Adams 2

The Neuropathology of Head Injuries

Citation:

Adams JH: The neuropathology of head injuries. Handbook of Clinical Neurology Chapter 3:35-65, 1975.

Notes:

Delayed impact damage include intracranial hemorhage and brain swelling. (p. 36)
"Many of the abnormalities in the brain may involve systemic factors which reduce the supply of oxygen to the brain or increase the intracranial pressure." (p. 37)
An intracranial hematoma may not be found until it is large enough to act as a significant expanding lesion. (p. 49)
Chronic subdural hematomas may be found weeks or even months after what seemed at the time to be a trivial head injury. Coagulation defects such as haemophilia or long term anticoagulant therapy may play a part. (p. 50)
Children are more likely to show diffuse swelling of both hemispheres of the brain. Often the original head injury appears clinically to have been trivial yet 24 to 48 hours later the level of consciousness deteriorates rapidly. (p. 51)
Secondary deterioration can be due to seizures or even migraine.