Tau proteins in serum predict outcome after severe traumatic brain injury.

摘要

BACKGROUND: The identification of reliable outcome predictors after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is crucial. The objective of our study was to investigate the role of tau protein as a serum marker of TBI. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score at admission or= 114.5 pg/mL yielded 88% sensitivity and 94% specificity for predicting a poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that in addition to GCS; serum tau protein levels may serve as indicators for the prediction of outcome following severe TBI. However; it should be viewed with caution because of the small sample size and wide standard deviations.