How mild is mild head injury? A neuropsychiatric study

Studies of patients with mild head injury (MHI) in the neurosurgical litera ture show that patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13-14 diff er from those with a score of 15 in frequency of neurosurgical intervention and outcome. This study investigates whether a similar situation pertains to neuropsychiatric sequelae. Fifty-one patients with a GCS of 15 were comp ared to 25 patients with a GCS of 13-14 within two months of injury across an array of neuropsychiatric variables. Although the former had a longer pe riod of posttraumatic amnesia and more CT abnormalities, psychometric diffe rences (including indices of cognition, anxiety, depression, and psychosoci al outcome) were not found. This study provides evidence that in the early stages of recovery from MHI, patients with a GCS greater than or equal to 1 3 are homogeneous from a neuropsychiatric perspective. (C) 2000 Academic Pr ess.