The purpose of this study is to gather information and compare the potential use of pupillometry to identify concussions and post concussive syndrome with standard age appropriate assessments. The study will compare concussed pediatric patients 5-17 years of age recruited from the emergency department within 72 hours following injury with age and gender matched non-concussed pediatric patients recruited from primary care clinics. Assessment of both concussed and non-concussed subjects will take place at the initial enrollment visit and will be repeated at 1-2 weeks for the concussed subjects and at 12-14 weeks for both groups.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability and death in children. In both pediatric and adult populations, concussion is the most prevalent type of TBI and can result in persistent post-concussive symptoms. Early recognition and treatment of concussion is critical to the prevention of long-term sequelae and has recently become a national public-health priority. Comprehensive assessment and diagnosis of concussion commonly includes the use of a multimodal approach using a graded symptoms checklist, neurocognitive testing, and balance assessment. An objective biomarker to definitively diagnose concussion would revolutionize its management-allowing for accurate and immediate determination of return to play/duty, decreasing unnecessary exposure to radiation, and reducing the overall cost of care. Considering the paucity of evidence regarding the use of pupillary light reflex in concussed children and the lack of a biomarker for concussion, further examination of the use of objective pupillary metrics in this population is warranted. The purpose of this study is to gather information and compare the potential use of pupillometry to identify concussions and post concussive syndrome with standard age appropriate assessments. The proposed study design is prospective, longitudinal case-control consisting of two distinct cohorts: concussed participants and healthy control participants. All concussion management decisions will be determined independent of the study by the healthcare provider(s). Trained personnel performing follow-up assessments will use established clinical criteria to notify appropriate healthcare provider and/or study team member of any clinical concerns or unanticipated events. The study will compare concussed pediatric patients 5-17 years of age recruited from the emergency department within 72 hours following injury with age and gender matched non-concussed pediatric patients recruited from affiliated primary care and adolescent clinics. Assessment of both concussed and non-concussed subjects will take place at the initial enrollment visit and will be repeated at 1-2 weeks for the concussed subjects and at 12-14 weeks for both groups. Age appropriate assessment will include the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI), Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS), pupillometry, Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), and Balance Error Scoring System (BESS). The primary objectives are to examine the acute (\<72 hours), subacute (1-2 week), and long-term (12-14 weeks post-injury) longitudinal association among pupillary metrics, standardized neurocognitive tests, and objective balance assessment in pediatric patients with concussion versus controls. The secondary objectives are to evaluate the effectiveness of pupillometer data as an objective biomarker to aid in the identification of concussion and post-concussive syndrome in children. Results will generate new knowledge regarding the clinical utility of pupillometers in this patient population. We will explore the period that best differentiates concussion and controls.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
130
Pupillary assessment with handheld pupillometer
CHOC Children's
Orange, California, United States
RECRUITINGThe association between NPi®-200 pupillometer measurements (including variables such as size, latency, constriction velocity, dilation velocity, etc.) and concussed/control status over time.
NPi®-200 pupillometer is a hand-held portable infrared device which provides quantitative pupillary measurements by taking 30 pictures per second of the pupil's response to light stimulus for a duration of 3 seconds. A patient's pupil measurement (including variables such as size, latency, constriction velocity, dilation velocity, etc.) is compared against a normative model of pupil reaction to light and automatically graded by the Neurological Pupil Index (NPi™) on a scale of 0 to 5. Pupillary measurements will be obtained for the right and left eye.
Time frame: For concussed subjects: the first measurement will be within 72 hours of sustaining injury, then repeated at 1-2 weeks and at 12-14 weeks post injury. For control subjects: the first measurement will be at enrollment and repeated at 12-14 weeks.
The association between the NeurOptics PLR-3000 pupillometer measurements (including variables such as size, latency, constriction velocity, dilation velocity, etc.) and concussed/control status over time.
The NeurOptics PLR-3000 pupillometer is a hand-held portable infrared device which provides quantitative pupillary measurements by taking 30 pictures per second of the pupil's response to light stimulus for a duration of 6 seconds. Pupillary data, such as constriction velocity, latency, pupil size before and after the reflex, dilation velocity, time to reach 75% of initial resting diameter after constriction (T75) are calculated automatically at the end of each measurement. Pupillary measurements will be obtained for the right and left eye.
Time frame: For concussed subjects: the first measurement will be within 72 hours of sustaining injury, then repeated at 1-2 weeks and at 12-14 weeks post injury. For control subjects: the first measurement will be at enrollment and repeated at 12-14 weeks.
The association between the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI) & Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) and concussed/control status over time.
PCSI assesses post-concussion symptoms based on patient and parent/teacher report. This inventory focuses on four areas that may be affected after concussion: cognitive, emotional, physical, and sleep. There are age-specific forms available for children between 5-7 years old, 8-12 years old, and 13-18 years old. This tool has been found to have moderate to high (0.62 to 0.84) inter-rater reliability for child reports and internal consistency across the three reports. PCSS is also a self-reported assessment of post-concussion symptoms. This report, which is part of the widely used Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) Versions 3 and 5 and Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT), quantifies symptom severity (rank 22 different possible post-concussion symptoms on 7 point Likert scale). Similar to the PCSI, the PCSS includes symptoms from four areas: cognitive, emotional, physical, and sleep.
Time frame: For concussed subjects: the first measurement will be within 72 hours of sustaining injury, then repeated at 1-2 weeks and at 12-14 weeks post injury. For control subjects: the first measurement will be at enrollment and repeated at 12-14 weeks.
The association between the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT®) & ImPACT® Pediatric assessment and concussed/control status over time.
ImPACT® and ImPACT® Pediatric will both be used in this study. ImPACT® is a computerized data collection and neuropsychological testing tool commonly used for baseline and post-injury testing in athletes (12-59 years of age) at risk for sports-related concussion. Subjects participate in neuropsychological tests which assess attention, verbal memory, visual memory, visual processing speed, and reaction times. ImPACT® will be used to evaluate study patients ≥12 years old. ImPACT® Pediatric is an examiner-administered iOS-based battery of neuropsychological tests designed to measure neurocognitive functioning in children ages 5-11. ImPACT® Pediatric is administered on an iPad and is a neurocognitive test for management of pediatric concussions. ImPACT® Pediatric will be used to evaluate patients \< 12 years old. Outcome variables will be obtained from ImPACT® and include data to evaluate: verbal memory, visual memory, visual processing speed, and reaction time.
Time frame: For concussed subjects: the first measurement will be within 72 hours of sustaining injury, then repeated at 1-2 weeks and at 12-14 weeks post injury. For control subjects: the first measurement will be at enrollment and repeated at 12-14 weeks.
The association between the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) scores and concussed/control status over time.
The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) provides an objective score for a patient's postural stability. The patient is instructed to stand in three different stances, first on a solid surface and then a foam surface, for 20 seconds each. The examiner records the number of errors, as predefined by the scoring system, during each stance. The maximum score is 60 and a higher score correlates with worsening postural stability. This test has demonstrated good test-rest reliability (0.87-0.97 intraclass correlations), low to moderate sensitivity (0.34 to 0.64), and high specificity (0.91). Sensitivity is increased when this test is used in conjunction with a graded symptom checklist.
Time frame: For concussed subjects: the first measurement will be within 72 hours of sustaining injury, then repeated at 1-2 weeks and at 12-14 weeks post injury. For control subjects: the first measurement will be at enrollment and repeated at 12-14 weeks.
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