Trauma Flashcards
what types of axonal and contusional injuries are there
rotation (shear) - traumatic axonal and micro-vascular injury
translation (linear) - coup and contro coup contusions
impact and crush
what symptoms/effects show with fronto-temporal contusions after primary injury acute
cognitive, affective, behavioural problems, poor judgement and planning, anxiety, impulsivity
what happens in primary injurry after mod/sever TBI
can have microhaemorrhages, microbleeds
spastic-ataxic quadriparesis, prolonged PTA, executive problems and cognitive slowing
within how many hours do subdurals need decompression
4 hours
what is delirium
“(sometimes called ‘acute confusional state’) is characterised by
disturbed consciousness, cognitive function or perception, which has an acute onset
and fluctuating course… can be hypoactive, hyperactive or mixed…and can be
restless, agitated and aggressive (or) withdrawn, quiet and sleepy…. caused by the
direct physiological consequences of a general medical condition.”
what are neuro consequences of severe TBI
Hydrocephalus and intracranial hypotension
• Asymmetric spastic-ataxic quadriparesis, +/- (Holmes) tremor
• Hemiparesis, ipsi-lesional (Kernohan) or contra-lesional or both
• Imbalance commonest residual physical problem
• Thalamic pain
• Bulbar problems and incontinence
• Autonomic storms, & hypothalamic and hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction
• ‘Syndrome of the trephined’
• Cranial neuropathies
Particularly with skull-base & facial fractures
May cause bilateral & profound deafness
IX-XII uncommon
Traumatic optic neuropathies vs. Terson’s syndrome
• Incidental carotid/vertebral dissection, hyperextension myelopathies, traumatic
plexopathies, compression mononeuropathies
• Heterotopic ossification
• Post-traumatic epilepsy
what is diagnosis based on behaviour influenced by
- Medical instability
- Nutritional state
- Medication eg. AEDs
- Altered sleep/wake cycle
- Severe physical impairment
- Positioning masking ability
- Repetitive movements
- Sensory impairments, particularly deafness & blindness
- Communication & behavioural problems
- Fluctuating attention and responsiveness
- Environmental problems
- New/inexperienced assessor
- Possibility of covert awareness
what imaging can you use to test brain activity
fMRI
Why use Skull radiographs (SXR)
can see calvarial fractures, penetrating injuries, radiopaque foreign bodies
what is CT good for in TBI
sensitive for mass effect, ventricular size, bone injuries and acute haemorrhage
available, quick
why is CT not good in tbi
ionising radiation
might not detect small and non-haemorrhagic lesions, DAI, ICP, cerebral oedema
why is MRI good in TBI
sensitive for subacute and chronic brain injuries
DWI improves detection of acute infarction.
FLAIR imaging sensitive for subarachnoid haemorrhage and lesions bordered by CSF
why is MRI not good in TBI
limited in acute trauma setting
long imaging times
insensitive to subarachnoid haemorrhage
what is angiography good for
dissection depiction.
cta and mra less invasice
mra can reveal carotid or vertebral dissection
what are divisions of primary neuronal injury
cortical contusions
diffuse axonal injury
primary brain stem injury