Objective: Pediatric traumatic brain injury (pTBI) represents a major cause of child injuries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This review aims to assess pTBIs in the MENA region and reports their clinical severity and outcomes.

Method: A search was conducted using major electronic databases, including Medline/Ovid, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and SCOPUS. Abstracts were screened independently and in duplicate to detect original research. The objective and study findings for each article were recorded, along with the mechanism of pTBI, patient age and sex, injury assessment tool(s) used, and outcome.

Results: A total of 1345 articles were retrieved, of which 152 met the criteria for full-text review, and 32 were included in this review. Males predominantly suffered from pTBIs (78%). Motor vehicle accidents, followed by child abuse, were the leading causes of pTBI. Overall, 0.39% of cases were mild, 0.58% moderate, 16.25% severe, and 82.27% unclassified. The mortality rate was 13.11%. Most studies used the computed tomography scan, Glasgow Coma Scale, Abbreviated Injury Scale, and Injury Severity Score as investigation methods.

Conclusion: This review reports on the alarming rate of child-abuse–related pTBI and offers further understanding of pTBI-associated risk factors and insight into the development of strategies to reduce their occurrence, as well as policies to promote child well-being.

Objectives: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a major health concern worldwide with a large impact in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as a consequence of protracted wars and conflicts that adversely affect the gen- eral population. Currently, systematic TBI studies in the MENA region are lacking, nonetheless they are immensely needed to enhance trauma management and increase sur- vival rates among TBI patients. This systematic review aims to characterize TBI in the MENA region to guide future poli- cy choices and research efforts and inform tailored guide- lines capable of improving TBI management and patient treatment and outcome. Furthermore, it will serve as a road map to evaluate and assess knowledge of trauma impact on regional health systems that can be adopted by health-care providers to raise awareness and improve trauma care.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search strategy of several databases including MEDLINE/Ovid, PubMed, Em- base, Scopus, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and the grey litera- ture in accordance with the PROSPERO systematic review protocol CRD42017058952. Abstracts were screened, and selected eligible studies were reviewed independently by 2 reviewers. We collected demographics information along with TBI characteristics, mortality rates, and regional distri- bution. Data were extracted using REDCap and checked for accuracy.

Results: The search strategy yielded 23,385 cita- tions; 147 studies met the eligibility criteria and were includ- ed in this review. Motor vehicle accident (MVA) was the lead ing cause of TBI (41%) in the MENA region, followed by the military- (15.6%) and fall- (8.8%) related TBI. Males predom- inantly suffer from TBI-related injuries (85%), with a high prevalence of MVA- and military-related TBI injuries. The TBI mortality rate was 12.9%. The leading causes of mortality were MVA (68%), military (20.5%), and assault (2.9%). The vast majority of reported TBI severity was mild (63.1%) com- pared to moderate (10.7%) and severe TBI (20.2%). Patients mainly underwent a Glasgow Coma Scale assessment (22.1%), followed by computed tomography scan (8.9%) and surgery (4.1%).

Conclusions: Despite its clinical, social, and economic burden, the evidence of TBI research in the MENA region is scarce. Further research and high-quality epidemiological studies are urgently needed to gain a deep understanding of the TBI burden in the region, facilitate the allocation of adequate resources, implement effective pre- ventive and intervention strategies and advise on the TBI patient management as reflective on the TBI patterns and modes.

Objective: This study aims to assess the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and understand the underlying risk factors for their occurrence in Lebanon through examining TBI patient demographics, TBI types, mechanisms and clinical outcomes. It further discusses the treatment and management of the TBI burden in Lebanon, in the economic and political context.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective chart review of TBI patients of all ages who presented with TBI-related complaints to the emergency departments (EDs) at six medical centres in Lebanon from January 2012 to December 2014. Patients’ charts were screened, and data were abstracted into a collection sheet, including patient’s demographics, injury-related information, ED clinical management, and hospital course and discharge information.

Results 1042 charts were reviewed; 67.2% of cases were men. The leading causes of TBI were falls (44.3%), followed by road traffic injuries (37.8%), violence (10%), and bombs and cluster munition injuries (4%). Most TBI patients had a Glasgow coma scale (GCS) ranging from 13 to 15 (84.1%). TBI management at ED consisted of neurosurgical consultation and procedures to decrease intracranial pressure. Short-term adverse outcomes included CSF leak in 15 patients (6.1%), papilloedema in 3 (1.3%), and haemotympanum in 13 (5.4%).

Conclusions Evidence generated from this study serves as a leading point to bridge research and enhance the policy-making process, despite the prevailing economic and political restrictions. It further advocates setting guidelines to improve TBI prevention, diagnosis, management, and rehabilitative treatment in Lebanon and the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.