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Cerebral edema is commonly seen in a variety of brain injuries including ischemic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, subdural, epidural, or intracerebral hematoma, hydrocephalus, brain cancer, brain infections, low blood sodium levels, high altitude, and acute liver failure.
Decompressive craniectomy (crani-+ -ectomy) is a neurosurgical procedure in which part of the skull is removed to allow a swelling or herniating brain room to expand without being squeezed. It is performed on victims of traumatic brain injury, stroke, Chiari malformation, and other conditions associated with raised intracranial pressure. Use of ...
A non-contrast CT of the head should be performed immediately in all those who have sustained a moderate or severe head injury. A CT is an imaging technique that allows physicians to see inside the head without surgery in order to determine if there is internal bleeding or swelling in the brain. [31]
An increase in pressure, most commonly due to head injury leading to intracranial hematoma or cerebral edema, can crush brain tissue, shift brain structures, contribute to hydrocephalus, cause brain herniation, and restrict blood supply to the brain. [13] It is a cause of reflex bradycardia. [14]
Injury to the brain will often result in brain swelling. As the brain is encased in the skull, limited swelling can be accommodated until the brain is no longer able to maintain normal function. There are two potential negative consequences from this swelling: ischemia due to compression of the brain tissue resulting in lack of blood and oxygen ...
It is believed that the brain is left in a vulnerable state after a concussion and that a second blow is linked to SIS. [22] The actual mechanism behind the catastrophic brain swelling is controversial. [23] [24] A second injury during this time is thought to unleash a series of metabolic events within the brain.
If the swelling is untreated, it causes death by brain herniation. [4] The brain swelling is likely a result of vasogenic edema, the penetration of the blood–brain barrier by fluids. [16] This process has been observed in MRI studies. Hypoxia increases extracellular fluid, which passes through the vasogenic endothelium in the brain.
[12] [13] All traumatic brain injuries are head injuries, but the latter term may also refer to injury to other parts of the head; [14] [15] [16] however, the terms head injury and brain injury are often used interchangeably. [17] Similarly, brain injuries fall under the classification of central nervous system injuries [18] and neurotrauma. [19]