Study discusses how to mitigate damage from gunshot injuries to the brain in children and young adults

NASHVILLE  — A study presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 22nd Annual Meeting found that almost half of gunshot wound injuries to the brain in children and young adults include penetrating cerebrovascular injuries (PCVIs). These types of injuries, which damage blood vessels in the brain and may result in high rates of permanent disability and death, may be mitigated if hospitals prioritize performing immediate vascular cranial imaging (tests that evaluate blood flow in the brain) and repeating these tests to check for changes.  

 

Although gunshot injuries are now the leading cause of death for people under 25 in the United States, there has been little research into how PCVIs can be treated in children and young adults. In the study, “Penetrating Cerebrovascular Injuries in a Pediatric Cohort of Intracranial Gunshot Wounds: Incidence, Characterization of Injury Type, and Clinical Outcomes,” researchers at Louisiana State University aimed to fill in gaps in the research about identifying, categorizing and treating this type of devastating injury.

 

The scientists reviewed medical records for male patients ages 15–20 who were sent to a large city hospital between 2012–2021 with gunshot wounds to the brain. The team found that 38 patients underwent vascular imaging of the brain, of whom 17 individuals (44%) experienced PCVIs. Patients with PCVIs were more likely to die from their injuries than those without PCVIs (47.1% vs. 23.8%). Patients with PCVIs who survived their injuries were also more likely to experience severe permanent disability after treatment than those without PCVIs (76.2% vs. 41.2%).

 

“With gunshot injuries — including wounds to the head — becoming a tragically common occurrence in the U.S., it’s essential that we know more about how children’s and young adults’ brains are specifically impacted,” said Lucido L. Ponce Mejia, MD, a neurologist and neurocritical care specialist at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. “Performing vascular imaging on kids and young adults with gunshot wounds to the head early and often after these injuries take place can give us more information to improve care for these patients and potentially save lives.”

 

To receive a copy of this abstract or to speak with the study authors, please contact Camille Jewell at cjewell@vancomm.com or call 202-248-5460.

 

About the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery

The Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) is a scientific and educational association dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurointerventional surgery through research, standard-setting, and education and advocacy to provide the highest quality of patient care in diagnosing and treating diseases of the brain, spine, head and neck. Visit www.snisonline.org and follow us on X (@SNISinfo) Facebook (@SNISOnline), LinkedIn (@Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery), Instagram (@SNIS_info) and Bluesky (@snisinfo.bsky.social).

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