Object It has recently been suggested that the degree of intracranial pressure (ICP) above the treatment goal can be estimated by the area under the curve (AUC) of ICP versus time in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The objective of this study was to determine whether the calculated “ICP dose”—the ICP AUC—is related to mortality rate, outcome, and Marshall CT classification. Methods Of 135 patients (age range 1–82 years) with severe TBI treated during a 5-year period at the authors' institution, 113 patients underwent ICP monitoring (84%). Ninety-three patients with a monitoring time > 24 hours were included for analysis of ICP AUC calculated using the trapezoidal method. Computed tomography scans were assessed according to the Marshall TBI classification. Patients with Glasgow Outcome Scale scores at 6 months and > 3 years were separated into 2 groups based on outcome. Results Sixty patients (65%) had ICP values > 20 mm Hg, and 12 (13%) developed severe intracranial hypertension and died secondary to herniation. A multiple regression analysis adjusting for Glasgow Coma Scale score, age, pupillary abnormalities and Injury Severity Scale score demonstrated that the ICP AUC was a significant predictor of poor outcome at 6 months (p = 0.034) and of death (p = 0.035). However, it did not predict long-term outcome (p = 0.157). The ICP AUC was significantly higher in patients with Marshall head injury Categories 3 and 4 (24 patients) than in those with Category 2 (23 patients, p = 0.025) and Category 5 (46 patients, p = 0.021) TBIs using the worst CT scan obtained. Conclusions The authors found a significant relationship between the dose of ICP, the worst Marshall CT score, and patient outcome, suggesting that the AUC method may be useful in refining and improving the treatment of ICP in patients with TBI.

Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) is a non-penetrating injury to the carotid and/or vertebral artery that may cause stroke in trauma patients. Historically BCVI has been considered rare but more recent publications indicate an overall incidence of 1–2% in the in-hospital trauma population and as high as 9% in patients with severe head injury. The indications for screening, treatment and follow-up of these patients have been controversial for years with few clear recommendations. In an attempt to provide a clinically oriented guideline for the handling of BCVI patients a working committee was created. The current guideline is the end result of this committees work. It is based on a systematic literature search and critical review of all available publications in addition to a standardized consensus process. We recommend using the expanded Denver screening criteria and CT angiography (CTA) for the detection of BCVI. Early antithrombotic treatment should be commenced as soon as considered safe and continued for at least 3 months. A CTA at 7 days to confirm or discard the diagnosis as well as a final imaging control at 3 months should be performed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13049-018-0559-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This is the first study to demonstrate and quantify attenuation of non-haemorrhagic TAI lesions on structural MRI during the first 3 months after TBI; most importantly, the disappearance of brainstem lesions. Haemorrhagic TAI lesions attenuate first after 3 months. Only early MRI findings predicted clinical outcome after adjustment for other prognostic factors. Hence valuable clinical information may be missed if MRI is performed too late after TBI.