A New Scan May be the Future for TBI Treatment

For years, researchers have been trying to develop a brain scan that accurately diagnoses TBI survivors.  Unfortunately, there simply hasn’t been any sort of testing method or device that guarantees a correct diagnosis every time.  This has left many survivors misdiagnosed and medical professionals not knowing how to properly treat patients. 

However, I read an article on MSNBC.com this morning and felt compelled to share because I think researchers are on the brink of something BIG. Scientists are developing a scan that goes deep into the brain and finds exactly what damage the injury caused. It’s a lot like an X-ray that scans patients for broken bones, except this scan searches for breaks in nerve fibers. These breaks can cause different parts of the brain to stop working correctly. 

It’s no secret that TBI’s have been a prevalent injury for our military men and women who have fought in Iraq. So, researchers are currently testing this scan on military TBI patients. Although it is in its early stages, it does seem promising. Through fiber tracking, it was able to accurately diagnose the damage a TBI had done to a man who was in a coma. The scan predicted the effects prior to him gaining consciousness.

I’m anxious to see what further testing shows!