For decades concussions were erroneously described as a transient loss of consciousness without radiologic confirmation of structural injury or long-term deficits. However, clinicians have known that patients with head injury (even without loss of consciousness) can endure long-term symptoms even when imaging studies like CT / MRI are normal.

These studies are good for identifying fractures and vascular injuries, but do not assess brain function. Hence, medical providers rely on clinical evaluation to determine if a worker with an industrial accident, a victim of a car crash / assault or a football player after a rough tackle has permanent injury to their neural system. Of course, these evaluations can be highly subjective, resulting in a need for an unbiased test.
 

Testing is now available, via MedTrak Diagnostics, for objectively assessing a TBI. The “battery of tests” is performed on some of the brain’s most heavily used pathways and the objective results assist clinicians with determining performance impairment and diagnosing injury. 

The objective testing paradigm is non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical and consists of the following evaluations:

Videonystagmography (VNG): Vestibular testing

Posturography – FallTrak II: Balance and coordination testing

BrainCheck: Neurocognitive testing

Together, these tests allow clinicians to measure critical areas of central (brain) and peripheral vestibular function to provide an objective diagnosis of the cause of some of the post-traumatic symptoms of TBI such as dizziness, vertigo, fatigue, problems with balance, coordination and unsteadiness, blurred vision, memory problems, anxiety, depression and personality changes. This allows proper diagnosis and the development of a core plan for patient improvement and ongoing compensatory recovery.