Mild head injury: a misnomer.
Despite controversy surrounding the concept of mild head injury (MHI), it is becoming evident that even a head trauma termed 'mild' may result in significant behavioural sequelae. The present study was an attempt at documenting structural cerebral damage, by way of computerized tomography, in a group of patients having suffered a MHI as defined by the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score. A 1-year retrospective chart review identified 80 MHI patients who presented to the Emergency department of a lead hospital for trauma. Sixty-six per cent of these MHI patients were scanned. Evidence of intracranial abnormalities was obtained in 31% of the overall sample. Patients with a lower GCS score had a higher percentage of abnormal scans than those with a GCS score of either 14 or 15. The present findings suggest that a MHI can be associated with significant morbidity, and that a MHI group does not constitute a homogeneous pool of patients.
Tellier
A
A
Department of Psychology, Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Atellier@ogh.on.ca
Della Malva
L C
LC
Cwinn
A
A
Grahovac
S
S
Morrish
W
W
Brennan-Barnes
M
M
D000328:Adult; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed