Biomarkers of Brain Injury in Children-Potential Uses and Limitations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Clinical examination has limited ability to assess injury severity or predict outcome. The identification of pathology- specific biomarkers can assist in the diagnosis and estimation of prognosis, and can serve as surrogate markers for monitoring the effectiveness of a treatment. Most of these biomarkers are mediators of responses to injury and subsequent cell damage or cell death. For patients with severe TBI, a biomarker may be helpful to predict which patients are likely to experience secondary insults and help prognosticate. The aims of this study were the correlations amongs biomarkers of brain injury in children with severity of brain injury, mortality and prediction of the final outcome.