What Test Are Available for Diagnosing Traumatic Brain Injuries?
Chris Finney, Trial Attorney
The most immediate test you see after an injury is in the emergency room. If there is a suspected severe head injury, particularly if there is a possible brain bleed, would be an MRI and CT scan. Those two tests help to identify immediate bleeds, but for the vast majority of traumatic brain injuries, they’re not going to show up on those tests. They’re not going to be a hemorrhage in the brain.
Types of Brian Injury Tests
Therefore the biggest test we see is the Diffuse Tensor Imaging MRI (DTR MRI). This is a different form of MRI that can get in there and look at different parts of the brain and parts within the brain and identify what’s called a diffuse axonal sheer(DAS) or diffuse axonal injury(DAI). Those are injuries to the brain that don’t show up on your normal MRI or CT scan. For an objective test, this is what we see the most, and it is gaining more acceptances within the scientific and medical communities.
Next would be a neuropsychological evaluation performed by a neuropsychologist. This is not an objective test, per se, where you can look at an image and see the injury. It is a written test that can last two and a half to 7 hours, depending on which test is being given and what information the doctors are trying to ascertain.
So those two, neuropsychological evaluation and the DTI MRI, are probably the two most prominent.
Beyond that, you can have:
- Vision testing
- Endocrine testing
- Blood work to assess hormonal imbalances
Hire A Brain Injury Attorney
So much goes into a concussive or traumatic brain injury claim. An experienced Missouri brain injury attorney will give you the freedom to focus on your health and recovery. The lawyers at Finney Injury Law evaluate each brain injury case individually, providing you with real options and expectations for your case. Call us anytime at 314-293-4222. We’re here to assist you.
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