New PhD project on paediatric patients with traumatic brain injury

Sarah Pedersen & Marianne Juhler

On November 1st, 2019 MD Sarah Skovlunde Hornshøj Pedersen will commence a PhD project on paediatric patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The primary academic supervisor is professor Marianne Juhler.

The Copenhagen CSF Study Group has a long history revolving around ICP research, including the latest PhD defence concerning long-term ICP monitoring following craniectomy and subsequent cranioplasty in adult TBI patients. This new PhD project will focus on the paediatric patient with TBI.

Project background

The incidence of TBI continues to increase and is considered one of the leading causes of dead and mortality among children worldwide. We still lack knowledge on if – and to what extent – paediatric head trauma affects the children’s cognitive and social function. In paediatric patients with moderate and severe head trauma we lack knowledge on how ICP in the acute phase and during rehabilitation affects long-term outcome. Furthermore, we lack knowledge on normal ICP reference values in the healthy child, which hampers treatment and ICP regulation in the subset of TBI patients that develop posttraumatic hydrocephalus.

The PhD project aims to answer these questions. Sarah has received research funding from ‘Rigshospitalets Forskningspulje’ to start her PhD.

The university supervisors are

  • Professor Marianne Juhler, MD, DMSc
  • Consultant, Morten Ziebell, MD, PhD
  • Trauma specialist, Ramona Åstrand, MD, PhD
  • Ass. Professor, epidemiology specialist, Tina Munch, MD, PhD
  • ICP specialist, Morten Andresen, MD, PhD, post.doc.
  • Alexander Lilja-Cyron, MD, PhD