Objective: To elucidate the role of S-100B and neuron specific enolase (NSE) in predicting the outcomes of patients with severe head injury.
Methods: Forty patients with severe head injury were included in this study. The serum concentrations of S-100B and NSE were measured within 12 hours after head injury to investigate the correlation between serum levels of S-100B and NSE and outcome. Validity of both S-100B and NSE in outcome prediction was assessed with Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve.
Results: The serum concentrations of S-100B and NSE of both groups, with favorable or unfavorable outcomes, were significantly higher than those of the normal group. The serum concentrations within 12 hours after head injury were closely correlated with the prognosis. Furthermore, according to the ROC curves of S-100B and NSE, S-100B was found better in predicting outcomes than NSE.
Conclusions: S-100B and NSE may play important roles in outcome prediction after severe head injury. Moreover, S-100B is clearly superior to NSE in terms of predictive value and appears to be a more promising serum marker in outcome prediction after severe head injury.