Definition and Classification of Concussion

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children and adolescents and therefore represents a major public health problem. In the past decade, increased attention was given to milder forms of TBI, such as concussion. Despite this increased recognition, a substantial lack of agreement persists regarding the definition and classification of concussions. Numerous controversies exist with regard to methods of assessing severity of TBI and systems of grading concussion severity. The goal of this chapter is to provide a review of the definition and classification of concussions, with special attention to pediatric populations, as well as to review several nosological issues that arise during the course of both clinical and research work.