Retinal findings in children with intracranial hemorrhage.

Abstract

To identify the incidence of Terson's syndrome in children. Prospective, observational case series. Fifty-seven consecutive children with known intracranial hemorrhage from nonabuse causes. Dilated fundus examination to detect intraretinal hemorrhages or other abnormalities. Presence or absence of intraretinal hemorrhages or other abnormalities. Fifty-five patients (96%) had no evidence of intraretinal or vitreous hemorrhage. Two patients had abnormal retinal examinations. One patient had a single dot hemorrhage associated with presumed infectious white retinal lesions. The second patient had three flame and two deeper dot intraretinal hemorrhages after a motor vehicle accident (1.5% incidence of retinal hemorrhage). Retinal hemorrhage is uncommon in children with intracranial hemorrhage not resulting from shaken baby syndrome. The maximal incidence of intraretinal hemorrhage in children with nonabuse intracranial hemorrhage is 8%.