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As described in earlier chapters of this book, traumatic brain in jury (TBI) is a major problem in the United States, with 1.5 mil lion head injuries occurring every year. Furthermore, it results in 52,000 deaths per year, 1 with a preponderance of cases oc curring in children and younger adults. As a leading cause of death and disability in this younger population, TBI results in a major expense to society. Reducing the degree of disability can have a significant financial impact, reducing both health care costs and resulting in an earlier return to the work. In the past, there was a lack of enthusiasm by many surgeons for operative treatment of TBI, as many believed prognosis was dictated by the inciting incident. An overall lack of high-quality, controlled research in the subject likely contributed to this pessimistic view. However, more recent data have shown that the mor tality rate is significantly reduced at centers with aggressive treatment for TBI. 2 An extensive literature review led to the third edition of the “Guidelines for the Surgical Management of Traumatic Brain Injury” in 2006, a joint venture between the Brain Trauma Foundation and the Congress of Neurologi cal Surgeons, which helped outline indications for surgical in tervention of TBI. 3

Given the impact of aggressive treatment and early interven tion on the morbidity and mortality rates of TBI, it is paramount that radiologists are familiar with indications for surgery, com mon surgical interventions, expected postsurgical appearance, and potential complications. The radiology literature focusing on postoperative imaging for TBI patients is scarce. In this chap ter, we summarize the imaging findings of …