Yield of Leukocytosis in Predicting Brain Computed Tomography Pathological Findings in Pediatric Patients with Head Traumatic Injuries

BBackground: Head trauma is an urgent medical condition that is prevalent in pediatric patients. The association between white blood cell (WBC) counts and their prognostic value in pediatric traumatic brain injury has been proposed in multiple studies. Hence, WBC count can be used to determine the p...

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Main Authors: Bsaim Abdulsalam Altirkistani, Abdulaziz M. Alghamdi, Abdullah Osama Abukhodair, Yazeed Mohammed Alzahrani, Najeeb Qublan Alqarni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Discover STM Publishing Ltd 2023-03-01
Series:Saudi Journal of Emergency Medicine
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Online Access:https://sjemed.com/?mno=171272
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author Bsaim Abdulsalam Altirkistani
Abdulaziz M. Alghamdi
Abdullah Osama Abukhodair
Yazeed Mohammed Alzahrani
Najeeb Qublan Alqarni
author_facet Bsaim Abdulsalam Altirkistani
Abdulaziz M. Alghamdi
Abdullah Osama Abukhodair
Yazeed Mohammed Alzahrani
Najeeb Qublan Alqarni
author_sort Bsaim Abdulsalam Altirkistani
collection DOAJ
description BBackground: Head trauma is an urgent medical condition that is prevalent in pediatric patients. The association between white blood cell (WBC) counts and their prognostic value in pediatric traumatic brain injury has been proposed in multiple studies. Hence, WBC count can be used to determine the presence of traumatic brain injury. Thus, we aimed to address this gap by assessing the value of WBC count in predicting pathological CT findings in pediatric patients with traumatic head injuries. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 108 patients with isolated head trauma aged 0–14 years who underwent brain CT examination and had available data on WBC count upon presentation to the emergency room. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to determine the statistical significance. Logistic regression analysis was performed to further explore the relationships between the variables. Results: Falls were the most common cause of head trauma (88 [81.48%] patients). Leukocytosis was reported in 35 (32.41%) patients and non-leukocytosis in 73 (67.59%) patients. Sixty-four patients (59.26%) had pathological brain CT findings, whereas 44 (40.74 %) had non-pathological findings. The leukocytosis status differed (odds ratio [OR]=0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.55–0.38; P= 0.9839) according to the pathological CT findings, but the difference was not significant. Age (0–2 years) and Glasgow Coma Scale score (≤14) were significant predictors of pathological brain CT findings (OR=3.79, 95% CI=9.24–1.55, P=0.0033 and OR=14.04, 95% CI=127.59–1.54, P=0.0189, respectively). Conclusion: The presence of leukocytosis is useful for predicting pathological brain scan findings. Therefore, further multicenter studies with a larger sample size are warranted to determine the benefits of WBC count in patients with head trauma. [SJEMed 2023; 4(3.000): 137-142]
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institution Kabale University
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series Saudi Journal of Emergency Medicine
spelling doaj-art-a2b25b2819c042909b4dada8cb93974c2025-08-20T03:40:25ZengDiscover STM Publishing LtdSaudi Journal of Emergency Medicine1658-84872023-03-014313714210.24911/SJEMed/72-1695927946171272Yield of Leukocytosis in Predicting Brain Computed Tomography Pathological Findings in Pediatric Patients with Head Traumatic InjuriesBsaim Abdulsalam Altirkistani0Abdulaziz M. Alghamdi1Abdullah Osama Abukhodair2Yazeed Mohammed Alzahrani3Najeeb Qublan Alqarni4College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia & King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia & King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia & King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia & King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia & Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Ministry of the National Guard – Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaBBackground: Head trauma is an urgent medical condition that is prevalent in pediatric patients. The association between white blood cell (WBC) counts and their prognostic value in pediatric traumatic brain injury has been proposed in multiple studies. Hence, WBC count can be used to determine the presence of traumatic brain injury. Thus, we aimed to address this gap by assessing the value of WBC count in predicting pathological CT findings in pediatric patients with traumatic head injuries. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 108 patients with isolated head trauma aged 0–14 years who underwent brain CT examination and had available data on WBC count upon presentation to the emergency room. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to determine the statistical significance. Logistic regression analysis was performed to further explore the relationships between the variables. Results: Falls were the most common cause of head trauma (88 [81.48%] patients). Leukocytosis was reported in 35 (32.41%) patients and non-leukocytosis in 73 (67.59%) patients. Sixty-four patients (59.26%) had pathological brain CT findings, whereas 44 (40.74 %) had non-pathological findings. The leukocytosis status differed (odds ratio [OR]=0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.55–0.38; P= 0.9839) according to the pathological CT findings, but the difference was not significant. Age (0–2 years) and Glasgow Coma Scale score (≤14) were significant predictors of pathological brain CT findings (OR=3.79, 95% CI=9.24–1.55, P=0.0033 and OR=14.04, 95% CI=127.59–1.54, P=0.0189, respectively). Conclusion: The presence of leukocytosis is useful for predicting pathological brain scan findings. Therefore, further multicenter studies with a larger sample size are warranted to determine the benefits of WBC count in patients with head trauma. [SJEMed 2023; 4(3.000): 137-142]https://sjemed.com/?mno=171272head traumafallroad traffic accidentwhite blood cellsinjury
spellingShingle Bsaim Abdulsalam Altirkistani
Abdulaziz M. Alghamdi
Abdullah Osama Abukhodair
Yazeed Mohammed Alzahrani
Najeeb Qublan Alqarni
Yield of Leukocytosis in Predicting Brain Computed Tomography Pathological Findings in Pediatric Patients with Head Traumatic Injuries
Saudi Journal of Emergency Medicine
head trauma
fall
road traffic accident
white blood cells
injury
title Yield of Leukocytosis in Predicting Brain Computed Tomography Pathological Findings in Pediatric Patients with Head Traumatic Injuries
title_full Yield of Leukocytosis in Predicting Brain Computed Tomography Pathological Findings in Pediatric Patients with Head Traumatic Injuries
title_fullStr Yield of Leukocytosis in Predicting Brain Computed Tomography Pathological Findings in Pediatric Patients with Head Traumatic Injuries
title_full_unstemmed Yield of Leukocytosis in Predicting Brain Computed Tomography Pathological Findings in Pediatric Patients with Head Traumatic Injuries
title_short Yield of Leukocytosis in Predicting Brain Computed Tomography Pathological Findings in Pediatric Patients with Head Traumatic Injuries
title_sort yield of leukocytosis in predicting brain computed tomography pathological findings in pediatric patients with head traumatic injuries
topic head trauma
fall
road traffic accident
white blood cells
injury
url https://sjemed.com/?mno=171272
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