Cerebral contusion

Cerebral contusion
CT scan showing cerebral contusions, hemorrhage within the hemispheres, subdural hematoma on the left, and skull fractures[1]
SpecialtyEmergency medicine Edit this on Wikidata
Complicationscerebral edema , transtentorial herination

Cerebral contusion (Latin: contusio cerebri), a form of traumatic brain injury, is a bruise of the brain tissue.[2] Like bruises in other tissues, cerebral contusion can be associated with multiple microhemorrhages, small blood vessel leaks into brain tissue. Contusion occurs in 20–30% of severe head injuries.[3] A cerebral laceration is a similar injury except that, according to their respective definitions, the pia-arachnoid membranes are torn over the site of injury in laceration and are not torn in contusion.[4][5] The injury can cause a decline in mental function in the long term and in the emergency setting may result in brain herniation, a life-threatening condition in which parts of the brain are squeezed past parts of the skull.[3] Thus treatment aims to prevent dangerous rises in intracranial pressure, the pressure within the skull.

Contusions are likely to heal on their own without medical intervention.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rehman08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Hardman JM, Manoukian A (2002). "Pathology of Head Trauma". Neuroimaging Clinics of North America. 12 (2): 175–187, vii. doi:10.1016/S1052-5149(02)00009-6. PMID 12391630.
  3. ^ a b Khoshyomn S, Tranmer BI (May 2004). "Diagnosis and management of pediatric closed head injury". Seminars in Pediatric Surgery. 13 (2): 80–86. doi:10.1053/j.sempedsurg.2004.01.003. PMID 15362277.
  4. ^ Granacher RP (2007). Traumatic Brain Injury: Methods for Clinical & Forensic Neuropsychiatric Assessment (Second ed.). Boca Raton: CRC. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-8493-8138-6. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  5. ^ Gennarelli GA, Graham DI (2005). "Neuropathology". In Silver JM, McAllister TW, Yudofsky SC (eds.). Textbook Of Traumatic Brain Injury. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. p. 29. ISBN 1-58562-105-6. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  6. ^ Sanders MJ and McKenna K. 2001. Mosby's Paramedic Textbook, 2nd revised Ed. Chapter 22, "Head and Facial Trauma." Mosby.