Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 19, 2026
Automated Midline Shift and Intracranial Pressure Estimation based on Brain CT Images
Published on: April 13, 2013
Intracranial Pathology (CT+) in Emergency Department Patients With High GCS and High Standard Assessment of
Kenneth C Curley1, Brian J OʼNeil, Rosanne Naunheim
1Iatrikos Research and Development Strategies, LLC, Tampa, Florida (Dr Curley); Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland (Dr Curley); Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan (Dr O'Neil); Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri (Dr Naunheim); and Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, and Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Wright).
Objective:
To demonstrate that a subpopulation of patients with mild/moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) had intracranial pathology despite having a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 15 and a Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) score of 25 or higher.
Setting:
A network of 11 US emergency departments (ED) enrolling patients in a multisite study of TBI.
Participants:
Men and women between the ages of 18 and 85 years admitted to a participating ED having sustained a closed head injury within the prior 72 hours and a GCS score of 13 to 15 at the time of enrollment.
Design:
Prospective observational study.
Main Measures:
GCS, SAC, computed tomography (CT) positive or negative for intracranial pathology, Marshall scoring of CT scans.
Results:
Of 191 patients with intracranial pathology (CT+) and having a SAC score recorded, 24% (46/191) had a SAC score in the normal range (≥25) as well as a GCS score of 15. All causes of CT+ brain injury were present in both SAC groups.
Conclusion:
A normal GCS score and a SAC score do not exclude the possibility of significant intracranial injury.
