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A system of radiological criteria for grading and prognosticating temporal lobe contusions

Introduction Temporal contusions are common in patients with head injuries and require close monitoring due to the propensity of these patients to deteriorate rapidly and fatally. This study attempts to introduce a radiological grading system for temporal lobe contusions and analyse its prognostic value so as to better identify patients at risk of deterioration. Methods The study was conducted as a cross-sectional observational study from April 2011–March 2017 on 42 patients with temporal lobe contusion. Each patients was graded according to the proposed system from a minimum of four to a maximum of 13 and then further grouped in three grades – grade 1 (score = 4), grade 2 (score 5–7) and grade 3 (score > 7) – and their clinical course was closely observed. Results The minimum and maximum scores observed were four and 11 respectively. The proposed grading system has statistically significant correlation to the Glasgow Coma Scale (p-value < 0.05). All patients in grade 1 (17) could be managed conservatively, while all those in grade 3 (five) needed immediate surgical intervention. Of 20 patients in grade 2, 11 had a score of 5–6 and did not require surgery, whereas nine patients had a score of seven and of these eight required delayed surgical intervention. This correlation was statistically significant (p-value < 0.05) Conclusion The proposed temporal lobe contusion grading system is a good radiological tool to predict the clinical course of patients and thereby identify patients at higher risk of delayed deterioration.