Neuroimaging and neuropathology of TBI

Abstract

Neuroimaging at all stages of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) provides information about gross brain pathology. In this review, post-mortem TBI cases are matched to neuroimaging findings from TBI survivors to demonstrate the close correlation between observable pathology with in vivo neuroimaging to the underlying neuropathology. An emphasis of this review focuses on neuroimaging identification of trauma induced cortical and white matter degeneration along with hydrocephalus ex vacuo expansion of the ventricular system as the injured brain exhibits atrophic changes. The role of hippocampal atrophy and thalamic injury along with the vulnerability of the corpus callosum in TBI are also reviewed. The aim of this review is to provide pathological confirmation of observable neuroimaging abnormalities that relate directly to trauma-induced effects of the injury.