A CT (or “CAT”) scan takes X-rays from many angles to create a complete picture of the brain. It can quickly show whether the brain is bleeding or bruised or has other damage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI uses magnets and radio waves to produce more detailed images than CT scans.
A medical exam is the first step to diagnose a potential brain injury. Assessment usually includes a neurological exam. This exam evaluates thinking, motor function (movement), sensory function, coordination, eye movement, and reflexes. Imaging tests, including CT scans and MRI scans, cannot detect all TBIs.
Our i-STAT TBI plasma test is the first rapid handheld traumatic brain injury (TBI) blood test, which will help clinicians assess individuals with suspected mild TBIs, including concussions. Tests results are available within 15 minutes after plasma is placed in the test cartridge.
Brain injuries do not always have obvious or outwardly visible signs. Cognitive, psychological, and/or behavioral changes or impairments can go undiagnosed if ignored or misunderstood.
Any brain injury can be catastrophic and life-changing. Some symptoms of a traumatic brain injury may not manifest for months or even years after a brain injury occurs. At that time, a damage victim may exhibit difficulty concentrating, processing information, remembering, speaking, or understanding.
To receive a clearer picture of traumatic brain injury, and where brain damage has occurred in the brain, imaging centers use MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to now visualize the effects of brain injuries such as concussions and TBIs, when before MRIs only detected abnormal brain activity.
Computerized tomography (CT) scan.
This test is usually the first performed in an emergency room for a suspected traumatic brain injury. A CT scan uses a series of X-rays to create a detailed view of the brain.
Neuropsychology involves determining how well the brain is working when it is disrupted by a brain injury or psychological disorder. A neuropsychological assessment is a comprehensive test of a wide range of mental functions including behavior.
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)
It helps determine the severity of the brain injury. It is most helpful soon after the injury. The scale has three areas: eye opening, best verbal response, and best motor response. The higher the score, the better the child is doing.
Signs and symptoms may appear at once, within 24 hours, or they may emerge days or weeks after the injury. Sometimes the symptoms are subtle. A person may notice a problem but not relate it to the injury. Some people will appear to have no symptoms after a TBI, but their condition worsens later.
Go to A&E if:
vomited (been sick) since the injury. a headache that does not go away with painkillers. a change in behaviour, like being more irritable or losing interest in things around you (especially in children under 5) been crying more than usual (especially in babies and young children)
Brain injury can cause disorders of consciousness (DOC). Some injuries are mild; they may cause minor changes in consciousness such as brief confusion. Severe injuries can cause permanent unconsciousness. Of people with severe injuries, 60% to 80% survive.
Tests, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG), which use small electric sensors to measure brain activity and nerve function.
The best method of assessing the extent of a brain injury is to get a thorough neurological exam by a clinical neuroscience practitioner – mild concussions are hard to assess if not medically trained to do so.
The major limitation in treating physical brain and spinal cord damage is that when these nerve cells are lost, the condition is permanent, ie the cells do not regrow. Diseases such as Parkinson's, dementia and multiple sclerosis cause damage to nerves which is irreversible and cannot currently be cured.
On CT or MRI scans, brain lesions appear as dark or light spots that don't look like normal brain tissue. Usually, a brain lesion is an incidental finding unrelated to the condition or symptom that led to the imaging test in the first place.
A CT scan is often used to diagnose head injuries because it can show the extent of any damage to the brain. By looking at a CT scan image, doctors can identify any evidence of bleeding, swelling, or skull fractures.
MRI gives very detailed pictures of soft tissues like the brain. Air and hard bone do not give an MRI signal so these areas appear black.
Exacerbated brain damage can lead to cognitive and motor function disability or even death. An untreated head injury can also lead to progressive overall declines in brain health, along with many different associated symptoms.
Statistically, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that annually, about 1.5 million Americans survive a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Among these, approximately 230,000 are hospitalized.
It's a question we get asked often by our clients who've suffered brain injuries. And the answer is if it's moderate or severe, most of the time it will show up on an MRI. If it's a mild brain injury, often it will not show up on an MRI.
Stage 1.
Comas are considered the first stage of traumatic brain injury recovery, as they can actually allow the brain to begin its healing process without interruption.