Traumatic nervous injury Flashcards
Where do skull fractures tend to radiate from?
The point of impact
What is a comminuted fracture?
A fracture with shattered or splintered bone
Why are EDH less common with advancing age?
Because the dura cling more tightly to the skull with advancing age
Which part of a gyrus is most likely to be affected by a contusion?
The tips of the gyrus
Where is traumatic axonal injury most often seen?
Corpus callosum
What is a good stain for showing diffuse axonal injury?
Silver
Why do spheroids develop with traumatic axonal injury?
Axonal transport is disrupted, so proteins accumulate over hours and cause a swelling
What are the long term pathological consequences of traumatic axonal injury?
Atrophy as seen by:
Large ventricles
Thinned corpus callosum
Thin white matter generally cf cortical grey tissue
What are the two main types of cerebral oedema?
Vasogenic and cytotoxic
What is the mechanism of vasogenic oedema?
Disruption of BBB leads to increased vascular permeability
What is the mechanism of cytotoxic oedema?
Damage to neural, endothelial or glial cell membranes => accumulation of intracellular fluids
Which type of oedema is due to disruption of BBB and increased vascular permeability?
Vasogenic oedema
Which type of oedema is due to damage to cell membranes and accumulation of intracellular fluid?
Cytotoxic oedema
Which of cytotoxic and vasogenic oedema is worse?
Cytotoxic because it can’t be treated with steroids or isotonic solutions
Which type of oedema involves both grey and white matter?
Cytotoxic oedema
