GETTING YOUR HEAD AROUND CONCUSSIONS

New Imaging Technology Offers New Hope for Early Diagnosis

*** For an appointment at American Health Imaging’s Decatur location, call 404-292-2277. ***

With sports participation by children on the rise, so are sports-related injuries. Over the past few years, sports-related concussions have become a hot topic in the media and among youth, student and professional athletes alike. Now, a novelbrain imaging technique is being used in the early diagnosis of concussions, enabling earlier treatment intervention and facilitating recovery. Diffusion Tensor Imaging(DTI) is now available at the Decatur location of American Health Imaging.

It’s not just a risk in football. A concussion is a disruption in normal brain function due to a traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head. Concussions are often described as “mild” brain injuries because they are usually not life-threatening. Regardless, their effects can be serious and long-lasting. Brain cells are injured, and the brain’s delicate chemical balance is disrupted.

It’s not always easy to spot a concussion – symptoms might not be apparent right away. Typically, youth athletes recover from a concussion within a couple weeks. But for 10 to 20 percent, post concussion syndrome can persist for weeks, months or sometimes longer. A subsequent injury before full recovery is especially dangerous.

Historically, diagnosis of concussions has been based primarily on symptoms reported by the individual rather than objective diagnostic markers. Concussions are identified by physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional signs and may surface over days or weeks following an injury. Prompt diagnosis is difficult because concussions are “invisible” – they can’t be seen. Traditional X-rays or brain-imaging tools such as CT or MRI can detect a problem only in the rare cases of internal bleeding. This makes it difficult to diagnose other more common cases and to know exactly when an injured brain has completely healed.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) has been used in the evaluation of other neurological diseases and disorders. Developed in the 1990s, DTI is an important tool in understanding abnormalities in white matter brain connections. DTI is innovative MRI technology that uses radiofrequencies in a magnetic field while also tracking the movement of water molecules. The water’s path helps create an image of nerve fibers in the brain.Recent studies using DTI showed unique abnormalities in each individual with a concussion – abnormalities that would also be present in the nearly two million Americans who sustain a concussion each year.¹

“By detecting brain injury early with DTI, and then initiating cognitive rehabilitation therapies for those patients, we may be able to limit the effects of concussions,” said Michael Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of a study in 2009 at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

The Institute of Medicine reported that in 2009, 250,000 people ages 19 or younger were treated in emergency rooms for concussions and other sports- or recreation-related brain injuries–an increase from 150,000 in 2001.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 300,000 sports-related concussions are reported annually, but most go unreported. In fact, it’s estimated that each year, between 1.8 and 3.8 million people in the U.S. suffer a concussion.

The 2013 Institute of Medicine report, Sports-Related Concussions in Youth, reflects that no one knows how often the youngest athletes suffer concussions or which sports have the highest rates. Nor is it clear if better headgear would help.

“Based on current neuroscience data, the assumption is that the brain does not fully mature until at least the mid-20s, so if a concussion occurs in a still-developing brain, the trajectory of that development will presumably be affected,” said Jordan Grafman, Ph.D., chief of cognitive neuroscience at the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, in the Dana Foundation’s Briefing Paper: Sports Concussions & The Immature Brain (February 2010).

For an appointment for DTI at American Health Imaging’s Decatur location at 2774 North Decatur Road, physicians, patients or attorneys can call 404-292-2277.

For more information on American Health Imaging services, visit

###

(Note: The last sentence would be excluded in the blog post, but included in the press release. The introductory line, “For an appointment, … “ would be excluded in the press release, but included in the blog post. The boiler below would be used only in the press release.))

About American Health Imaging
American Health Imaging (AHI) provides the most technically advanced outpatient imaging available, with excellence in customer service and high quality scans. The highly trained staff of AHI delivers a compassionate experience for patients, providing ease and comfort during visits. The fast, reliable service and unsurpassed professionalism at AHI centers result in trusted referrals from the physician community. Board certified radiologists oversee and read imaging results in 15 AHI locations in Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Texas. For more information, visit

Sources

¹ Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York(

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (

• Institute of Medicine (

• Radiology(

• Brain Imaging and Behavior (

• Dana Foundation Briefing Paper: Sports Concussions & The Immature Brain (February 2010)

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT CONCUSSIONS

Symptoms of Concussion

Following a blow or jolt to the head, it is important to watch for symptoms and seek medical evaluation, especially if one or more of the following symptoms persist. While loss of consciousness is a symptom of concussion, most people with a concussion don’t lose consciousness.

Severe headacheConfusion

Nausea and vomitingSlower movement

SleepinessVisual changes

Irritability or change in personalityWeakness

Loss of memoryNumbness

Young athletes should be encouraged to notify their coaches and parents about hits to the head. If they lose consciousness, experience severe confusion or have a seizure following a head injury, call 911 immediately.

______

Did You Know?

  • Concussion rates for male athletes in high school and college are highest in football, ice hockey, lacrosse and wrestling. For female athletes, soccer, lacrosse and basketball top the list. In college, women’s ice hockey is among the highest concussion rates reported. But there is no similar date to know how often younger children get concussions.
  • Post concussion syndrome (PCS) affects about 20 to 30 percent of people who suffer mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). An mTBI is defined by the World Health Organization as a traumatic event causing brief loss of consciousness and/or transient memory dysfunction or disorientation. Symptoms of PCS include headache, poor concentration and memory difficulty.
  • There’s little evidence that helmets or other gear reduce the risk of brain injury. However, it is advised that sports participants wear helmets and other appropriate safety gear to guard against other injuries like skull fractures and facial injuries.
  • Baseline testing results are helpful in evaluation of an athlete with a suspected concussion. Baseline testing is a pre-season exam by a trained healthcare professional to assess an athlete’s balance and brain function, as well as the presence of any concussion symptoms. Some baseline and concussion assessment tools are only suggested for use among athletes ages 10 and older. Baseline testing should be repeated annually, per the CDC.
  • In Georgia, the Return to Play Act (effective January 1, 2014) requires Georgia school systems to adopt and implement a concussion management and return to play policy that requires athlete and parent education, removal from play for athletes suspected of concussion, and return to play only when given clearance by a healthcare provider. A youth athlete is defined as a participant in a youth athletic activity age 7 and under age 19 years of age.

Concussion safety at a glance

REMOVE athlete from play immediately.

REFER to medical provider.

REST to recover; no sports, no texting/TV.

RETURN to play only when medically cleared.