Preliminary questions before studying mild traumatic  brain injury outcome.
OBJECTIVE
To point out from the literature the issues in mild traumatic brain injury outcome. METHODOLOGY-RESULTS: The literature review allows to point out several different factors involved in the difficulty to study mild traumatic brain injury: mild traumatic brain injury definition, postconcussional syndrome definition, diagnosis threshold, severity and functional symptoms outcome, neuropsychological tests, unspecific syndrome feature, individual factors, confounding factors and treatment interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
The mild traumatic brain injury outcome study is complicated by the definitions issues and especially their practical use and by the multiplicity and the intricate interrelationships among involved factors. The individual outcome and social cost weight is widely emphasized for an event still considered as medically trivial. The well-ordered preventive interventions necessity and the targeted treatment programs need for the persisting postconcussive symptoms complete our critical review.
Fayol
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Service de psychoréhabilitation, centre hospitalier Esquirol, 15, rue du Docteur-Marcland, 87025 Limoges cedex, France. drpfayol@free.fr
Carrière
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Habonimana
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Dumond
J-J
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D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000150:complications; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology