Ph.D. ead injuries are commonly classified as mild, moderate or severe based on the Glasgow Coma Scale. This scale may not be readily applied to infants, especially the verbal component. Pediatric scales have been developed, but have not been widely employed. Fortunately, the motor scale is best predictive of outcome and is the easiest to use in the pediatric population. Severe head injury is defined as a GCS score of eight or less, moderate is nine to 12, and mild is 13 to 15.
Concussion is defined as a transient alteration of consciousness.
This may be as mild as being simply dazed or as severe as a several minute loss of consciousness. The severity is also determined by an increasing period of post-traumatic amnesia. A CT scan of the head will not show an abnormality in the brain. A contusion is a bruise of brain tissue and is frequently seen underlying the point of impact in a focal injury. A contusion is seen on CT as an area of increased density.