Traumatic Brain Injury & Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Brain injuries are almost always complicated, which can sometimes make it difficult to accurately diagnose them by more traditional methods, like an MRI or CT scan. This holds true even for traumatic brain injuries, which may go untreated for some time simply because they can be difficult to detect. Late diagnosis of these injuries makes treatment difficult- and often less effective.

Now, though, a new and innovative brain injury diagnostic technique has emerged. It’s called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and has the capability to significantly improve the detection, and thus the diagnosis of, traumatic brain injuries. It may sometimes even assist a doctor in accurately predicting a prognosis for traumatic brain injury patients.

What is Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)?

Originally created by the U.S. government to test soldiers coming back from combat for dangerous traumatic brain injuries, diffusion tensor imaging has been used more and more by doctors among the general public in recent years.

When it is used in conjunction with traditional MRI techniques, a 2-D and 3-D visualization of changes to white matter in the brain is possible. This type of medical imaging provides increased image contrast and clarity that was previously impossible to attain with regular MRI scans.

Even though this type of technology is making it easier to diagnose and treat traumatic brain injury victims, the healing process is by no means easy. Patients of traumatic brain injuries face changes in all areas of their lives, and may suffer from incredibly high medical bills coupled with large losses in income.

When a traumatic brain injury is caused by someone else’s negligence or recklessness, the victim may be eligible for compensation for these things. If you’re unsure of how to go about seeking such compensation, or even if your case is sound, please contact Zimmerman & Frachtman for a free consultation. Upon deeper discussion of the details of the incident that injured you, we can tell you what to expect in court, and the next steps to take as we build your case together.