Skip to main content

Subacute MR Imaging: Traumatic Axonal Injury, Brainstem Lesions and Prognostic Factors

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the superior image modality to gain an overview of the traumatic lesions in the brain parenchyma. T2∗-weighted gradient echo sequence or susceptibility-weighted imaging sequences are most suitable in detecting haemorrhagic lesions. The non-haemorrhagic lesions are best visible in T2-weighted imaging, especially fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR). The neuroanatomic and prognostic information provided by MRI is important during the subacute phase of clinical management and rehabilitation. Diffusion tensor imaging is a promising and constantly developing technique that might prove to be clinically useful in the future in the detection of axonal injury.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abu Hamdeh S, Marklund N, Lannsjo M, Howells T, Raininko R, Wikstrom J, Enblad P. Extended anatomical grading in diffuse axonal injury using MRI: hemorrhagic lesions in the substantia nigra and mesencephalic tegmentum indicate poor long-term outcome. J Neurotrauma. 2017;34(2):341–52.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Adams JH, Doyle D, Ford I, Gennarelli TA, Graham DI, McLellan DR. Diffuse axonal injury in head injury: definition, diagnosis and grading. Histopathology. 1989;15(1):49–59.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blumbergs P, Reilly P, Vink R. Trauma. Greenfield’s neuropathology. London: Edward Arnold Ltd.; 2008. p. 733–832.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cicuendez M, Castano-Leon A, Ramos A, Hilario A, Gomez PA, Lagares A. Prognostic value of corpus callosum injuries in severe head trauma. Acta Neurochir. 2017;159(1):25–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cicuendez M, Castano-Leon A, Ramos A, Hilario A, Gomez PA, Lagares A. The added prognostic value of magnetic resonance imaging in traumatic brain injury: the importance of traumatic axonal injury when performing ordinal logistic regression. J Neuroradiol. 2019;46(5):299–306.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Douglas DB, Iv M, Douglas PK, Anderson A, Vos SB, Bammer R, Zeineh M, Wintermark M. Diffusion tensor imaging of TBI: potentials and challenges. Top Magn Reson Imaging. 2015;24(5):241–51.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Firsching R, Woischneck D, Diedrich M, Klein S, Ruckert A, Wittig H, Dohring W. Early magnetic resonance imaging of brainstem lesions after severe head injury. J Neurosurg. 1998;89(5):707–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Firsching R, Woischneck D, Klein S, Reissberg S, Dohring W, Peters B. Classification of severe head injury based on magnetic resonance imaging. Acta Neurochir. 2001;143(3):263–71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gentry LR, Godersky JC, Thompson B. MR imaging of head trauma: review of the distribution and radiopathologic features of traumatic lesions. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 1988;150:101–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haacke EM, Mittal S, Wu Z, Neelavalli J, Cheng YC. Susceptibility-weighted imaging: technical aspects and clinical applications, part 1. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2009;30(1):19–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Haacke EM, Duhaime AC, Gean AD, Riedy G, Wintermark M, Mukherjee P, Brody DL, DeGraba T, Duncan TD, Elovic E, Hurley R, Latour L, Smirniotopoulos JG, Smith DH. Common data elements in radiologic imaging of traumatic brain injury. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2010;32(3):516–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haghbayan H, Boutin A, Laflamme M, Lauzier F, Shemilt M, Moore L, Zarychanski R, Douville V, Fergusson D, Turgeon AF. The prognostic value of MRI in moderate and severe traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Crit Care Med. 2017;45(12):e1280–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hilario A, Ramos A, Millan JM, Salvador E, Gomez PA, Cicuendez M, Diez-Lobato R, Lagares A. Severe traumatic head injury: prognostic value of brain stem injuries detected at MRI. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2012;33(10):1925–31.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hulkower MB, Poliak DB, Rosenbaum SB, Zimmerman ME, Lipton ML. A decade of DTI in traumatic brain injury: 10 years and 100 articles later. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2013;34(11):2064–74.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Huisman TA, Sorensen AG, Hergan K, Gonzalez RG, Schaefer PW. Diffusion-weighted imaging for the evaluation of diffuse axonal injury in closed head injury. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 2003;27(1):5–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Izzy S, Mazwi NL, Martinez S, Spencer CA, Klein JP, Parikh G, Glenn MB, Greenberg SM, Greer DM, Wu O, Edlow BL. Revisiting grade 3 diffuse axonal injury: not all brainstem microbleeds are prognostically equal. Neurocrit Care. 2017;27(2):199–207.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lagares A, Ramos A, Perez-Nunez A, Ballenilla F, Alday R, Gomez PA, Kaen A, Lobato RD. The role of MR imaging in assessing prognosis after severe and moderate head injury. Acta Neurochir. 2009;151(4):341–56.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Le Bihan D, Mangin JF, Poupon C, Clark CA, Pappata S, Molko N, Chabriat H. Diffusion tensor imaging: concepts and applications. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2001;13(4):534–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marquez de la Plata CD, Yang FG, Wang JY, Krishnan K, Bakhadirov K, Paliotta C, Aslan S, Devous MD, Moore C, Harper C, McColl R, Munro Cullum C, Diaz-Arrastia R. Diffusion tensor imaging biomarkers for traumatic axonal injury: analysis of three analytic methods. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2011;17(1):24–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moe HK, Moen KG, Skandsen T, Kvistad KA, Laureys S, Haberg A, Vik A. The influence of traumatic axonal injury in thalamus and brainstem on level of consciousness at scene or admission: a clinical magnetic resonance imaging study. J Neurotrauma. 2018; https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2017.5252.

  • Moen KG, Skandsen T, Folvik M, Brezova V, Kvistad KA, Rydland J, Manley GT, Vik A. A longitudinal MRI study of traumatic axonal injury in patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injury. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2012;83(12):7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moen KG, Brezova V, Skandsen T, Haberg AK, Folvik M, Vik A. Traumatic axonal injury: the prognostic value of lesion load in corpus callosum, brain stem, and thalamus in different magnetic resonance imaging sequences. J Neurotrauma. 2014;31(17):1486–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moen KG, Vik A, Olsen A, Skandsen T, Haberg AK, Evensen KA, Eikenes L. Traumatic axonal injury: relationships between lesions in the early phase and diffusion tensor imaging parameters in the chronic phase of traumatic brain injury. J Neurosci Res. 2016;94(7):623–35.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mutch CA, Talbott JF, Gean A. Imaging evaluation of acute traumatic brain injury. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2016;27(4):409–39.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Parizel PM, Van Goethem JW, Ozsarlak O, Maes M, Phillips CD. New developments in the neuroradiological diagnosis of craniocerebral trauma. Eur Radiol. 2005;15(3):569–81.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Povlishock JT, Katz DI. Update of neuropathology and neurological recovery after traumatic brain injury. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2005;20(1):76–94.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer PW. Applications of DWI in clinical neurology. J Neurol Sci. 2001;186(Suppl 1):S25–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheid R, Ott DV, Roth H, Schroeter ML, von Cramon DY. Comparative magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 and 3 Tesla for the evaluation of traumatic microbleeds. J Neurotrauma. 2007;24(12):1811–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Sidaros A, Engberg AW, Sidaros K, Liptrot MG, Herning M, Petersen P, Paulson OB, Jernigan TL, Rostrup E. Diffusion tensor imaging during recovery from severe traumatic brain injury and relation to clinical outcome: a longitudinal study. Brain. 2008;131(2):559–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Skandsen T, Kvistad KA, Solheim O, Strand IH, Folvik M, Vik A. Prevalence and impact of diffuse axonal injury in patients with moderate and severe head injury: a cohort study of early magnetic resonance imaging findings and 1-year outcome. J Neurosurg. 2010;113(3):556–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Skandsen T, Kvistad KA, Solheim O, Lydersen S, Strand IH, Vik A. Prognostic value of magnetic resonance imaging in moderate and severe head injury: a prospective study of early mri findings and one-year outcome. J Neurotrauma. 2011;28(5):1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith DH, Hicks R, Povlishock JT. Therapy development for diffuse axonal injury. J Neurotrauma. 2013;30(5):307–23.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Smitherman E, Hernandez A, Stavinoha PL, Huang R, Kernie SG, Diaz-Arrastia R, Miles DK. Predicting outcome after pediatric traumatic brain injury by early magnetic resonance imaging lesion location and volume. J Neurotrauma. 2016;33(1):35–48.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Toth A, Kornyei B, Kovacs N, Rostas T, Buki A, Doczi T, Bogner P, Schwarcz A. Both hemorrhagic and non-hemorrhagic traumatic MRI lesions are associated with the microstructural damage of the normal appearing white matter. Behav Brain Res. 2018;340:106–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wintermark M, Sanelli PC, Anzai Y, Tsiouris AJ, Whitlow CT, A. C. R. H. I. Institute and A. C. R. H. I. Institute. Imaging evidence and recommendations for traumatic brain injury: conventional neuroimaging techniques. J Am Coll Radiol. 2015;12(2):e1–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yuh EL, Mukherjee P, Lingsma HF, Yue JK, Ferguson AR, Gordon WA, Valadka AB, Schnyer DM, Okonkwo DO, Maas AI, Manley GT, Investigators T-T. Magnetic resonance imaging improves 3-month outcome prediction in mild traumatic brain injury. Ann Neurol. 2013;73(2):224–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Toril Skandsen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Skandsen, T., Moen, K.G., Vik, A. (2020). Subacute MR Imaging: Traumatic Axonal Injury, Brainstem Lesions and Prognostic Factors. In: Sundstrøm, T., Grände, PO., Luoto, T., Rosenlund, C., Undén, J., Wester, K. (eds) Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39383-0_85

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39383-0_85

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-39382-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-39383-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics