Specialty-Specific Diagnoses in Pediatric Patients with Postconcussion Syndrome: Experience from a Multidisciplinary Concussion Clinic

• Main Authors: Barnack, D. (Author), Brodsky, J.R (Author), Fleischman, K. (Author), Howell, D. (Author), Kaur, K. (Author), Kuemmerle, K.H (Author), Lipson, S. (Author), Molind, H. (Author), O'Brien, M. (Author), Raghuram, A. (Author), Shah, A.S (Author), Shoshany, T. (Author), Stevens, R. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins 2022
• Subjects: accommodative dysfunction; benign paroxysmal positional vertigo; concussion; convergence insufficiency; multidisciplinary; postconcussion syndrome
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Objective:To describe the collaborative findings across a broad array of subspecialties in children and adolescents with postconcussion syndrome (PCS) in a pediatric multidisciplinary concussion clinic (MDCC) setting.Design:Retrospective analysis.Setting:Multidisciplinary concussion clinic at a pediatric tertiary-level hospital.Patients:Fifty-seven patients seen in MDCC for evaluation and management of PCS between June 2014 and January 2016.Interventions:Clinical evaluation by neurology, sports medicine, otolaryngology, optometry, ophthalmology, physical therapy, and psychology.Main Outcome Measures:Specialty-specific clinical findings and specific, treatable diagnoses relevant to PCS symptoms.Results:A wide variety of treatable, specialty-specific diagnoses were identified as potential contributing factors to patients' postconcussion symptoms. The most common treatable diagnoses included binocular vision dysfunction (76%), anxiety, (57.7%), depression (44.2%), new or change in refractive error (21.7%), myofascial pain syndrome (19.2%), and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (17.5%).Conclusions:Patients seen in a MDCC setting receive a high number of treatable diagnoses that are potentially related to patients' PCS symptoms. The MDCC approach may (1) increase access to interventions for PCS-related impairments, such as visual rehabilitation, physical therapy, and psychological counseling; (2) provide patients with coordinated medical care across specialties; and (3) hasten recovery from PCS. © 2022 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.