Extradural hemorrhage

Discussion:

This case is a good example of extradural hemorrhage.

These usually occur after trauma (head injury).  When the skull is fractured in high-energy injury, it can lead to tearing of the arteries sitting underneath the bone but above the dura.

It is important to get these bleeds quickly recognized and controlled, usually under direct neurosurgical care.  There can be a "lucid interval" as the brains in these young patients can cope with the increased pressure from a bleed before deteriorating rapidly.  There is also high risk of infection as these are usually open fractures.

CT is the method for imaging in these events as it is quick, widely available and can show bleeds and bone injuries well.

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This case was contributed to Radiopaedia.org by Dr Sandeep Bhuta and the original can be viewed here.  Note: patient presentation added to act as a teaching tool for EDH.

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