title: MRI patterns in prolonged low response states following traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship between location and pattern of brain injury identified on MRI and prolonged low response state in children post-traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  This observational study compared 15 children who spontaneously recovered within 30 days post-TBI to 17 who remained in a prolonged low response state.
  
  
  RESULTS
  92.9% of children with brain stem injury were in the low response group. The predicted probability was 0.81 for brain stem injury alone, increasing to 0.95 with a regional pattern of injury to the brain stem, basal ganglia, and thalamus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low response state in children post-TBI is strongly correlated with two distinctive regions of injury: the brain stem alone, and an injury pattern to the brain stem, basal ganglia, and thalamus. This study demonstrates the need for large-scale clinical studies using MRI as a tool for outcome assessment in children and adolescents following severe TBI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center and Research Institute, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22901, USA. pdp2n@virginia.edu
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Patrick
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Mabry
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gurka
authors.forename: Marcia L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Buck
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boatwright
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Blackman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000293:injuries; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000293:injuries; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013788:Thalamus / Q000293:injuries; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*