Practical Management Guidance for Traumatic Brain Injury—from Initial Assessment to Long‑Term Care Needs

Delivering fast, reliable clinical guidance across the full continuum of traumatic brain injury severity and care, this trusted manual equips providers to make informed decisions, from initial assessment through long‑term management. Designed for rapid reference, the text translates current evidence and consensus guidance into actionable care strategies. Updated throughout with the latest advances, it addresses mild, moderate, and severe TBI, complications, and population-specific needs (including military TBI, workers compensation injuries and pediatrics). Clear organization, key points, and study questions support everyday clinical use while reinforcing best practices. Ideal for busy clinicians who need authoritative answers without excessive complexity, this manual supports confident, efficient TBI care at every stage of management.

What’s New:

New chapter on vision processing and oculomotor assessment in mild TBI
Updated sports concussion management aligned with current consensus guidance
Chapters addressing neuroimaging, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, neuroprotective interventions, disorders of consciousness and more have been comprehensively updated, reflecting current state of the art advances
Enhanced guidance on use of automated assessment tools in clinical practice
All chapters have had their content refreshed throughout the text, to reflect current evidence‑informed clinical practice

Key Features:

Covers TBI care from concussion to severe injury, and from field evaluation and neurocritical care through complications, co-morbidities, rehabilitation and community reintegration
Supports rapid access to key clinical information, facilitating faster, more confident evidence-based clinical decisions
Organized for quick access to essential diagnostic, management, and rehabilitation insights in TBI care
Key Points and Study Questions reinforce clinical takeaways and support efficient and effective board exam preparation
Led since this textbook’s inception by an experienced academic clinician‑educator and researcher with years of hands-on TBI-related patient care and teaching experience, in clinical settings ranging from outpatient clinic-based concussion care to leadership of inpatient rehabilitation teams caring for those with severe injuries

Contents

Part I: Core Concepts
Chapter 1. Traumatic Brain Injury: Definitions and Nomenclature
Chapter 2. Essential Concepts in Traumatic Brain Injury: Biomechanics and Neuropathology
Chapter 3. Characterization of Traumatic Brain Injury Severity
Chapter 4. Epidemiology of Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 5. Injury Prevention

Part II: Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 6. Concussion Versus Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Definitions, Distinctions, and Diagnostic Criteria
Chapter 7. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Initial Medical Evaluation and Management
Chapter 8. The Natural History of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 9. Sport-Related Concussion I: Injury Prevention and Initial Assessment
Chapter 10. Sport-Related Concussion II: Managing the Injured Athlete and Return-to-Play Decision-Making
Chapter 11. Structural and Functional Brain Imaging in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 12. Evaluation and Management of Oculomotor Dysfunction in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 13. Selected Somatic Disorders Associated with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Fatigue, Dizziness and Balance Impairment, and Whiplash Injury
Chapter 14. Cognition in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Neuropsychological Assessment
Chapter 15. Postconcussion Syndrome: Diagnostic Characteristics and Clinical Manifestations
Chapter 16. Postconcussion Syndrome: Symptom Management
Chapter 17. Confounding Factors in Postconcussion Disorders
Chapter 18. Recognizing Manifestations of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

Part III: Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 19. Field Management: Prehospital Care
Chapter 20. Emergency Department Management and Initial Trauma Care Considerations
Chapter 21. Imaging in Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 22. Neurosurgical Management of Skull Fractures and Intracranial Hemorrhage
Chapter 23. The Neurointensive Care Unit: Intracranial Pressure and Cerebral Oxygenation
Chapter 24. Hypoxic/Ischemic Injury Complicating Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 25. The Role of Neuroprotective Interventions in Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 26. Nutritional Considerations
Chapter 27. Initial Rehabilitation Interventions in the Acute Hospital Setting and Transitioning to the Next Level of Care
Chapter 28. Disorders of Consciousness
Chapter 29. The Role of Specialized Brain Injury Units in the Rehabilitation Process
Chapter 30. Rehabilitation Nursing
Chapter 31. Physical Therapy: Mobility, Transfers and Ambulation; Vestibular Rehabilitation
Chapter 32. Occupational Therapy: Activities on Daily Living, Driving, and Community Reintegration
Chapter 33. Speech Therapy: Dysphagia and Cognitive Communication Impairments
Chapter 34. Cognitive Impairment: Characterization and Management
Chapter 35. Impairment in Behavioral Control: Recognition and Management
Chapter 36. Rational Neuropharmacology in Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 37. Pain Management in Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 38. Assistive Technology in Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 39. Practical Guidelines for Prognostication After Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 40. Sexuality After Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 41. Assessment of Decision-Making Capacity
Chapter 42. Community Integration

Part IV: Complications and Long-Term Sequelae
Chapter 43. Cranial Nerve Palsies
Chapter 44. Hydrocephalus
Chapter 45. Posttraumatic Seizures
Chapter 46. Heterotopic Ossification
Chapter 47. The Management of Endocrine Dysfunction in Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 48. Autonomic Dysfunction
Chapter 49. Movement Disorders
Chapter 50. Spasticity in Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 51. Screening for Emotional Distress After Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 52. Sleep Disturbances
Chapter 53. Chronic Neuropsychiatric Sequelae I: Mood Disorders
Chapter 54. Chronic Neuropsychiatric Sequelae II: Behavioral Disturbances
Chapter 55. Cumulative Effects of Repeated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
Chapter 56. Posttraumatic Headache
Chapter 57. Neurovascular Complications After Nonpenetrating Brain Injury

Part V: Special Considerations and Traumatic Brain Injury Resources
Chapter 58. Pediatric Considerations in Traumatic Brain Injury Care
Chapter 59. Special Considerations in Caring for the Workers’ Compensation Patient
Chapter 60. Management of Traumatic Brain Injury in the Older Adult
Chapter 61. Developing a Life Care Plan
Chapter 62. Traumatic Brain Injury in a Forensic Context
Chapter 63. Substance Abuse, Alcohol Misuse and Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 64. Ethical Considerations
Chapter 65. Special Considerations for Military Personnel: Unique Aspects of Blast Injury
Chapter 66. Treatment and Rehabilitation Services for Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury in the Military
Chapter 67. Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 68. Return to Work Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 69. Resources for Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors and Caregivers

Authors

Felise S. Zollman, MD, is a board-certified brain injury medicine specialist, with primary specialty board certification in neurology. She is also boarded in medical acupuncture. She is an associate professor of neurosciences at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Zollman has led rehabilitation teams at both Rancho Los Amigos Hospital (neurorehabilitation) and Northwestern University/Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (brain injury medicine and rehabilitation). Additionally, while at Northwestern, she served as the Fellowship Director for their Brain Injury Medicine and Rehabilitation Fellowship.

Seth Herman, MD, is a neurologist and Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, at Cedars-Sinai, California Rehab Medical Group. Previously, he was the Director of the Brain Injury Medicine Fellowship through the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. He has published several research articles and contributed book chapters.

Product Details

Release Date: September 28, 2026
Paperback / softback
610 Pages
Trim Size: 6in x 9in

Number of Illustrations: 40
ISBN: 9780826189691
eBook ISBN: 9780826177612

Manual of Traumatic Brain Injury

Assessment and Management

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