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Traumatic brain injuries can vary considerably, especially so in newborn babies who can not verbally describe their pain or symptoms, making diagnosis and treatment more difficult. Some symptoms can be visible early on which helps in early treatment, but some brain injuries do not reveal themselves until later developmental stages.

It is important to understand what brain injury and damage truly is. Generally, brain damage can be defined as:
“injury to the brain that is caused by various conditions, such as head trauma, inadequate oxygen supply, infection, or intracranial hemorrhage, and that may be associated with a behavioral or functional abnormality.”

Brain damage can be categorized in one of two ways – acquired and traumatic. Acquired brain injuries are those that do not result from external forces. For example, a stroke would cause an acquired brain injury because no outside forces are the cause. Depending on the site of the lesions ( a lesion is any area of tissue or organ that has suffered damage) and severity of the stroke, the brain damage can affect the victim in different ways. Traumatic brain injury is damage that is caused by external forces. A motor vehicle accident, known as MVA to medical professionals, is often the cause of traumatic brain injuries.

These differing types of brain injury will determine the path to treatment and recovery for the victim. Because newborn babies lack the ability to describe their symptoms and pain, brain scans, such as a CT – Computed Tomography – Scan may be used to get an x-ray view of the newborn baby’s brain. These scans can help identify lesions or recognize abnormal brain behavior.

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