New York: Traumatic microbleeds — which appear as small, dark lesions on MRI scans after a head injury — may predict worse outcomes, according to a study which could help develop a new treatment protocol for such injuries. Using advanced imaging, researchers uncovered new information regarding traumatic microbleeds, a form of injury to brain blood vessels typically too small to be detected on CT scans.
The study, published in the journal Brain, involved 439 adult participants who experienced head injury, and were treated in the emergency department. The researchers, including those from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the US, said that the patients underwent MRI scans within 48 hours of injury, and again during four subsequent visits. The participants also completed behavioral and outcome questionnaires, the study noted.
According to the researchers, the microbleeds appeared as either linear streaks or dotted, also referred to as punctate, lesions. The majority of patients who had microbleeds had both types, the study noted. The study also revealed that the frontal lobes of the brain were most likely to show microbleeds.
The researchers noted that the patients with microbleeds were more likely to have a greater level of disability compared to patients without microbleeds. According to the researchers, microbleeds following brain injury may be a potential biomarker for identifying which patients may be candidates for treatments targeting vascular injury.
—PTI
