high speed road traffic accidents, and these infa nts all had intracranial pathology identified by computed tomography. Isola ted skull fractures were common and did not appear to be associated with an y neurological deficit. Nonaccidental injury was uncommon in this age group . Outcome was excellent in the majority of patients (92%).