ABSTRACT
Outcome prediction after severe head injury remains an area of intense interest. In part, this reflects the natural curiosity of the neurosurgeon, but, as increasing attention is paid to resource allocation in all societies, our ability or inability to predict outcome accurately becomes very important to the targeting of scarce resources. Relatively accurate predictions of likely outcome allow specific populations who are failing our present therapeutic regimens to be identified so that new and experimental therapies can be targeted to them. Furthermore, as we increasingly recognize the heterogenous nature of the process called head injury, the likelihood that therapies will be selective for various patterns of brain injury becomes more apparent.
