A new diagnostic criteria has been devised to help in the recognition of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and concussion.
The criteria can be applied across a range of injury circumstances, including accidents, sports-related injuries and military contexts, and take into account blood tests and tests of thinking skills, balance, and vision that can contribute to the diagnosis of TBI – a factor which hasn’t been a feature of previous criteria.
The process, led by researchers from the University of British Columbia and Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, is designed to help diagnose concussion, which can be notoriously difficult.
Symptoms are often subtle and may not immediately be obvious, and may not be detected by a brain scan.
“While we’ve made significant progress in creating these diagnostic criteria for mild TBI, the task ahead is to ensure their widespread adoption,” said Dr Noah Silverberg, co-lead of the study.
“It’s a challenging journey, but one we’re committed to, as it will pave the way for standardised care and research in this crucial area of health.”
Criteria used to diagnose mTBI have become inconsistent. One study applied various sets of criteria to 12,000 paediatric cases and found that the proportion of children diagnosed with mild TBI could be anywhere from seven to 99 per cent.
For patients, this inconsistency leads to inequities in injury management and care, may not lead to the support and rehabilitation they need, and could result in the impact of the brain injury becoming more profound over time.
The researchers convened a working group of 17 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) Mild TBI Task Force members and an external interdisciplinary expert panel of 32 clinician-scientists from seven countries and various fields such as sports, civilian trauma and military settings.
Their criteria were based on syntheses of current research evidence and went through several rounds of revision until more than 90 per cent of the expert panel agreed with what they were proposing.
The researchers will be presenting the new criteria at international conferences attended by scientists and healthcare professionals, and collaborating with partners including the international Concussion in Sport Group and the U.S. Department of Defense.
