Accuracy of a rapid glial fibrillary acidic protein/ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 test for the prediction of intracranial injuries on head computed tomography after mild traumatic brain injury.

Objective: The objective was to determine the accuracy of a new, rapid blood test combining measurements of both glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) for predicting acute traumatic intracranial injury (TII) on head CT scan after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

Methods: Analysis of banked venous plasma samples from subjects completing the Prospective Clinical Evaluation of Biomarkers of Traumatic Brain Injury (ALERT-TBI) trial, enrolled 2012-2014 at 22 investigational sites in the United States and Europe. All subjects were ≥18 years old, presented to an emergency department (ED) with a nonpenetrating head injury and Glasgow Coma Scale score (GCS) 9-15 (mild to moderate TBI), underwent head CT scanning as part of their clinical care, and had blood sampling within 12 h of injury.