The CDC released new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in children on Tuesday, Sept. 4, in JAMA Pediatrics.  

The guidelines are the first set of evidence-based recommendations for U.S. healthcare professionals and have been organized into 19 sections, ranging from patient and family education reassurance to brain MRI.  

The CDC has also created user-friendly guideline implementation materials, wrote corresponding author Matthew J. Breiding, PhD, of the CDC, and colleagues.  

“The science of managing mTBI in children is rapidly evolving and expanding,” Breiding et al. wrote. “This guideline identifies the best practices based on the current evidence for health care professionals in primary care, outpatient specialty, inpatient, and emergency care settings; updates may be made as the body of evidence grows.” 

The guidelines cover all areas of mTBI, including recommendations that are specific to imaging that can help physicians perform safer, more efficient mTBI prognosis and treatment:  

• Choose neuropsychological diagnostic tools such as cognitive testing and symptom scales instead of MRI, CT or radiography technology.  
• Opt for clinical decision making rules instead of CT scans to diagnose mTBI to reduce risk of radiation exposure.  
• Children with severe headache associated with mTBI should be reconsidered for CT scans by emergency department professionals.  
• Inform patients and their families that an average 75 percent of children with mTBI make a full recovery in an average one to three months.