Specialty-Specific Diagnoses in Pediatric Patients With Postconcussion Syndrome: Experience From a Multidisciplinary Concussion Clinic

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.