Neuroimaging is being increasingly applied to the study of paediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) to uncover the neurobiological correlates of delayed recovery post-injury. The aims of this systematic review were to: (i) evaluate the neuroimaging research investigating neuropathology post-mTBI in children and adolescents from 0-18 years, (ii) assess the relationship between advanced neuroimaging abnormalities and PCS in children, (iii) assess the quality of the evidence by evaluating study methodology and reporting against best practice guidelines, and (iv) provide directions for future research. A literature search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and PubMed was conducted. Abstracts and titles were screened, followed by full review of remaining articles where specific eligibility criteria were applied. This systematic review identified 58 imaging studies which met criteria. Based on several factors including methodological heterogeneity and relatively small sample sizes, the literature currently provides insufficient evidence to draw meaningful conclusions about the relationship between MRI findings and clinical outcomes. Future research is needed which incorporates prospective, longitudinal designs, minimises potential confounds and utilises multimodal imaging techniques.

神经影像学正越来越多地应用于小儿轻度颅脑损伤（mTBI）的研究，以揭示损伤后延迟恢复的神经生物学相关性。该系统评价的目的是：（i）评估研究0-18岁儿童和青少年mTBI后神经病理学的神经影像学研究；（ii）评估儿童晚期神经影像学异常与PCS的关系；（iii）评估通过评估研究方法并依据最佳实践指南进行报告来提高证据质量；（iv）为未来研究提供指导。对MEDLINE，PsycINFO，EMBASE和PubMed进行了文献检索。筛选摘要和标题，然后对使用特定资格标准的其余文章进行全面审查。这项系统评价确定了58项符合标准的影像学研究。基于包括方法异质性和相对较小的样本量在内的几个因素，文献目前无法提供足够的证据来得出有关MRI表现与临床结果之间关系的有意义的结论。需要未来的研究，该研究应结合前瞻性的纵向设计，最大程度地减少潜在的混淆并利用多模式成像技术。