Virginia Newcombe1, 2, Guy Williams2, Joanne Outtrim1, Doris Chatfield1, Giulia Abate1, Thomas Geeraerts1, Anne Manktelow1, Hywel Room1, Leela Mariappen
1Division of Anaesthesia, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom; 2Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom; 3Academic Department of Neurosurgery, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often exacerbated by secondary events that lead to secondary brain injury, and represent potentially modifiable cause of mortality and morbidity post TBI. One potential means of improving such translation is to characterise tissue at risk using early imaging studies, and define markers of injury progression in these tissue compartments to use as biomarkers. This study used diffusion tensor imaging to characterise contusions and their growth during the acute phase of injury. Distinct regions were observed including a low diffusivity rim that may represent an area of at risk tissue (a traumatic penumbra) following TBI which may be a potential target for therapy.