No abstract

High school athletes who had suffered mild concussion demonstrated significant declines in memory processes relative to a noninjured control group. Statistically significant differences between preseason and postinjury memory test results were still evident in the concussion group at 4 and 7 days postinjury. Self-reported neurological symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and nausea resolved by Day 4. Duration of on-field mental status changes such as retrograde amnesia and posttraumatic confusion was related to the presence of memory impairment at 36 hours and 4 and 7 days postinjury and was also related to slower resolution of self-reported symptoms. The results of this study suggest that caution should be exercised in returning high school athletes to the playing field following concussion. On-field mental status changes appear to have prognostic utility and should be taken into account when making return-to-play decisions following concussion. Athletes who exhibit on-field mental status changes for more than 5 minutes have longer-lasting postconcussion symptoms and memory decline.

Stereotactic brain biopsy was associated with a low likelihood of postbiopsy hemorrhage. The risk of hemorrhage increased steadily as the platelet count fell below 150,000/mm3. The authors found a small but definable risk of delayed hemorrhage, despite unremarkable findings on an immediate postbiopsy head CT scan. This risk justifies an overnight hospital observation stay for all patients after having undergone stereotactic brain biopsy.

Findings suggest that any degree of postconcussion headache in high school athletes 7 days after injury is likely associated with an incomplete recovery after concussion.