Posted by rozeklawoffice on December 11, 2011 under General, Mild Brain Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury | 
Traumatic Brain Injuries can lead to many long term health problems. Early cognitive decline is a leading long term consequence of TBI, which can ultimately lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and early onset Dementia. Autopsy studies of professional athletes have been able to confirm that multiple concussions or brain injuries can result in a condition called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a progressive disease that results in a gradual decline in cognitive function. Victims of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy exhibit symptoms consistent with dementia, including confusion, memory loss, depression, and aggressive behavior. The hallmark indicator of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy on autopsy of the brain was the buildup of a plaque referred to as tau protein. While it was always understand that repeated concussions could result in the buildup of tau protein, it wasn’t until recently that researchers were able to identify the buildup of tau protein in individuals with only a single head injury. (Victoria E. Johnson, William Stewart, Douglas H. Smith. Widespread Tau and Amyloid-Beta Pathology Many Years After a Single Traumatic Brain Injury in Humans. Brain Pathology, 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-3639.2011.00513.x).
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive form of dementia. It is the most common type of dementia, resulting in confusion, anger outbursts, lack of long-term memory, and language deficits. The cost of Alzhiemer’s Disease on society is great. Because most Alzheimer’s patients will continually and progressively decline, at some point they will have to rely upon others for their care. While family members and loved ones usually try to provide care initially, the challenges of caring for an Alzheimer’s sufferer can take an incredible toll on every aspect of a caregiver’s life. What makes it additionally challenging and unrewarding is that, at some point, the Alzheimer’s sufferer will no longer have the long-term memory required to remember the identity of their caregiver. On autopsy it has been show that tau protein buildup is also a hallmark indicator of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. Studies have shown that brain injury victims have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease.
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system with its origins in the midbrain. The initial symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease involve movement disorders, but later Parkinson’s Disease patients typically develop cognitive symptoms including dementia. Parkinson’s Disease, while typically idiopathic in origin, can follow traumatic brain injury that results in damage to the basal ganglia which can result in a dopamine production disruption. (Traumatic Brain Injury in Adult Rats Causes Progressive Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic Cell Loss and Enhanced Vulnerability to the Pesticide Paraquat Che Brown Hutson, Carlos R. Lazo, Farzad Mortazavi, Christopher C. Giza, David Hovda, and Marie-Francoise Chesselet Journal of Neurotrauma 2011 28:9, 1783-1801). Unfortunately, there is no lab test to definitively diagnose Parkinson’s Disease as of yet. Due to the degenerative nature of Parkinson’s Disease, patients and their loved ones face an enormous burden when dealing with long-term care for the Parkinson’s patient.
As if traumatic brain injury survivors did not have enough to deal with just attempting to recover from their injury, now studies have established that victims of TBI have an increased risk of developing early onset dementia, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease.
Posted by rozeklawoffice on October 25, 2011 under Traumatic Brain Injury |
New types of brain imaging techniques may be able to help traumatic brain injury survivors in identifying the exact nature, extent and location of their brain trauma. The most promising imaging technique involves an advanced MRI protocol referred to as SWI.
Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI) is a relatively new imaging technique that can be performed on most General Electric and Siemens MRI machines (1.0 T, 1.5 T, 2.0 T & 3.0 T). SWI can be included in the ordinary brain injury scan protocol. SWI images have been described as being 5 times as clear as ordinary MRI. SWI is particularly sensitive to the detection of iron deposits in the brain.Whenever there is a bleed in the brain, iron is deposited and remains, even after the liquid is reabsorbed into the brain. MRI and SWI can identify these iron deposits as lesions.
The majority of closed head injuries that result in brain damage results in a Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI), which results in relatively small lesions throughout the brain. DAI lesions typically occur at the gray-white matter interface in the brain. This is where gray matter meets white matter. Due to the differences in density of gray matter vs. white matter, brain axons at this gray-white matter interface are more susceptible to damage from trauma than axons in other areas of the brain. SWI can more easily identify gray-white matter interface lesions than other MRI protocols. The following image compares a typical MRI image to that of an SWI image depicting lesions:
Standard 1.5 T MRI Image (Left) vs. SWI Image (Right)
The clarity of the SWI image compared to that of the standard MRI image is remarkable. The benefits of SWI for TBI survivors are many. All TBI survivors will benefit by their doctors being able to pinpoint the areas of the brain that are the most damaged. Healthcare providers can tailor their treatment program to focus more treatment and rehabilitation on those areas of the brain that have the most damage. Also, for victims of mild TBI, SWI may finally be the key to establishing the objective proof of injury. Mild TBI survivors have long been frustrated by the lack of any objective evidence of injury, despite the dramatic changes in the TBI survivors’ lives and ability to function. SWI can help identify the exact nature, extent and location of the mild TBI survivors’ brain damage, which will lead to better care, treatment and rehabilitation for the mild TBI survivor.
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If you or a loved one have sustained a TBI and need an experienced Wisconsin Brain Injury Attorney, contact Rozek Law Offices for a free initial consultation.
Posted by rozeklawoffice on October 21, 2011 under General |
Rozek Law Offices is pleased to announce that we have opened a Madison office as of October 2011. The Madison office was opened primarily for the convenience of our current and future clients, as we represent personal injury victims in Dane County and throughout the state.
The new office is conveniently located on Madison’s East Side in the Park Bank Plaza building near I-94 and Highway 151.
If you or a loved one are in need of any of the following, please do not hesitate to contact our office:
The new office information is as follows:
Rozek Law Offices, SC
2810 Crossroads Drive
Suite 4000
Madison, Wisconsin 53718
Telephone: 608/208-1147
Posted by rozeklawoffice on September 17, 2011 under Mild Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Headache |
The most common symptom after a car accident is headache. In fact, headaches are so common following any type of trauma to the head or upper body that the International Headache Society (IHS) has created diagnoses classifications for post-traumatic headache. The IHS separates the post-traumatic headache into two stages, the acute phase vs. the chronic phase. The acute phase is the first 3 months following the car accident or other trauma, while the headache is classified as chronic if it persists following the first three months after the accident. The IHS also differentiates post-traumatic headaches due to traumatic brain injury vs. whiplash.
Headaches Attributed to Traumatic Brain Injury
The IHS further differentiates post-traumatic headache due to mild traumatic brain injury vs. moderate or severe traumatic brain injury.
The IHS classifies Post-Traumatic Headache Attributed to Mild TBI as the following:
- Headache within a week of the accident; AND
- Head Trauma with all of the following:
- No loss of consciousness or loss of consciousness of less than 30 minutes
- Glascow Coma Scale of greater than 12
- Symptoms or signs consistent with concussion
Importantly, the IHS clarifies that mild head injury can result in a “complex of cognitive, behavioral and consciousness abnormalities,” despite the following:
- normal Glascow Coma Scale
- normal neurological examination
- normal neuroimaging (CT, MRI)
- normal EEG
- normal CSF examination
- normal vestibular function testing
- normal neuropsychological testing
The IHS classifies moderateTBI or severe TBI as the following:
- Headache within a week of regaining consciousness; AND
- Head Trauma with at least one of the following:
- Loss of consciousness of more than 30 minutes
- Glascow Coma Scale of less than 13
- Post-Traumatic Amnesia of more than 48 hours
- Abnormal neuroimaging (CT, MRI) demonstrating traumatic brain injury, i.e. lesion, diffuse axonal injury, subdural hematoma, skull fracture
As mentioned above, if the post-traumatic headache persists longer than 3 months it is considered chronic.
Headaches Attributed to Whiplash
Classification of post-traumatic headache resulting from whiplash requires the following:
- Headache within a week of the traumatic event; AND
- History of Whiplash defined as a sudden and significant acceleration/decleration of the neck with neck pain
As mentioned above, if the post-traumatic headache persists longer than 3 months it is considered chronic.
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Find more information on Post-Traumatic Headache or Post-Traumatic Migraine
