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Traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as intracranial injury, is a trauma to the brain that causes alteration in brain function, or other brain disruption such as altered consciousness or cognitive impairment. A TBI can be mild, causing bruising of the tissue and temporary impairment of brain function, or it can be severe and life threatening, causing destruction of brain tissue and permanent impairment of brain function.
Clinical signs of an alteration in brain function include any memory loss before or after the injury (retrograde amnesia), neurological deficits (weakness, sensory loss, loss of balance, paralysis, change in vision, etc.), and an alteration of mental state at the time of the TBI such as confusion or disorientation.
Traumatic brain injuries are caused by an external force. External forces include a focal impact or direct blow to the head, a quick acceleration/deceleration event in the cranium, or a bomb blast.
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