Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39888409›Full record

ArticleEuropean radiology2025

Coding traumatic brain injury with the abbreviated injury scale following a standardised radiologic template will improve classification of trauma populations.

Jan C van Ditshuizen, Menco J S Niemeyer, Esther M M Van Lieshout, Dennis Den Hartog, Jacob J Visser, Karlijn J P van Wessem, Michiel H J Verhofstad

Erratum issuedAbstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European radiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Early discharges in severely injured patients by ISS score: exploring injury patterns and coding practices.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jan C van DitshuizenTrauma Research Unit, Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. j.vanditshuizen@erasmusmc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0765-0092
Menco J S NiemeyerDepartment of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Esther M M Van LieshoutTrauma Research Unit, Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Dennis Den HartogTrauma Research Unit, Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Jacob J VisserDepartment of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Karlijn J P van WessemDepartment of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Michiel H J VerhofstadTrauma Research Unit, Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionInjury coding with the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) is an important element for benchmarking, trauma registries and research.

objectiveTo compare the severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) coding derived from the AIS with or without the use of a standardised radiologic template.

methodsA retrospective two-centre cohort study including patients aged ≥ 18 years with isolated TBI admitted to an intensive care between 2011 and 2016 was conducted. TBI was re-coded to conform the AIS by coders, and CT-brain imaging was reassessed by a neuro-radiologist following a standardised radiologic template from which AIS codes were derived.

resultsA total of 560 patients were included (median age 57, 37% female). The percentage of MAIS ≥ 4 and major trauma was higher when AIS coding for TBI was derived from a standardised radiologic template vs. coding without (n = 456 (81.4%) and n = 374 (66.8%), p < 0.001; n = 441 (78.8%) and n = 352 (62.9%), p < 0.001, respectively). There was an inter-centre difference in the proportion of MAIS ≥ 4 re-coded without a standardised radiologic template (n = 212 (68.2%) and n = 140 (56.2%), p = 0.004), and no difference when re-coded with the template (n = 251 (80.7%) and n = 190 (76.3%), p = 0.206).

conclusionCoding TBI with AIS based on a standardised radiologic template results in fewer missed AIS head codes, more detailed AIS head codes, and more patients classified as 'major trauma'. KEY POINTS: Question Radiologic reports are an important source for injury coding with the abbreviated injury scale (AIS) and are often not sufficiently specific. Findings An AIS-based standardised radiologic template for reporting resulted in more detailed AIS head codes and more patients classified as major trauma. Clinical relevance Injury coding with the AIS based on a standardised radiologic template will improve exchanging medical information in the acute health care setting and classification of trauma populations.

Indexed as

Abbreviated Injury ScaleBrain Injuries, TraumaticClinical CodingTomography, X-Ray ComputedAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesCoding, clinicalImprovement, qualityInjuryInjury Scale, abbreviatedRegistries

Identifiers

PMID39888409
PMCPMC12226622

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.