ABSTRACT

To assess the relationship between serum S100BB level and children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to determine the validity as a marker of brain damage.

Prospective cohort of children age 0-18 years presenting to the pediatric emergency department (ED) for evaluation following blunt head trauma and normal controls were recruited for the study. Blood samples for S100BB were obtained on admission to the ED from children with blunt head trauma (BHT) and volunteered healthy control. Computerized head tomography scan (CT) was obtained in patients suspected TBI on history and physical examination.

We enrolled 109 children with BHT and 37 healty controls. The median age was 6 years in the BHT group (IQR= 3-10) and 6.3 years (IQR= 2.3-9.2) in control group respectively. There was no significant difference in gender or age between the two groups (p>0.05). In the BHT group %82.6 had GCS of 15, %11.9 had GCS 9-14, and %5.5 had GCS <8. Twelve patients (%11) had TBI based on head CT scan results. S100B median value was significantly higher in BHT group (0.049 µg/L, IQR=0.023- 0.116) than control group (0.015 µg/L, IQR= 0.009- 0.032). Among patients with BHT the median value for serum S100B was 0.418 µg/L (IQR= 0.056- 0.983) was significantly higher compared to patients with no TBI on head CT (0.044 µg/L, IQR= 0.020- 0.098). A significant inverse relation was found between GCS and serum S100BB values in patients group (r= -0.370; p= 0.001). Multi variable regression analysis revealed that the presence of neurological defisit (p=0.016; RR 21.3, %95 CI 1.7-255) and high serum S100BB values (p=0.039, RR 7.2, %95 CI 1.1-7.2) were the most valuable variables as predicting intracranial injury.

This results from our study suggest that the serum S100BB level may be valuable in identifying children with BHT and need head CT for evaluation of TBI. Further studies are needed to further investigate the validity of S100B in predcting TBI in childre with BHT.

Keywords: child, serum S100BB, traumatik brain injury