Intracranial haemorrhages Flashcards
What is an intracranial haemorrhage?
Bleed within the skull
What are the types of intracranial haemorrhages?
Extra-dural
Sub-dural
Sub-arachnoid
Intracerebral
Where is the blood located in an extra-dural haemorrhage?
Between the periosteal layer of the dura and the skull bone
What blood vessel is ruptured in an extra-dural haemorrhage?
Middle meningeal artery
How far can the blood in an extra-dural haemorrhage travel? Why?
Can not travel past that skull bone
because it is contained in the periosteum of that skull bone, which is tightly adhered to the suture lines
What do extra-dural haemorrhages look like on a CT scan?
Wider and shorter light grey space towards edge of head
Where is the blood located in a sub-dural haemorrhage?
The sub-dural space, between the meningeal dura and the arachnoid
What blood vessel is ruptured in a sub-dural haemorrhage?
Bridging veins
How far can the blood travel in a sub-dural haemorrhage? Why?
Can not travel to the other side of the brain
because it is contained in one side by the falx cerebri
What age group are sub-dural haemorrhages more common in? Why?
Older people
because brain gets smaller
so bridging veins are under more tension
more prone to tearing
What do sub-dural haemorrhages look like on a CT scan?
Narrower and longer light grey space towards edge of head
Where is the blood located in a sub-arachnoid haemrrohage?
The sub-arachnoid space, between the arachnoid and the pia
What blood vessel is ruptured in a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage?
Branch of circle of Willis - they’re arteries
How far can the blood travel in a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage? Why?
Can travel into the sub-arachnoid space covering the spinal cord
because it’s continuous with the sub-arachnoid space covering the brain
How long after the haemorrhage can a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage be seen on a CT scan?
Up to 24 hours
