title: Correlation of computed tomography findings and serum brain damage markers following severe head injury.
abstract: The objective of our study was to investigate the association between the initial levels of serum S-100B protein and neuron specific enolase and the severity of radiologically visible brain damage and outcome after severe head injury. Admission computed tomography (CT) scans of forty-four patients with severe head injury were analysed. Initial levels of S-100B protein and neuron specific enolase were compared between the different outcome groups at 6 month, the different categories of the Marshall classification, the presence of traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage, the type of haematoma and the volume of contusion. Serum S-100B was significantly higher in patients with unfavourable outcome (1.1 micrograms/l versus 0.3 microgram/l, p < 0.005, Mann-Whitney U test). In diffuse injury, unfavourable outcome significantly increased with higher Marshall grades (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the four grades of diffuse injury and initial serum S-100B protein (r = 0.48, p < 0.001). Patients with focal mass lesions and a favourable outcome after 6 month had significantly lower S-100B values than those who had an unfavourable outcome (0.51 microgram/l versus 1.3 micrograms/l, p < 0.05). A significant correlation was demonstrated between the volume of contusion visible on CT scans and serum S-100B (r = 0.58, p < 0.001). In our study, initial serum S-100B protein was a powerful predictor of outcome even within the same category of radiologically visible brain damage. Serum S-100B protein may provide independent information about the severity of primary brain damage after head injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raabe
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grolms
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Döhnert
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sorge
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Seifert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase