Admissibility of Pet Scan Evidence in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Cases

In cases of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) the results of neurodiagnostic testing are usually negative. This is because the standard tests such as computerized axial tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) depict brain structure and lack the resolution to visualize the microscopic damage which occurs in MTBI cases. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a computerized scanning technique that produces a picture showing the distribution of radioactivity in the brain after the injection of a radioactive isotope. Whereas CT and MRI show a static picture of brain structure, PET reflects brain function by showing metabolic activity in different areas of the brain. It provides an illustration of brain dysfunction by monitoring alterations in the amount of glucose that specific areas of the brain consume.