Diagnosis of Mild TBI and Concussion
Mild TBI / Concussion is a clinical diagnosis
- Healthcare professionals should not routinely obtain head computed tomography (CT) for diagnostic purposes in children with mTBI
- Use validated clinical decision rules to identify children with mTBI at low risk for intracranial injury in whom head CT is not indicated (e.g. Paediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) (further details)
- Do not routinely use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of concussion or persisting post-concussion symptoms
- Skull radiographs should not be used in the diagnosis of paediatric mTBI
Symptom scales can help assess mTBI
- Assessment should include the use of an age-appropriate, validated symptom rating scale
- These include the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory and the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool and can be downloaded here
- Biomarkers are currently used only in a research setting
- Referral pathways can be found here