West Virginia readers may be interested in a new study that shows that soldiers who undergo an MRI shortly after suffering a traumatic brain injury may receive better, faster treatment. The authors of the study discovered that brain imaging helps physicians identify brain bleeding that could lead to stroke or brain swelling if left untreated.

According to researchers from the Radiological Society of North America, many military members with TBI do not receive brain imaging for months after their initial injury. To conduct the study, researchers used advanced MRI technology to examine the brains of 603 military members diagnosed with TBI. The special MRI scans are more sensitive to brain bleeding than conventional MRI scans. Researchers compared the scans of those who had been injured within the past three months with those who had been injured more than three months earlier. The median time that passed between a patient’s injury and their scan was 856 days.

Researchers found that 24 percent of those who received an MRI within three months of a TBI had brain bleeding. In contrast, only 5.2 percent of those who were scanned a year after suffering a TBI showed signs of bleeding. The authors of the study said that bleeding becomes more difficult to diagnose as time goes on due to changes in iron deposits in the brain. They said the results show it is important for TBI patients to undergo brain imaging soon after their injury in order to receive timely treatment.

West Virginia residents who suffer a traumatic brain injury due to the negligent actions of another party may benefit by consulting with a lawyer. It may be possible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party seeking compensation for the steep medical expenses that are typically associated with these types of injuries.