[Clinical assessment of diffuse brain injury sequelae: with respect to so-called post-traumatic disorder]

Brain injury sequelae were observed in 24 patients who had sustained diffuse brain injury. According to their ability to lead social life, the severity was classified into 6 levels; vegetative, severe, moderate, mild, fair, and good. The severity levels statistically correlated with the length of the initial unconsciousness (Spearman's correlation coefficient r = 0.929, n = 24, p < 0.01), with posttraumatic amnesia (r = 0.827, n = 8, p < 0.05), with ventricular enlargement (r = 0.808, n = 24, p < 0.01) and with the presence of hemiplegia (r = 0.740, n = 24, p < 0.01). Children and young adults showed a tendency to improve to milder levels. Mild head injury patients who sustained concussion of less than 6 hours in duration also showed minimal sequelae such as mild ventricular dilatation and difficulty in recent memory. This memory impairment had often been ascribed to the so-called postconcussional syndrome. The threshold for occurrence of diffuse brain injury sequelae was estimated as concussion lasting 15-30 minutes or post-traumatic amnesia of a few days in duration in adults and about a week in children. Superficially localized brain contusion was frequently observed and was not correlated with the severity level, hemiplegia or post-concussional syndrome.