The increase in the incidence of traumatic brain injury in modern population and the provision of adequate hospital services with comprehensive rehabilitation program have become matters of world wide concern.

This is a follow-up study of 23 traumatically brain injured patients who were discharged from department of neurosurgery, Chungnam National University Hospital, without treatment in rehabilitation from January 1986 to June 1988, to evaluate the characteristics and needs of these patients in preparation to the new comprehensive rehabilitation services for the head injured.

The results were as follows;

1) About 70% of the cases were under age 40,18 cases were male, 5 female; male to female ratio was 3.6:1

2) Drowsy (12 cases) was the most frequent mental status on admission. The patients' level of consciousness improved to be alert at the time of study.

3) All cases had cerebral contusion with or without skull fracture (19 cases) and/or intracrainal hematoma (10 cases).

4) The most common associated injury was fracture (6 cases) mainly at face and chest.

5) The most common cause of injury was traffic accident (65.2%). Hospital expenses were paid by medical insurance in 7 cases, by medicare in 7 cases and by patient in 9 cases.

6) Duration of admission was less than 4 weeks in 15 cases (65.3%).

7) Mean duration from injury to follow up was 1 year and 7 months.

8) Problems reported on follow up were poor memory (73.9%), headache (56.5%), personality change (56.5%), poor judgement (34.8%) and difficulty in learning (30.4%) in the order of frequency.

9) Seven cases showed dysrhythmia of variable abnormality among 8 cases with EEG on follow up.

10) MMPI in 7 cases showed increase in Hypochondriases, Hysteria, Schizophrenia, and Psychopathic deviates profile.

11) Follow up treatment in CNUH was done only in 4 cases with irregular basis after discharge. No rehabilitation treatment was done in any patient.

12) Five among 11 compensation cases finished the settlements, and lack of knowledge in agreements with the insurance and law and inadequate compensation were reported as causes of difficulty in settlement.

13) Among 20 cases of ages 7 and up, 15 cases returned to school or job on follow up, and 5 cases lost the job due to the traumatic brain injury.