Canadian Medical Guide > Diseases > Nervous System Diseases > Central Nervous System Diseases > Brain Diseases > Brain Injuries Terms and Definitions




Brain Injuries

Medical Definition: Acute and chronic (see also BRAIN INJURIES, CHRONIC) injuries to the brain, including the cerebral hemispheres, CEREBELLUM, and BRAIN STEM. Clinical manifestations depend on the nature of injury. Diffuse trauma to the brain is frequently associated with DIFFUSE AXONAL INJURY or COMA, POST-TRAUMATIC. Localized injuries may be associated with NEUROBEHAVIORAL MANIFESTATIONS; HEMIPARESIS, or other focal neurologic deficits.
Guide Notes: GEN or unspecified; consider also /inj with specific parts of the brain; X ref BRAIN CONTUSION: do not coord with CONTUSIONS; do not confuse with CRANIOCEREBRAL TRAUMA
Also Called: Brain Contusion,Brain Injuries, Diffuse,Brain Injuries, Focal,Brain Lacerations,Cortical Contusion,Encephalopathy, Post-Concussive,Encephalopathy, Post-Traumatic,Injuries, Acute Brain
Brain Injuries Categories.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Brain Concussion - A nonspecific term used to describe transient alterations or loss of consciousness following closed head injuries. The duration of UNCONSCIOUSNESS generally lasts a few seconds, but may persist for several hours. Concussions may be classified as mild, intermediate, and severe. Prolonged periods of unconsciousness (often defined as greater than 6 hours in duration) may be referred to as post-traumatic coma (COMA, POST-HEAD INJURY). (From Rowland, Merritt's Textbook of Neurology, 9th ed, p418)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Brain Hemorrhage, Traumatic - Bleeding within the brain as a result of penetrating and nonpenetrating CRANIOCEREBRAL TRAUMA. Traumatically induced hemorrhages may occur in any area of the brain, including the cerebral hemispheres, diencephalon, brain stem (see BRAIN STEM HEMORRHAGE, TRAUMATIC), and cerebellum.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Diffuse Axonal Injury - A relatively common sequela of blunt head injury, characterized by a global disruption of axons throughout the brain. Associated clinical features may include NEUROBEHAVIORAL MANIFESTATIONS; PERSISTENT VEGETATIVE STATE; DEMENTIA; and other disorders.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Epilepsy, Post-Traumatic - Recurrent seizures causally related to CRANIOCEREBRAL TRAUMA. Seizure onset may be immediate but is typically delayed for several days after the injury and may not occur for up to two years. The majority of seizures have a focal onset that correlates clinically with the site of brain injury. Cerebral cortex injuries caused by a penetrating foreign object (CRANIOCEREBRAL TRAUMA, PENETRATING) are more likely than closed head injuries (HEAD INJURIES, CLOSED) to be associated with epilepsy. Concussive convulsions are nonepileptic phenomena that occur immediately after head injury and are characterized by tonic and clonic movements. (From Rev Neurol 1998 Feb;26(150):256-261; Sports Med 1998 Feb;25(2):131-6)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Pneumocephalus - Presence of air or gas within the intracranial cavity (e.g., epidural space, subdural space, intracerebral, etc.) which may result from traumatic injuries, fistulous tract formation, erosions of the skull from NEOPLASMS or infection, NEUROSURGICAL PROCEDURES, and other conditions.

Brain Injuries Medical Definitions and Terms

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