Assessing and treating veterans with traumatic brain injury.
Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in greater proportions of service members with traumatic brain injury than in prior conflicts. These brain injuries range from the mild (concussion) to severe, and have enormous implications for clinical practice with these soldiers. The highly stressful and dangerous context in which these injuries are sustained set them apart in significant ways from brain injuries seen in civilian settings. The associated emotional toll of the environment and comorbid injuries, often resulting from blast exposure, complicates the clinical picture. In this article, the authors describe the complex presentations in this population of traumatically brain injured combat veterans and illustrate with case vignettes.
French
Louis M
LM
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Washington DC 20307, USA. louis.french@amedd.army.mil
Parkinson
Glenn W
GW
D000328:Adult; D000346:Afghanistan; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans; D014857:Warfare