The US Food and Drug Administration gave approval for the first blood test to diagnose mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly referred to as a concussion. FDA says the majority of patients evaluated for concussion do not have detectable intracranial lesions after having a CT scan.
Image by RanZang, Wikimedia Commons
With the help of this new test technique the health care professionals will determine if a CT scan is needed and could prevent unnecessary radiation exposure associated with neuroimaging. This new way of diagnosis will be beneficial especially to athletes and other individuals that are routinely exposed to head trauma.