Transcranial Doppler to screen on admission patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury.

Background: Detecting patients at risk for secondary neurological deterioration (SND) after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury is challenging.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of transcranial Doppler (TCD) on admission in screening these patients.

Methods: This prospective, observational cohort study enrolled 98 traumatic brain injury patients with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 9 to 15 whose initial computed tomography (CT) scan showed either absent or mild lesions according to the Trauma Coma Data Bank (TCDB) classification, ie, TCDB I and TCDB II, respectively.

Transcranial Doppler to detect on admission patients at risk for neurological deterioration following mild and moderate brain trauma.

Objective: To investigate the contribution of transcranial Doppler measurements obtained in the emergency room for detecting patients with secondary neurological deterioration after mild or moderate brain trauma.

Design And Setting: Prospective cohort study in the emergency room in a university teaching hospital.

Patients: Seventy-eight adult patients admitted to the emergency room after a traumatic brain injury (TBI), including 42 patients with Glasgow Coma Score 14-15 and 36 with 9-13.