Growth monitoring following traumatic brain injury
- 1Paediatric Endocrinology, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
- 2Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
- 3Paediatric Neurology, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
- Correspondence to Dr J H Davies, Child Health Directorate, MP 43, Southampton University Hospital Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 3JE, UK; justin.davies{at}suht.swest.nhs.uk
- Accepted 17 November 2008
- Published Online First 26 November 2008
Abstract
Hypopituitarism is an important consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Growth monitoring can be used as an indicator of pituitary function in children. A retrospective audit of case notes of 123 children who required intensive care unit admission with TBI found that only 71 (33%) of 212 attendances in 38 of 85 children followed up had documented height and weight measurements. Children were reviewed in 11 different specialty clinics, which showed a wide variation in the frequency of growth monitoring. Serial growth measurements were available for only 22 patients (17%), which showed a reduction in height standard deviation scores (0.17 (SD 0.33), p = 0.017) over a mean follow-up period of 25.2 (SD 21.6) months. In conclusion, growth monitoring following TBI was poorly performed in this cohort, highlighting the need for a co-ordinated approach by primary and secondary care and all departments in tertiary centres involved in the follow-up of children with TBI.
Footnotes
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Competing interests Dr JH Davies has previously received research funding from Pfizer and Novo Nordisk.
