Marshall CT Classification

Last edit by Alaric Steinmetz on

The Marshall classification was published in 1992 and is used to classify a traumatic brain injury with the help of the available CT findings[^1].

Classification

Category

CT findings

Mortality (%)[^2]

I - Diffuse injury

  • No visible pathology

6.4%

II - Diffuse injury

  • Midline shift up to 5 mm

  • Basal cisterns visible

  • No hyperdense (or mixed) lesions larger than 25 cm³, including bone fragments and foreign bodies

11%

III - Diffuse injury (swelling)

  • Midline shift up to 5 mm

  • Basal cisterns compressed or completely effaced.

29%

IV - Diffuse injury (shift)

  • Midline shift > 5 mm

  • No hyperdense (or mixed) lesions larger than 25 cm³, including bone fragments and foreign bodies

44%

V - Evacuated mass lesion

  • Any surgically evacuated lesion

30%

V - Non-evacuated mass lesion

  • Hyperdense (or mixed) lesions larger than 25 cm³, including bone fragments and foreign bodies

  • No surgical evacuation

34%