How Doctors Diagnose TBIs

Traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, are often the result of the head receiving blunt-force impact, causing damage to the brain, a number of events might lead to these injuries. While TBIs range in severity, they may all have long-term effects on the wellbeing of the victim.

It is important to diagnose the injury in order to begin treatment immediately and thus quell any negative symptoms and lessen the impact of a TBI on an individual’s quality of life. If you have sustained an impact to your head, the following are a few methods the doctor may use to diagnose a possible traumatic brain injury.

Obvious Symptoms

Whether mild or severe, all TBIs generally display obvious physical symptoms. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, some of the most common symptoms of TBIs include:

• loss of consciousness upon impact to the head (or at any period thereafter);
• spinal fluid seeping from the ears or nose;
• dilated pupils;
• slow pulse and breathing rate; and
• loss of bladder or bowel control.

Of course, though these physical symptoms may be obvious to a doctor or other witness, there are other perception-based indicators that may only be known to the individual.

Anyone who experiences the following after a head injury should immediately seek the help of a doctor:

• dizziness;
• lethargy;
• ringing in the ears;
• difficulty speaking or thinking; and
• slow speech.

Brain Scans

If a doctor believes that an individual may have sustained a TBI after a head injury, he or she will continue the diagnostic procedure by having the patient undergo one or more brain scans to discover the nature and severity of the problem.

The first, and generally most common, is called a computed tomography (CT) scan, and utilizes a series of x-rays to create a more detailed image of structures within the body. Upon completion of a CT scan, a doctor will be able to evaluate the injury and determine the best course of action. A CT scan is often used in the acute phase and in a period of urgency.

Because x-ray technology is better suited for bony structures and the brain is composed of soft tissue, a doctor may instead opt to perform a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan on the patient. Although this is generally more expensive, and takes longer, an MRI can be used to create a highly detailed brain scan. Instead of x-rays, it uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create images.

Seek Legal Help if You Have Sustained a TBI

Ultimately, if you have sustained a TBI after being hit in the head, it is imperative that you seek medical help immediately to find the severity of your injury, as well as the proper course of rehabilitation.

But if your accident was the result of another party’s negligent acts and you’re in the Denver area, contact the Law Offices of D.J. Banovitz for help filing a claim to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Call today at 303-300-5060 or visit our contact page.