This is an early access version
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Department for Biochemistry, Polyclinic for Laboratory Diagnostics, University Clinical Center Tuzla , Tuzla , Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo , Sarajevo , Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Department for Collection of Blood and Blood Components, Polyclinic for Transfusion Medicine, University Clinical Center Tuzla , Tuzla , Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Department for Collection of Blood and Blood Components, Polyclinic for Transfusion Medicine, University Clinical Center Tuzla , Tuzla , Bosnia and Herzegovina
Department for Collection of Blood and Blood Components, Polyclinic for Transfusion Medicine, University Clinical Center Tuzla , Tuzla , Bosnia and Herzegovina
Aim Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) presents diagnostic challenges, with head computed tomography (head CT) often overutilized in emergency settings. Blood biomarkers such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) have shown promise in early injury detection. Aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of GFAP and UCH-L1 in identifying intracranial injuries early and potential reduction in unnecessary head CT scans in mTBI patients.
Methods A prospective study was conducted on 102 adult patients with mTBI. Serum levels of GFAP and UCH-L1 were measured within 12 hours post-injury and compared with head CT findings using appropriate statistical analyses.
Results Both biomarkers demonstrated 100% sensitivity and moderate specificity, with high negative predictive value (NPV), supporting their utility in ruling out injuries detectable on CT.
Conclusion GFAP and UCH-L1 are effective early biomarkers for excluding significant intracranial injuries and may help optimize head CT scan utilization in the acute management of mTBI.
Conceptualization, A.O.; Data curation, A.O., S.J.L., A.Ž. and S.Č.; Formal Analysis, A.O.; Funding acquisition, A.O.; Investigation, A.O.; Methodology, A.O. and R.J.; Project administration, A.O. and R.J.; Resources, A.O.; Software, A.O., S.J.L., A.Ž. and S.Č.; Supervision, A.O. and R.J.; Validation, A.O. and R.J.; Visualization, A.O.; Writing – original draft, A.O.; Writing – review & editing, A.O., R.J., S.J.L., A.Ž. and S.Č. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
No specific funding was received for this study.
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