Epidural hematoma

Question 1

epidural hematoma path?

Answer 1

tearing of the meningeal artery often occurs with a fracture in the pterion region ( the junction of the frontal, parietal, temporal, and sphenoid bone) and most commonly affects young adults.

Question 2

epidural hematoma feature?

Answer 2

brief loss of consciousness followed by a lucid interval, hematoma expansion leading to increased intracranial pressure, uncal herniation (ipsilateral pupillary dilation and contralateral hemiparesis).

Question 3

epidural hematoma dx?

Answer 3

CT scan of the head: biconvex(lens-shaped) hyperdensity that does not cross suture lines.

Question 4

epidural hematoma tx?

Answer 4

urgent surgical evacuation for symptomatic patients.

Question 5

presentation?

Answer 5

traumatic head injury that worsens the mental status over minutes in association with swelling of the frontoparietal region. although patients usually present with loss of consciousness followed by a lucid interval, only 20 - 50 % develop this, the others remain alert. rapid hematoma expansion results in neurologic decompression with signs of elevated intracranial pressure ( headache, nausea, vomiting, altered mental status) typically min to hours.