Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine 2017;4(3):121-127

doi:10.15441/ceem.17.226

Review of the potential use of blood neuro-biomarkers in the diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury.

Alastair JONES 1 ; Paul JARVIS

Affiliations

+expand

Keywords

Brain concussion; Biomarkers; Craniocerebral trauma

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

Head injury is a common presenting complaint amongst emergency department patients. To date, there has been no widespread utilization of neuro-biomarkers to aid the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury. This review article explores which neuro-biomarkers could be used in the emergency department in aiding the clinical diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury. Based on the available evidence, the most promising neuro-biomarkers appear to be Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase Isozyme L1 (UCH-L1) as these show significant rises in peripheral blood levels shortly after injury and these have been demonstrated to correlate with long-term clinical outcomes. Treatment strategies for minor traumatic brain injury in the emergency department setting are not well developed. The introduction of blood neuro-biomarkers could reduce unnecessary radiation exposure and provide an opportunity to improve the care of this patient group.