Post-Traumatic Headache in Children and Adolescents: a Narrative Review with a Focus on Management

Abstract

Purpose of review: Although common, post-traumatic headache (PTH) in the pediatric population is a niche group with a paucity of published evidence on the diagnosis, most appropriate acute and preventative management, and prognosis. This article aims to review pediatric PTH, its epidemiology and pathophysiology with a focus on management and future directions.

Recent findings: Using MEDLINE, EMBASE, 52 articles on PTH in children and adolescents from 2016 to 2020 were identified. Over the last 4 years, our understanding of traumatic brain injury pathophysiology has grown, expanding the potential for more therapeutic targets. Despite this achievement, and recently published consensus guidelines, the review demonstrated a lack of published controlled trials to help guide management of pediatric PTH. The last 4 years have provided new insights into the potential pathophysiological mechanisms through laboratory research and advanced MR imaging; however, there continues to be a translational gap to clinical practice.

Keywords: Adolescent; Children; Concussion; Headache; Pediatric; Post-traumatic headache.