BRAIN TRAUMA: Treatment, recovery results improve drastically

MANKATO, Minn. (KMSP) -

Over the past few years, greater understanding of traumatic brain injuries has led to dramatic progress in recovery and treatment even though the circumstances that led to those discoveries is less than ideal.

Last month, the care team helping Isaac Kolstad recover from the traumatic brain injury he suffered in an assault on the streets of Mankato, Minn., removed a piece of his skull to relieve the pressure. Soon, that skull flap will be replaced, and that will mark a major step forward as he moves toward rehab.

The medical professionals who have overseen multiple surgeries during his hospital stay told the Kolstad family that doctors know much more about treating brain injuries than they did a decade ago, and much of that new knowledge can be attributed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It is significantly different than 10 years ago," Dr. Andrew Grande, a neurosurgeon and professor at the University of Minnesota, told Fox 9 News.

Grande is not involved in Kolstad's care, but he confirmed the science of treating brain injuries keeps picking up speed.

"These paradigm shifts occurring in neuroscience are occurring so much more rapidly right now," he said.

The battlefield is a big driver of that advancement. Historically, it always has been.

"Neurosurgery's really only about 100 years old," Grande explained. "It was the world wars that led to rapid advances."

With so many soldiers suffering traumatic brain injuries, more federal research money has become available to learn how to treat them. Although not much is different surgically, the discoveries have led to better, fuller recoveries with fewer complications thanks to better monitoring.

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BRAIN TRAUMA: Treatment, recovery results improve drastically