Head Injuries

The common types of head injuries are intracranial haemorrhage (ICH), contusions and skull fractures.

1) Intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) is caused by damaged blood vessels and leads to bleeding within the brain. The bleeding can be minor or severe, which requires emergency surgery. Examples are epidural haematoma or subdural haematoma.

2) Contusion is a bruise of the brain tissue.

3) Skull fracture is a break in the bone of the skull. Some fractures are depressed and result in deformity of the skull bone.

Diagnosis

• Computed Tomography (CT) Scan
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scan

Treatment

• Craniotomy is an operation to open the skull bone flap to evacuate severe bleeding within the brain (intracranial haemorrhage).
• Decompressive craniectomy is an operation to remove a large section of the skull bone flap. It is performed when extremely high pressure occurs within the brain (high intracranial pressure). After removing the skull bone flap, the brain can then be allowed to swell and expand.

• Clinical Associate Professor Philip Iau
• Dr Lynette Loo
• Dr Raj Meno
• Dr Norman Lin