New Jersey brain injury patients may find interest in a 2015 study that found that military service members who received brain imaging testing shortly after sustaining a traumatic brain injury were more likely to get better treatment more quickly. Researchers found that MRI scans can help physicians detect microbleeding in the brain, which often leads to such serious conditions as stroke and brain swelling.
Traumatic brain injuries are a significant problem for military members, according to a Walter Reed chief of neuroimaging. Many service members who suffered traumatic brain injuries did not receive MRI scans and other brain imaging tests until months after their accidents. This results in a lower rate of cerebral microhemorrhage detection, which can delay treatment.
Researchers examined 603 military service members who had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. They used an imaging technique that is more sensitive to blood on the brain than the traditional MRI. The average time between the injury and the administration of an MRI was 856 days. Of those who participated, 7 percent were found to have microbleeding on the brain. Brain bleeding occurred in 24 percent of those who had an MRI three months after injury, while it was found in 5.2 percent of patients who were imaged a year after injury. Bleeding becomes significantly harder to diagnose with the passage of time, making it harder to treat.
Those who sustain a brain trauma may want to seek medical help immediately. Brain injuries are harder to detect over time, so it is important to receive brain imaging early for optimal detection. If the injury was caused by the negligence of another person, the victim may also want to speak with a personal injury attorney to determine how best to seek compensation for the damages that have been incurred.
