Creatine-kinase-BB after severe head-injury as an index of prognosis in relation to nature of trauma and patients age.

Creatine-Kinase-BB (CK-BB) is a brain specific enzyme, with a prognostic value for the patient's outcome after head-injury. We have investigated 76 brain injured patients and attempted to show a correlation of the concentrations of CK-BB and the Glasgow-Outcome-Scale (GOS). Patients with a CK-BB concentration of more than 50 ng/ml died. Patients, who had a CK-BB concentration less than 25 ng/ml showed only minimal neurological deficits. Intracerebral contusions and acute subdural haematomas showed the highest CK-BB concentration, indicating a high degree of braintissue-damage. CK-BB seems to have no correlation with the age of patients. Normalisation of elevated CK-BB levels do not correlate with recovery from neurological deficit.