Imaging modalities in mild traumatic brain injury and sports concussion

Mild traumatic brain injury is a significant public health issue that has been gaining considerable attention over the past few years. After injury, a large percentage of patients experience postconcussive symptoms that affect work and school performance and that carry significant medicolegal implications. Conventional imaging modalities (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) are insensitive to microstructural changes and underestimate the degree of diffuse axonal injury and metabolic changes. Newer imaging techniques have attempted to better diagnose and characterize diffuse axonal injury and the metabolic and functional aspects of traumatic brain injury. The following review article summarizes the currently available imaging studies and describes the novel and more investigational techniques available for mild traumatic brain injury. A suggested algorithm is offered.