Lecture 10.

There are a range of head injury types, and the injury can be more or less severe within each category.

Specific problems after head injury can include:

• Lacerations to the scalp and resulting hemorrhage of the skin
• Skull fracture
• Brane injuries

Traumatic accidents (such as falling from a height, getting hit by or being thrown from a vehicle, or sustaining a blow to the head) can cause head injuries. Head injuries are serious because they may involve the brain. Depending on the nature and severity of the injury, the person may be left with a permanent disability (e.g., traumatic brain injury, paralysis). Some head injuries are fatal.

Brain injuries can occur as a result of

• a blow to the head,
• a penetrating injury to the head (such as a bullet wound), or
• exposure to acceleration-deceleration forces that cause the head to snap forward and then back.

A blow to the head can lead to a concussion (a traumatic brain injury that alters the way the brain functions), a brain contusion (bruising of the brain tissue) or a brain hematoma (bleeding into the space between the brain and the skull).

Acceleration-deceleration forces, such as can occur with a motor-vehicle collision or a fall from a height, can lead to diffuse axonal injury (tearing of nerves throughout the brain tissue).