Extradural haemorrhage Flashcards
Cause
Almost always the result of trauma
Low impact
Location
Often in temporal region as thin skull at pterion
Middle meningeal artery vulnerable to injury
Presentation
Loses, briefly regains and loses consciousness again after low-impact head injury
Brief regain is lucid interval
Loss of lucid interval
Due to expanding haematoma and brain herniation
As haematoma expands, uncus of temporal lobe herniates around tentorium cerebelli and patient develops fixed and dilated pupil
Pupils
One fixed and dilated due to compression of parasympathetic fibres of third cranial nerve
Imaging
Biconvex hyperdense collection around the surface of the brain
Treatment
Craniotomy and evacuation of the haematoma