title: Postconcussion syndrome (PCS) in the emergency department: predicting and pre-empting persistent symptoms following a mild traumatic brain injury.
abstract: Head injuries across all age groups represent an extremely common emergency department (ED) presentation. The main focus of initial assessment and management rightly concentrates on the need to exclude significant pathology, that may or may not require neurosurgical intervention. Relatively little focus, however, is given to the potential for development of post-concussion syndrome (PCS), a constellation of symptoms of varying severity, which may bear little correlation to the nature or magnitude of the precipitating insult. This review aims to clarify the aetiology and terminology surrounding PCS and to examine the mechanisms for diagnosing and treating.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, , Exeter, UK.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reuben
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.forename: Adrian Ralph
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Huw
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yates
mesh_terms: D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000150:complications*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D040701:Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis; D013577:Syndrome
keywords: Trauma, head; head; psychological conditions