Predicting recovery in patients with mild Traumatic Brain Injury and a normal CT using serum biomarkers and diffusion tensor imaging (CENTER-TBI): an observational cohort study.

Authors:

Sophie Richter, Stefan Winzeck, Marta M. Correia, Endre Czeiter, Daniel Whitehouse, Evgenios N. Kornaropoulos, Guy B. Williams, Jan Verheyden, Tilak Das, Olli Tenovuo, Jussi P. Posti, Anne Vik, Kent Gøran Moen, Asta K. Håberg, Kevin Wang, Andras Buki, Andrew Maas, Ewout Steyerberg, David K. Menon, and Virginia F. J. Newcombe, for the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CENTER-TBI MRI) Substudy Participants and Investigators.

Lay summary – Some people continue to have symptoms for months or years after a mild traumatic brain injury, even when their initial CT scan looks normal. At present, it is difficult to predict who will recover well and who may need extra follow-up or early treatment. This study looked at whether blood tests and advanced MRI measures could improve prediction and help identify patients who may benefit from closer monitoring.