Closed head injury: comparison of children younger and older than 6 years of age.

The outcomes of 97 children with severe closed head injuries referred to a regional rehabilitation center were studied. Patients were divided according to referral source and age (less than 6 and greater than or equal to 6 years). Patients referred from more distant sources had worse outcomes in terms of cognition, motor ability, and brain atrophy for both age groups. Children 6 years of age and older had better cognitive, motor, and brain atrophy outcomes than younger patients for each referral origin. These results do not support the hypothesis that the youngest children have the best recovery after profound closed head injury. All abused children were younger than 6 years of age; compared to other age-matched, closed head injury patients, these children had significantly worse cognitive and motor abilities.