Pancreatitis associated with remote traumatic brain injury in children.

Vomiting, abdominal distension, and feeding intolerance are common findings following brain injury in children, and are usually attributed to the brain injury or to delayed gastric emptying: a specific cause is usually not sought. We report six children who developed mild to moderate pancreatitis at least 7 days following apparently isolated brain injury, a previously unreported association. Five of the six patients received drugs that are known or suspected pancreatotoxins; all recovered without changes in the medications. When children develop feeding intolerance or upper gastrointestinal symptoms following traumatic brain injury pancreatitis should be suspected.