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Experience Counts When Representing Victims of Brain Damage

By Michael Phelan

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.4 million people suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBI). This number is a conservative estimate as brain injuries often go undetected.

TBI's are caused by a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Symptoms can include: headaches, confusion, dizziness, ringing ears, sleep disturbances, mood changes, memory problems, behavior changes, short attention span and more. Many of these symptoms are commonly associated with daily stress and may be one reason why many TBI's are only discovered when it's too late. This is precisely why advancement in diagnostic technology has been so crucial.

MRI's can be used to diagnose TBI's. MRI's also spot some degenerative concerns that can sometimes follow a brain injury:

MRI commonly detects clinically silent (asymptomatic) "brain damage" in the normal population. For example, as we age it is common for myelin in the white matter to degenerate. (Myelin is a jacket of insulation around axons to help them conduct their electrical discharges quickly down the axon.) An MRI can detect this myelin degeneration as white matter hyperintensities. The MRI is also sensitive to cerebral atrophy (shrinkage), another normal phenomenon as we age. Excessive numbers of white matter hyperintensities or excessive atrophy signal a possible neurologic illness, or injury.

Most recently, the 3-Tesla MRI has helped detect the most microscopic of problems by projecting magnetic images that are 30,000 times more powerful than the Earth's magnetic field! This kind of technology can capture how brain fibers interact with each other and even measure the amount of blood flow between brain tissues.

In selecting an attorney to represent you for a brain injury it's important to choose someone with experience in representing brain injury cases. You'll need someone who knows what procedures are available for diagnosis and treatment.

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury, feel free to call Butler, Williams, and Skilling.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Michael Phelan

Full post as published by Richmond Virginia Personal Injury Lawyer on September 24, 2009 (boomark / email).