Anatomy and Traumatic Brain Injury Overview

Disruption of normal brain function caused by external force.

TBI caused directly by the initial impact on the brain.

Brain injury affecting a specific area, from blunt or penetrating trauma, sometimes caused by coup and contrecoup injuries.

Brain injury at the site of direct impact on the skull.

Bruising of the brain tissue due to blood leaking from injured vessels.

Bleeding between the skull and dura mater, usually caused by arterial injury, leading to rapid swelling and increased pressure on the brain.

Bleeding between the arachnoid and pia mater, usually caused by venous injury, often from brain shaking or tearing. It takes time to develop and can be acute, subacute, or chronic.

Bleeding directly inside the brain tissue itself, often associated with contusions. It can lead to increased pressure and swelling inside the skull.

Epidural hematomas are caused by arterial bleeding, which leads to rapid blood accumulation and increased pressure on the brain. This can quickly cause serious damage and requires immediate surgical intervention.

Widespread damage to nerve fibers in the brain caused by shearing, tearing, or stretching. It can occur with mild, moderate, or severe brain injuries. The symptoms often develop later.

Diffuse Axonal Injury. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) that involves widespread damage to nerve fibers throughout the brain.

A mild form of TBI with immediate clinical manifestations like confusion, amnesia, and headache. It involves a rise in cerebrospinal fluid pressure and ECG/EEG changes.

A concussion with loss of consciousness (LOC) for less than 6 hours, amnesia, confusion, and transient cessation of respiration. Vital signs stabilize quickly.

A stroke caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain, leading to tissue damage.

A stroke caused by bleeding in the brain, compressing brain tissue and leading to ischemia.

Three protective membranes surrounding the brain: dura mater (outermost), arachnoid mater (middle), and pia mater (innermost).

Injury that occurs as a result of the initial brain trauma, often involving swelling, inflammation, and increased pressure inside the skull.

Coup injury is the impact site on the skull, while contrecoup is the opposite side injury when the brain rebounds.

A bruise on the brain caused by blood leaking from damaged vessels.

Open brain injury involves tearing of the dura, exposing the brain, while closed injury keeps the dura intact.

A subdural hematoma occurs when blood collects between the arachnoid mater and the pia mater, usually due to injury to the brain and its blood vessels. It can be acute, subacute, or chronic, depending on the timing of the symptoms.

Acute subdural hematomas develop within 48 hours of injury. They typically require surgical intervention to remove the blood clot and relieve pressure on the brain.

Intracerebral hemorrhage occurs when bleeding happens directly within the brain tissue itself. It is often associated with contusions (bruising) and can lead to increased intracranial pressure.

Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) is a severe brain injury in which nerve fibers throughout the brain are damaged due to stretching, shearing, or tearing. It can occur with mild, moderate, or severe brain injuries.

Signs and symptoms of Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) often develop 12-24 hours after the initial brain injury.

Mild concussion is a less severe TBI with immediate clinical manifestations like confusion, amnesia, and headache. Classic cerebral concussion involves loss of consciousness for less than 6 hours, amnesia, confusion, and transient cessation of respiration. The key difference is the presence of loss of consciousness in classic cerebral concussion.

An ischemic stroke occurs when a blockage of blood flow to the brain causes damage to brain tissue. This blockage can be caused by a thrombus formed in arteries supplying the brain or by an embolus that travels to the brain.

Hemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding in the brain, whereas an ischemic stroke is caused by blockage of blood flow. The bleeding in a hemorrhagic stroke compresses brain tissue, leading to ischemia, edema, and increased intracranial pressure.

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a type of stroke where neurological dysfunction occurs for less than an hour. It's caused by a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain.

Three main types of ischemic strokes are thrombotic, embolic, and lacunar. Thrombotic stroke involves blockage by thrombi formed in brain arteries. Embolic stroke occurs when fragments break from a thrombus elsewhere and block an artery in the brain. Lacunar stroke is caused by the occlusion of a small, deep brain artery.