Head Injury Claim

[chiefhouse00]

Greetings

Can I claim "Mild to moderate periventricular white matter small vessel ischemic changes in my brain?  I had head injuries while in service and have a history of losing consciousness and hitting my head.  Recent CT scans and MRI have shown this condition. If it can be rated, what DC code would I use?

Best Regards

Chiefhouse

[Berta]

If the doctors feel this is from TBI, the ratings for TBI residuals can be searched for here.

If you google that whole term you will see it can be from various causes, but most likely from TBI...based on what you said.

We have much info here on how they rate TBI residuals, available under a search.

[chiefhouse00]

 

Greetings

This is a CT , HEAD W/O CONTRAST  completed  19 Dec 2013 @ Tripler Medical Hospital:

Helical CT of the head was performed without the use of IV contrast. Sagittal reformats were produced.

Findings: There is no intracranial parenchymal hemorrhage, hematoma, mass, herniation, midline shift or extra-axial fluid collections. There is unchanged prominence of the CSF containing spaces and diffuse brain parenchymal atrophy with periventricular white matter hypodensities, consistent with chronic microangiopathic disease. There are atherosclerotic vascular calcifications of the intracerebral internal carotid and vertebral arteries.The calvarium is intact without fracture.

This one completed last month at VA Clinic:

 
CT HEAD/BRAIN W/O DYE

Exam Date: 10/13/2016 9:13 AM

REASON FOR EXAMINATION: Near syncopal episode, Diabetic

TECHNIQUE:  Noncontrast Axial images performed with coronal and
sagittal reformations performed and reviewed.

COMPARISON: 1/18/13 noncontrast CT head.

FINDINGS:

Brain: No focal parenchymal hemorrhage or acute extra-axial fluid
collections.  No hydrocephalus, mass, mass effect, midline shift
or acute infarct identified.

Mild to moderate periventricular white matter small vessel
ischemic changes which appears to have progressed. Old left
frontal periventricular and right basal ganglial lacunar
infarcts. Mild to moderate vertebral artery at the skull base and
bilateral carotid siphon calcifications, slightly increased from
previous exam. No posterior fossa lesion/infarct identified No
calvarial fracture. Visualized paranasal sinuses are clear.
Mastoid air cells are clear.

 

Best Regards

Chiefhouse

[Berta]

One other theory of entitlement , is if you claim this due to diabetes....

"REASON FOR EXAMINATION: Near syncopal episode, Diabetic "

Are you service connected now for DMII?

But this is only a finding, and I do not believe this is ratable as it stands, unless this was a C & P exam for TBI....Is there more to the C & P exam?

Do you have atherosclerotic heart disease or IHD? and are they service connected?

I have posted here for many years extensive info on how diabetes can affect the heart, brain,vision, foot and leg problems, PN, PAD, from much research to prove my dead husband had undiagnosed and untreated DMII from AO.

Any vet whose does have SC diabetes already should always read the info here to see what could potentially be a secondary and ratable condition.

I used an MRI VA gave to my husband, that was very similar to yours, and of course by then I had a 6 page autopsy, and focused on the lunar infarcts in the MRI and I even made a diagram of an autopsied brain to show them exactly how to interpret the MRI.

I didnt have a C & P result like yours...all I had was a handwritten 3 page MRI narrative that produced a very brief typed statement. The handwritten medical record however  (very hard to decifer) gave me all of the info I needed. But I also had an ECHO, his driver's license, his VA employment records, and multiple other pieces of evidence to prove that he had DMII in his lifetime, and that VA's failure to diagnose and treat it had contributed to his death.

I was already awarded 1151 DIC  and FTCA wrongful death.The DMII AO death claim for me was the true rectification of his death because there is no Honor in knowing the very system he and all other veteran's military service created (VA), was also the cause of his death.

There is extensive info here on how diabetes can affect just about every important organ in our body.

"Near syncopal episode, Diabetic"

A near synopal episode ( actually a full blown one) was the very first piece of evidence I used to prove that my husband also had IHD, untreated and undiagnosed by the VA.

They ignored the results of a EKG given to him minutes after he collapsed on the job at VA, and it was part of the proof for my AO IHD death claim.

The autopsy as well revealed his heart disease was instrumental in his undiagnosed/untreated diabetes, which in turn caused multiple cerebral infarcts(strokes).

I feel that you sure might want to consider getting an IMO/IME but also others will chime in here because there might be a way, if you do have DMII SCed already ( or AO IHD) to claim other secondaries to them in addition to TBI.

The syncopal episode my husband had was ,in fact, as I proved, a heart attack. VA gave him Sudafed and called it a sinus infection. M21-1MR in those days said to get any sick VA employee back to work in 3 days. I used that too to prove they malpracticed on him.

I also found a sinus X ray they did...no sinus congestion at all.

After reading what you posted, I do not believe this can help a TBI claim...it might...but I think you need a real Neuro to understand what this MRI revealed...and it might have nothing to do with any TBI.

[Buck52]

Try this code and also  code 9310 that covers most other possibility's 

Code 9304: Neurocognitive disorders due to head injury are a severe loss of mental ability because of an injury to the brain. In cases of head injuries, the neurocognitive disorder usually comes on suddenly, but it can also get worse or better over time. 

[Berta]

Chiefhouse...we discussed this very issue here with you back in 2010:

It will take me quite some time to go over all of those posts.It does say in the link that you were SCed for HBP and that alone would be enough to service connect the strokes. Last year I won an additional HBP 1151 claim on that basis.The negligent sudafed prescription I mentioned above was found to be a contributing factor to my husband's HBP

I sure don't remember how you made out with the AO Thailand or Vietnam claims.....

Can you give us a breakdown of the 100% you have now?

[Berta]

http://community.hadit.com/topic/41016-what-is-chronic-microvascular-ischemic-disease/

 

 

In Sept  2014 you stated:

Greetings

To all, I do have one thing that I want to bring up during my VA Traveling Board Meeting and please let me know if I'm going around it in the right way. During my C&P, the examiner stated that I was first diagnose with Diabetes Type ll in 2006 but it was only back dated to 2008 as Diabetes Type l. Yes, I was misdiagnosed. In addition to requesting an increase for "regulation of activities and diabetic ketoacidosis," I plan to request that my Diabetes effective date be changed to 2006. Any recommendations?

Best Regards

Chiefhouse

http://community.hadit.com/topic/57879-meeting-va-traveling-board-judge-next-month/?page=3

What was the result of the BVA hearing?????

In another thread in 2014 I recommended you file under Section 1151….did you?

I also recommended getting an IMO/IME then…did you ever obtain one?

 

The posts go back to 2010 and maybe prior to that.

You had a Traveling Board hearing .

Could this possibly be your BVA decision?

http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/view.jsp?FV=http://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files3/1523416.txt

If so what is the status of the remand?

.........................................................................................

I just realized I am repeating advice here as to the IMO/IME , 1151, need for a real neuro , etc, etc ,etc- that I gave you before ,over the past 6 years.

Others here will offer something new.