A study was undertaken to determine the degree to which paediatric neurosurgeons agreed on the optimum management of sport related concussion in children. At the present time, a paradigm for management of concussion in children has not been defined, and the management of such patients largely relies on expert advice from neurosurgeons. This pilot study aimed to establish current consensus neurosurgical practice for management of children with sport related concussion.

Methods

For the purposes of this study, we defined sport related concussion as a head injury occurring during sport or play in children aged 5–15 years of age with a Glasgow coma score of 15 at admission and a normal neurological examination. A standardised questionnaire was sent to 20 neurosurgeons throughout Australia who were identified as having specific expertise in paediatric neurosurgery. There were three parts to the questionnaire. The first related to the routine management of uncomplicated sport related concussion …