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Neuroimaging often normal after sports concussions in children
Neuroimaging performed on patients who have suffered sports-related concussions were unlikely to yield abnormal test results, according to a recent study.
“Sports-related concussion … affects approximately 1.6 million to 3.8 million Americans annually, with a significant proportion occurring in children and adolescents,” study researcher Michael J. Ellis, MD, medical director of the Pan Am Concussion Program at the University of Manitoba, and colleagues wrote in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. “Results of clinical neuroimaging studies performed in children and adolescents with [sports-related concussions] are normal in the vast majority of cases.”
Researchers conducted a single-center retrospective review, including 36 patients, aged 19 years or younger, who underwent neuroimaging studies after a sports-related concussion was diagnosed. Study results demonstrated that of the 24 patients who underwent a CT scan, 19 exhibited normal test results. Among the 16 patients who received MRIs, 12 received normal test results. Four patients underwent both CT scan and MRI. Collectively, neuroimaging results were normal in 78% of the cohort.
Previous neuroimaging studies have produced similar results, although this is the first study to exclusively examine pediatric patients with sports-related concussions, according to the study. While expert guidelines recommend neuroimaging be used only to rule out traumatic brain injury, the investigators said this was based solely on expert opinion.
They also wrote that neuroimaging can still be useful in assisting doctors to make return-to-play decisions for concussed patients, but further research is necessary to make such decisions.
“Evidence-based practice guidelines are urgently needed to help direct clinical decision making when neuroimaging studies demonstrate evidence of traumatic intracranial injury,” wrote Ellis and colleagues. – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
