Structural integrity and postconcussion syndrome in mild traumatic brain injury patients

The presence of a postconcussion syndrome (PCS) induces substantial socio-professional troubles in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients. Although the exact origin of these disorders is not known, they may be the consequence of diffuse axonal injury (DAI) impacting structural integrity. In the present study, we compared structural integrity at the subacute and late stages after mTBI and in case of PCS, using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Fifty-three mTBI patients were investigated and compared with 40 healthy controls. All patients underwent a DWI examination at the subacute (8–21 days) and late (6 months) phases after injury. MTBI patients with PCS were detected at the subacute phase using the ICD-10 classification. Groupwise differences in structural integrity were investigated using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS). A loss of structural integrity was found in mTBI patients at the subacute phase but partially resolved over time. Moreover, we observed that mTBI patients with PCS had greater and wider structural impairment than patients without PCS. These damages persisted over time for PCS patients, while mTBI patients without PCS partly recovered. In conclusion, our results strengthen the relationship between structural integrity and PCS.