Brain Edema as a Predictor of Clinical Outcome in Traumatic Brain Injury

Brain edema is a common clinical finding in traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, evidence also suggests brain edema may be a direct cause of or contribute to further cellular injury. Laboratory studies have shown that persistent osmotic swelling of neurons causes cell death via oxidative stress. Thus, brain edema itself may cause secondary injury to brain tissue in TBI. Based on these observations, we hypothesize TBI patients with cerebral edema are more likely to experience an adverse clinical outcome than similar patients without brain edema. This effect may be most notable in head trauma patients with mild injuries due to increased co-morbidities affecting outcome in patients with more severe TBI.