Biomaterial Database

Long-term outcome after severe head injury. 1979

W Lewin, and T F Marshall, and A H Roberts

From a consecutive series of 7000 patients with head injuries admitted to the regional accident service, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford between 10 and 24 years earlier, every patient was taken who had been amnesic or unconscious for one week or longer. Of these 479 patients, all but ten were traced, and either the cause of death was established or the survivors examined. Ten years after injury 4% were totally disabled, and 14% severely disabled to a degree precluding normal occupational or social life. Of the remainder, 49% had recovered, and the rest were dead. Additionally, a selected series of 64 patients whose unconsciousness had been prolonged for a month or more were studied. Forty of these had survived between three and 25 years after injury and were re-examined. On the basis of age at injury, the worst state of neurological responsiveness, and the duration of posttraumatic amnesia, the outcome of head injury can be predicted reliably in most cases. Patients and relatives need more reassurance and simple psychotherapeutic support, especially in the first few months after injury. Extrapolation from our figures suggests that each year in England and Wales 210 patients survive totally disabled and another 1500 are severely disabled.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009422	Nervous System Diseases	Diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. This includes disorders of the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, nerve roots, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscle.	Neurologic Disorders,Nervous System Disorders,Neurological Disorders,Disease, Nervous System,Diseases, Nervous System,Disorder, Nervous System,Disorder, Neurologic,Disorder, Neurological,Disorders, Nervous System,Disorders, Neurologic,Disorders, Neurological,Nervous System Disease,Nervous System Disorder,Neurologic Disorder,Neurological Disorder
D011379	Prognosis	A prediction of the probable outcome of a disease based on a individual's condition and the usual course of the disease as seen in similar situations.	Prognostic Factor,Prognostic Factors,Factor, Prognostic,Factors, Prognostic,Prognoses
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D004834	Epilepsy, Post-Traumatic	Recurrent seizures causally related to CRANIOCEREBRAL TRAUMA. Seizure onset may be immediate but is typically delayed for several days after the injury and may not occur for up to two years. The majority of seizures have a focal onset that correlates clinically with the site of brain injury. Cerebral cortex injuries caused by a penetrating foreign object (CRANIOCEREBRAL TRAUMA, PENETRATING) are more likely than closed head injuries (HEAD INJURIES, CLOSED) to be associated with epilepsy. Concussive convulsions are nonepileptic phenomena that occur immediately after head injury and are characterized by tonic and clonic movements. (From Rev Neurol 1998 Feb;26(150):256-261; Sports Med 1998 Feb;25(2):131-6)	Concussive Convulsion,Epilepsy, Traumatic,Impact Seizure,Seizure Disorder, Post-Traumatic,Early Post-Traumatic Seizures,Late Post-Traumatic Seizures,Post-Traumatic Seizure Disorder,Concussive Convulsions,Convulsion, Concussive,Convulsions, Concussive,Disorder, Post-Traumatic Seizure,Disorders, Post-Traumatic Seizure,Early Post Traumatic Seizures,Early Post-Traumatic Seizure,Epilepsies, Post-Traumatic,Epilepsies, Traumatic,Epilepsy, Post Traumatic,Impact Seizures,Late Post Traumatic Seizures,Late Post-Traumatic Seizure,Post Traumatic Seizure Disorder,Post-Traumatic Epilepsies,Post-Traumatic Epilepsy,Post-Traumatic Seizure Disorders,Post-Traumatic Seizure, Early,Post-Traumatic Seizure, Late,Post-Traumatic Seizures, Early,Post-Traumatic Seizures, Late,Seizure Disorder, Post Traumatic,Seizure Disorders, Post-Traumatic,Seizure, Early Post-Traumatic,Seizure, Late Post-Traumatic,Seizures, Early Post-Traumatic,Seizures, Late Post-Traumatic,Traumatic Epilepsies,Traumatic Epilepsy
D005500	Follow-Up Studies	Studies in which individuals or populations are followed to assess the outcome of exposures, procedures, or effects of a characteristic, e.g., occurrence of disease.	Followup Studies,Follow Up Studies,Follow-Up Study,Followup Study,Studies, Follow-Up,Studies, Followup,Study, Follow-Up,Study, Followup
D006259	Craniocerebral Trauma	Traumatic injuries involving the cranium and intracranial structures (i.e., BRAIN; CRANIAL NERVES; MENINGES; and other structures). Injuries may be classified by whether or not the skull is penetrated (i.e., penetrating vs. nonpenetrating) or whether there is an associated hemorrhage.	Frontal Region Trauma,Head Injuries,Head Trauma,Occipital Region Trauma,Parietal Region Trauma,Temporal Region Trauma,Craniocerebral Injuries,Crushing Skull Injury,Forehead Trauma,Head Injuries, Multiple,Head Injury, Minor,Head Injury, Open,Head Injury, Superficial,Injuries, Craniocerebral,Injuries, Head,Multiple Head Injuries,Occipital Trauma,Open Head Injury,Superficial Head Injury,Trauma, Head,Craniocerebral Injury,Craniocerebral Traumas,Crushing Skull Injuries,Forehead Traumas,Frontal Region Traumas,Head Injuries, Minor,Head Injuries, Open,Head Injuries, Superficial,Head Injury,Head Injury, Multiple,Head Traumas,Injuries, Minor Head,Injuries, Multiple Head,Injuries, Open Head,Injuries, Superficial Head,Injury, Craniocerebral,Injury, Head,Injury, Minor Head,Injury, Multiple Head,Injury, Open Head,Injury, Superficial Head,Minor Head Injuries,Minor Head Injury,Multiple Head Injury,Occipital Region Traumas,Occipital Traumas,Open Head Injuries,Parietal Region Traumas,Region Trauma, Frontal,Region Trauma, Occipital,Region Trauma, Parietal,Region Traumas, Frontal,Region Traumas, Occipital,Region Traumas, Parietal,Skull Injuries, Crushing,Skull Injury, Crushing,Superficial Head Injuries,Temporal Region Traumas,Trauma, Craniocerebral,Trauma, Forehead,Trauma, Frontal Region,Trauma, Occipital,Trauma, Occipital Region,Trauma, Parietal Region,Trauma, Temporal Region,Traumas, Craniocerebral,Traumas, Forehead,Traumas, Frontal Region,Traumas, Head,Traumas, Occipital,Traumas, Occipital Region,Traumas, Parietal Region,Traumas, Temporal Region
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths