Hematomas & the Brain

People sustaining head injuries can have a variety of complications depending upon the severity of the injury as well as the part of the head that receives the injury. When obtaining a head injury, it is imperative that these people seek immediate medical attention. Often times, one might feel fine and have no symptoms initially. However, things can quickly change when dealing with head injuries. When a person receives a head injury, they may also have blood clots surrounding the brain or perhaps even in the brain. Bleeding on the brain is known in the medical community as an intracranial hematoma.

There are different types of hematomas that can occur from head injuries. The types vary depending upon where they occur in the brain. The repercussions of these hematomas can also vary from being mild to possibly fatal. One type of intracranial hematoma is an epidural hematoma. These blood clots develop between the surface of the skull and the brain covering, which is called the dura. Typically, this type of hematoma results from a fracture to the skull.
A second type of intracranial hematoma is the subdural hematoma. With this sort of hematoma, the blood clots form deeper. Unlike the epidural hematoma where the blood clot is between the skull and the brain covering, a subdural hematoma occurs below both the skull and the brain covering (dura). Also, unlike the epidural hematoma, this type does not necessarily happen as a result of a fracture to the skull.

Contusions or intracerebreal hematomas are the third type of intracranial hematomas. This kind involves a bruise or contusion to the brain. As a result of the contusion, the brain bleeds and wells. Skull fractures can result in contusions as can the two previously mentioned types of intracranial hematomas.
The fourth sort of intracranial hematoma is known as a diffuse axonal injury. This type is the most common of the four. These brain injuries result when basically the brain is shaken. This can happen in many different sorts of accidents, such as a vehicle collision or fall. Many know this sort of hematoma as it relates to infants with the shaken baby syndrome.