Head injury constitutes a major cause of death in our country particularly in young and active persons. 1 person dies of head injury in every minute in India. Prevention, early and proper treatment will make a significant effect in reducing the morbidity and mortality due to head injury.
DEFINITION:
Injuries causing functional and/ or structural damage to the brain constitutes head injury and not just any injury causing damage to head and scalp region. Head injury can alter the functional status of brain like brief period of unconsciousness (concussion injury) with or without structural damage like intracranial haematoma, contusion, diffuse axonal injury etc.
TYPES OF HEAD INJURY:
1. Closed and open: In closed head injury, there is no breach in the scalp layer whereas in open injury there is scalp wound with or without with skull fracture (may be depressed). Both types of injury can be associated with severe brain damage.
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Concussion Injury: Only brief loss of consciousness with patient becoming normal after few seconds.
3. Intracranial Haematoma:
a. Extradural haematoma: Haematoma between skull and duramater.
b. Subdural haematoma: Haematoma between the dura and brain parenchyma. Usually associated with gross brain oedema with poor prognosis.
c. Intraparenchymal haematoma with contusion.
d. Intraventricular haematoma: Haemorrhage into the ventricles.
4. Diffuse axonal injury: Global frictional injury to the axons resulting in unconsciousness with no macroscopic brain injury.
Clinical features suggestive of head injury:
1. Loss of consciousness (may be very brief)
2. Vomiting (particularly persistent)
3. Nasal & ear bleed.
4.
DEFINITION:
Injuries causing functional and/ or structural damage to the brain constitutes head injury and not just any injury causing damage to head and scalp region. Head injury can alter the functional status of brain like brief period of unconsciousness (concussion injury) with or without structural damage like intracranial haematoma, contusion, diffuse axonal injury etc.
TYPES OF HEAD INJURY:
1. Closed and open: In closed head injury, there is no breach in the scalp layer whereas in open injury there is scalp wound with or without with skull fracture (may be depressed). Both types of injury can be associated with severe brain damage.
2. …show more content…
Concussion Injury: Only brief loss of consciousness with patient becoming normal after few seconds.
3. Intracranial Haematoma:
a. Extradural haematoma: Haematoma between skull and duramater.
b. Subdural haematoma: Haematoma between the dura and brain parenchyma. Usually associated with gross brain oedema with poor prognosis.
c. Intraparenchymal haematoma with contusion.
d. Intraventricular haematoma: Haemorrhage into the ventricles.
4. Diffuse axonal injury: Global frictional injury to the axons resulting in unconsciousness with no macroscopic brain injury.
Clinical features suggestive of head injury:
1. Loss of consciousness (may be very brief)
2. Vomiting (particularly persistent)
3. Nasal & ear bleed.
4.