Critical score of Glasgow Coma Scale for pediatric traumatic brain injury.

The aim of this study is to determine the predictive critical value of the Glasgow Coma Scale for use as a determinant of outcome for children with traumatic brain injuries. A total of 309 children, aged 2-10 years, were enrolled in this study. Each subject underwent the following assessments: Glasgow Coma Scale; clinical data; brain computed tomography; and Glasgow Outcome Scale assessments. The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that a critical point of the Glasgow Coma Scale set at 5 was most strongly correlated with outcome of pediatric traumatic brain injury. Subarachnoid hemorrhage with brain swelling and edema, subdural, intracerebral hemorrhage, and basal ganglion lesions were associated with severe injury and poor outcome (P < 0.05). However, cortical lesions did not affect injury severity and outcome. In injuries associated with traumatic brain injuries, only chest trauma had a tendency to be associated with poor outcome (P < 0.05). Of the factors analyzed, the score of the Glasgow Coma Scale was the most effective predictor for outcome in pediatric traumatic brain injury. Furthermore, the predictive critical score of the Glasgow Coma Scale should be set at 5 for pediatric traumatic brain injury. The computed tomographic findings also were important in determining injury severity and predicting outcome.