Subdul Hematoma Case Study

An acute subdural hematoma is usually caused by a head injury, such as from a fall, motor vehicle collision, or an assault. The sudden blow to the head tears blood vessels that run along the surface of the brain. The blood collects between the protective layers of tissue that surround the brain. Those layers include the dura, which is the outermost and strongest layer, the arachnoid, the delicate middle layer and the pia, which is the innermost layer that contours the brain. In a subdural hematoma, bleeding occurs between the dura and the arachnoid. The bleeding is located under the skull but outside of the brain, not in the brain itself. As blood accumulates pressure on the brain increases. The pressure on the brain is what causes symptoms. If pressure inside the skull rises to very high level it can lead to loss of consciousness, or even death. Symptoms of a subdural hematoma
MRI is slightly superior to CT in detecting subdural hematomas, but is a much longer exam. CT is faster in determining the location and amount of bleeding and is more readily available. In cases like these time is critical so the choice to use CT lead to a faster diagnosis for the patient and in turn a quick decision could be made and the process of care flighting her could begin. On a CT scan, subdural hematomas appear classically crescent-shaped, with a concave surface away from the skull. However, in the early stages of bleeding they can have a convex appearance. This may cause difficulty in distinguishing between subdural and epidural hematomas, which are another type of traumatic brain injury with the difference being that the buildup of blood occurs between the dura and the skull. A more reliable indicator of a subdural hematoma is its involvement of a larger portion of the cerebral hemisphere since it can cross suture lines, unlike an epidural hematoma. Subdural blood can also be seen as a layering density along the tentorium