Postconcussion syndrome: demographics and predictors in 221 patients.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the demographics and predictors of postconcussion syndrome (PCS) in a large series of patients using a novel definition of PCS. METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study of 284 consecutive concussed patients, 221 of whom had PCS on the basis of at least 3 symptoms persisting at least 1 month. This definition of PCS was uniformly employed and is unique in accepting an expanded list of symptoms, in shortening the postconcussion interval to 1 month from 3 months, and in excluding those with focal injuries such as hemorrhages and contusions.

Longitudinal Study of Postconcussion Syndrome: Not Everyone Recovers.

We examined recovery from postconcussion syndrome (PCS) in a series of 285 patients diagnosed with concussion based on international sport concussion criteria who received a questionnaire regarding recovery. Of 141 respondents, those with postconcussion symptoms lasting less than 3 months, a positive computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), litigants, and known Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM)-positive cases were excluded, leaving 110 eligible respondents. We found that only 27% of our population eventually recovered and 67% of those who recovered did so within the first year.