Pathology of head injury Flashcards
Why can something extra added into the space within the skull lead to an increased ICP?
the skull does not have distensibility
5 basic injury types
bruise abrasion laceration incision thermal injuries
What is a contusion?
bruise
What causes bruising?
blunt force on the skin which damages little blood vessels and the blood oozes on to tissues
When located where are bruises likely to have a pattern?
deep dermis layer
What are black eyes a form of?
bruises
periorbital contusion
How do black eyes occur?
blood tracts from injury site under loose tissues and collects
What is the likely cause of 2 black eyes?
injury further up in the head eg deep skull head injury
What is an abrasion?
Injury to superficial part of the skin which may bleed, dry and scab
Why do abrasions not scar?
Deep layers unaffected
What is an incision due to and how is it fixed?
sharp force eg knife
stitches
What is a laceration and what causes it?
tear/split in the skin caused by an application of injury and is usually blunt force eg hammer
Where does a laceration split?
weakest point
Do incisions or lacerations have a worse cosmetic prognosis?
lacerations
Name the 4 types of fractures
ring
hairline
depressed
fissure
What happens in ring fractures?
very big energy injury, spherical bone and can take in foramen magnum - diastasis of sutures
What is usually the cause of fissure fractures?
blunt force - not much energy
Difficulties of hairline fractures
impinge on other structures and a portal for spread of infection eg meningitis
What can a depressed fracture give you a clue of?
the weapon - shape and size
3 spaces where haemorrhages can occur
extradural
subdural
subarachnoid
What is an extradural haemorrhage and give an example
Fractured temporal bone and bleeding middle meningeal artery - unconscious and dies eg footballer on the pitch
haematoma
space occupying bruise
Is a subdural haemorrhage associated with a fracture?
no
What bleeds in subdural haemorrhage and why?
emissary veins
brain moves in relation to skull and dura
accelerating-decelerating haemorrhage
What can chronic subdural haemorrhages lead to and how are they treated?
confusion and pressure
evacuate/drain
Main 2 causes of subarachnoid haemorrhage
burst aneurysm eg berry aneurysm
blow to the chin - rotational acceleration
What is croup and contrecoup in cerebral contusion?
coup = site of injury contrecoup = opposite area
2 causes of intracerebral haemorrhage
natural disease eg hypertension
traumatic
What suffers in diffuse axonal injury?
all neurons - swelling
