Soft-tissue evidence of head injury in infants and young children: is CT head examination justified?

Aim To determine whether it is justified to undertake a computed tomography (CT) examination of the head in children under 1 year of age who present with a bruise, swelling, or laceration of >5 cm following head injury in children presenting to a paediatric accident and emergency (A&E) department in the northwest of England. Further aims were to determine whether there was any justification for performing a CT head examination for children with soft-tissue injuries measuring 1 year with evidence of soft-tissue injury, but without any other concerning feature. Materials and methods Children