Mild Head Injury

This is a practical guide to the management of mild head injury, or concussion. It is now generally accepted that post-concussion syndrome has an organic basis and this has resulted in the emergence of clinics, staffed by interdisciplinary teams, dedicated to addressing the problem. After a short account of the history of thinking on mild head injury and its epidemiology, a section on pathology provides the background to the clinical picture. The coverage then moveson to look at the acute stage and management in the emergency department, followed by a description of the clinical features of the persisting symptoms. There are clear descriptions of the measurements, investigations and examinations to be completed. The authors then move on to look at theneurological, cognitive-behavioural and psychiatric aspects of management and treatment. Specific cases are discussed, including the special considerations when dealing with children, the elderly, executives and sportspeople. At the end of the book there are copies of information sheets and booklets for patients. Philip Wrightson and Dorothy Gronwall are pioneers in this field. They were the first to define test procedures to measure the changes following concussion, and to establish aclinic for those with persisting problems.