Patients with mild traumatic brain injury: immediate and long-term outcome compared to intra-cranial injuries on CT scan.
BACKGROUND
Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) defined as Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 14 or 15 has shown contradictory short- and long-term outcomes. The objective of this study was to correlate intra-cranial injuries (ICI) on CT scan to neurocognitive tests at admission and to complaints after 1 year.


METHODS
Two hundred and five patients with MTBI underwent a CT scan and were examined with neurocognitive tests. After 1 year complaints were assessed by phone interviews.


RESULTS
The neurocognitive tests in 51% of the patients showed significant deficits; there was no difference for patients with GCS 14-15, nor was there a difference between patients with ICI to patients without. After 1 year patients with ICI had significantly more complaints than patients without ICI, the most frequent complaint was headache and memory deficits.


CONCLUSIONS
No correlation was found between GCS or ICI and the neurocognitive tests upon admission. After 1 year, patients with ICI have significantly more complaints than patients without ICI. No cost savings resulted by doing immediate CT scan on all.
Sadowski-Cron
Charlotte
C
Department of Accident and Emergency Medicine, University of Bern, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland.
Schneider
Jörg
J
Senn
Pascal
P
Radanov
Bogdan P
BP
Ballinari
Pietro
P
Zimmermann
Heinz
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000191:economics; D016896:Treatment Outcome