Abstract
Purpose: Early identification and treatment of intracranial haematomas in patients sustaining traumatic brain injury is fundamental to successful treatment. This pilot study evaluates the Infrascanner as a handheld medical screening tool for detection, in situ, of brain haematomas in patients with head injury. Methods: This study included 35 TBI patients aged 1776 (M 47.6), admitted to the neurosurgical intensive care unit and observation unit of a University Hospital in a Level 1 trauma centre. The Infrascanner™ NIRS device uses near infrared light measurements to calculate optical density in brain regions. Results: Results show Infrascanner sensitivity at 89.5 and specificity at 81.2. PPV was 85 and NPV 86.7. The device detected 90 of extra-axial, 88.9 of intra-axial and 93.3 of non-surgical haematomas (less than 25 mL). PPV for this classification was 82.3; 87.5 sensitivity was found when the Infrascanner exam was performed within 12 hours post-trauma, whereas after 12 hours post-trauma, exams had 90.1 sensitivity. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the Infrascanner is useful in initial examinations and screenings of patients with head injury as an adjunct to a CT scan or when it is not available and may allow earlier treatment and reduce secondary injury caused by present and delayed haematomas. © 2010 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1193-1201 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Brain Injury |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Neuroscience (miscellaneous)
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Clinical Neurology