Head and spinal cord injury: diagnosis and management.

This article reviews aspects of management of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. A discussion of management of intracranial pressure after traumatic brain injury is followed by a discourse on cerebrovascular trauma and pediatric injuries. Specific management methods are discussed, including medical and surgical management in intracranial hypertension. A special attempt is made to include the current recommendations for management of brain and spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries are discussed in the final section. With an increasing number of patients surviving after devastating spinal cord injuries, the special issues in their management are evaluated.