Epidural hematomas in infancy and childhood

Thirty five infants and children with intracranial epidural hematomas are presented. All were treated with craniotomy (31 supratentorial and 4 posterior fossa) and there was no mortality. The Glasgow Coma Scale was applied to 20 patients 3 years old or older and our Modified Glasgow Coma Scale was applied to 15 patients younger than 3 years. Both scales failed to predict the postoperative outcome of each patient. Thirty-two patients had good recovery and 3 were moderately disabled. The importance of prompt diagnosis achieved by computed tomography and immediate surgical evacuation of the epidural hematoma is emphasized.