Clinical predictors of the psychosocial long term outcome after brain injury

Abstract

The correlation of clinical with psychological and social data is an attempt to find predictors of the definite long term outcome after brain injury. 34 patients were reexamined 3 to 8 years after the accident using a number of psychological tests. Additionally, life quality was defined and evaluated. Only patients with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale-Score of 3–12, an intracranial traumatic lesion on computertomography and age 16–65 years at the time of accident were included in this study. Patients exhibited a uniform pattern of disturbances in psychosocial long term outcome. These disturbances were compared with initial clinical data: memory, attention and learning were significantly correlated with the duration of coma and the presence of additional extracerebraI injuries. From the initial computerized tomography, the findings 'compression of basal cisterns' and lintracerebral contusion' showed to be predictors of the cerebral function. Late social status and behavior, defined as quality of life, were clearly related with initial clinical findings. In conclusionl there are early clinical predictors of the long term social and psychological outcome after brain injury. Neural Res 1997; 19: 305–310]