Seizure Severity Is Correlated With Severity of Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury in Abusive Head Trauma

Electrographic seizures are common in children with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury from abusive head trauma, and therefore children with suspected abusive head trauma should be monitored with continuous electroencephalogram. Severity of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury is correlated with severity of seizures, and evidence of hypoxic-ischemic injury on magnetic resonance imaging may evolve over time. Therefore children with a high seizure burden should be reimaged to evaluate for evolving hypoxic-ischemic injury.