A Clinician's Guide to Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to a brain injury caused by an external force such as rapid acceleration-deceleration, direct impact, blast waves, or penetration by an object. It is also called intracranial injury. On the basis of the severity of injury, TBI is categorized as mild traumatic brain injury-mTBI, moderate TBI or severe TBI. An injury to the brain may affect brain function either temporarily or permanently. The mechanical force may also cause damage to the outermost membrane of brain called dura mater. TBI may lead to axonal alteration in the subcortical white matter, corpus callosum, and the brain stem. Falls, vehicle collisions, and violence are among the causes of traumatic brain injuries. The characteristics and severity of TBI are influenced by the type, direction, strength, and duration of pressures. Clinical suspicion of TBI is validated by neurological evaluation, banyan brain trauma indicator (BTI) blood test and neuroimaging techniques such as CT-scans and MRI. The treatment of TBI includes counseling, surgery, rehabilitation therapies and rest. This book is meant for students who are looking for an elaborate reference text on traumatic brain injuries. It also provides interesting topics for research which interested readers can take up. This book aims to serve as a resource guide for students and experts alike and contribute to the growth of the discipline.