Neuroimaging clinics of North America
-
Diffuse axonal shear injury is a common traumatic brain injury, with significant neurologic and behavioral impact on patients. Radiologic recognition of this entity and understanding of its sequelae can be of utmost importance in the prediction of outcome and planning for rehabilitation. MRI has proven to be the optimal means of detection and characterization of DAI lesions, with GRE and FLAIR sequences being particularly helpful, and more advanced techniques such as MRS show preliminary evidence of some utility in determining outcome.
-
In addition to its inability to predict pressure elevation accurately, head CTs done serially even at 12-hour intervals, cannot adequately portray the dynamic, sometimes rapid evolution (usually growth) of a traumatic hematoma. These limitations aside, CT scanning provides adequate imaging for rational surgical treatment of head injury. Whether for monitoring, diagnostic, or therapeutic purposes, cranial procedures for traumatic pathology are guided by CT.