Head Injury

Question 1

Define head injury

Answer 1

Any trauma to the head with or without injury to the brain

Traumatic brain injury – sudden trauma which damages the brain and disrupts normal
brain function

Mild TBI/concussion – closed head injury due to a blow to the head -> change in
mental status

Types of head injury
• Skull fracture
• Contusion
• Haematoma
• Infarction
• Cerebral oedema
• Diffuse axonal injury –
stretching/tearing of neurones

Question 2

What are the causes/risk factors of head injury?

Answer 2

• RTA
• Sports
• Assault
• Falls

Question 3

What are the symptoms of head injury?

Answer 3

Mild TBI/concussion
• Headache
• Mental slowness
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Imbalance
• Memory problems
• Nausea & vomiting

Other
• Lucid interval
• Loss of consciousness
• Seizures
• Personality change
• Coma

Question 4

What are the signs of head injury?

Answer 4

• Reduced/deteriorating GCS
• Scalp haematoma/laceration

Basal skull fracture
• Cranial nerve palsies
• Periorbital ecchymoses (raccoon
eyes)
• Postauricular/mastoid ecchymoses
(Battle’s sign)
• CSF rhinorrhea
• Otorrhoea
• Haemotympanum

Raised ICP
• Papilloedema

Question 5

What investigations are carried out for head injury?

Answer 5

• cranial CT
• MRI
• MR angiography
• beta-2 transferrin assay