Traumatic Brain Injury: Current Trends Towards the Increase of the Number of Cases and Its Diagnosis

Abstract

Introduction The global medical community calls traumatic brain injury (TBI) a "silent epidemic" because the latter causes a significant increase in mortality and disability more than any other mechanical injury. Although today's world achievements demonstrate powerful technical capabilities for accurate diagnosis of the time of occurrence and mechanism of TBI, however, the commission examination departments of the forensic medical examination bureau are considering more and more cases of diagnostic errors made by forensic medical experts during autopsies , which later caused protracted legal proceedings.
 Aim. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the modern diagnostic possibilities of methods for verifying the diagnosis and the time formation of TBI.
 Methods. Literary data on the prevalence and methods of diagnosing TBI at the present time were analyzed.
 Results. The degree and severity of TBI, as well as its course, after the initial mechanical injury depends on many factors. In the last decade, there has been an intensification of research on protein biomarkers based on biofluids (blood, cerebrospinal fluid) for intravitality diagnosis. However, not all markers provide reliable information that would correlate with the presence of TBI. Until now, the "gold standard" of diagnosis is an autopsy, next to which radiological studies are effectively used.
 Conclusion.
 Taking into account the global statistical data, postmortem diagnosis of TBI is an important issue of forensic traumatology, which requires a careful approach.