Résumé
Introduction > The most recent epidemiological data concerning French paediatric neurosurgery (NRS) are over 20 years old. Moreover, these data were declarative and non-exhaustive. To this day, fresh epidemiology data concerning this topic remain scarce. In this context, the present study aimed to "photograph" the epidemiology of the French paediatric neurosurgery of 2022 and to compare it with 2013. Method > Data are extracted from the retrospective cohort identified in the PMSI National Database of public and private hospital stays between 2013 and 2022 (ATIH). Patients under 18 years old staying in a hospital in metropolitan France or DOM-TOM were selected using the CCAM act of NRS. The type of hospital (CGH, CHU, ESPIC, PRIVE), age of the children, surgery type, critical care units, length of hospital stay, and intra-hospital mortality were analysed. Results > The present study registered 9149 hospital stays for paediatric neurosurgery of 8036 children: 4416 stays (3915 children) in 2013, and 4733 stays (4121 children) in 2022. The mean age was 7.7 +/- 6.1 (median = 7[1;14]) years in 2013, versus 6.9 +/- 6.0 (median = 6[0;13]) years in 2022. Cerebrospinal fluid pathologies were the most frequent (32.5% in 2022 versus 31.7% in 2013), followed by oncological interventions, whose proportion augmented (16.8% in 2013 versus 20.9% in 2022). Palliative care has remained stable (0.7% in 2013 versus 0.6% in 2022). Intra-hospital mortality did not significantly differ between 2013 and 2022 (1.9% and 1.8%, respectively), and so did global mortality (2.1% for 2013 and 2022). The 30-day all-cause readmission rate has risen slightly (18.7% in 2013 versus 20.9% in 2022). The 30-day all-cause readmission rate has risen slightly (18.7% in 2013 versus 20.9% in 2022). Conclusion > The present study provides a valuable epidemiological snapshot of the evolution of pediatric neurosurgery in France over the last few decades. The majority of children are treated in university hospitals. These epidemiological data will help to improve patient care and guide future research in this field.