Neuroscience & Neurology

Watchful Waiting in Head Trauma

March 19, 2007 | By JC, MD | Share, Save, and Bookmark | 4 Comments

Neuroscience and Neurology Category Despite the advances in medical imaging, there continue to be areas in which actual interventional advances have lagged these radiological improvements. This is especially true in the management of head trauma. The truth is that we still do not fully understand the brain and its complex circuitry. Well, perhaps I should rephrase that and say that we do not understand well enough to allow it to guide us in surgical procedures. Aside from conceptual brain mapping and the functional topography of the brain, the brain is still an organ that we do not confidently understand enough to warrant surgical interventions.

So if you think that you will be in good hands if you suffer from head trauma, think again.

If you are the unlucky soul who suffers head trauma, you will likely be shipped to an Emergency Department and sent through a CT scanner. What this series of computed tomography images will show is your bone, brain, vessels, and its cavities. One of the most common findings on a CT scan after blunt head trauma is hemorrhage of the veins or arteries around the brain. Unless the fluid has accumulated enough to compress on your brain or to cause a “midline shift” (shift of the midline of the brain due to compression), you will be observed for improvement in neurological status and sent for repeat CT imaging over the next few days.

That’s right, in most situations of traumatic brain injury you will be observed in the hospital – we really can’t do much else but watch. In medical lingo we call this “Watchful Waiting”.

The one situation where we actually do anything is when there is significant neurological deficit or midline shift. Those situations warrant surgical decompression and hematoma evacuation by a neurosurgeon. What this amounts to is a surgeon drilling holes in your skull to drain the blood and relieve pressure on your brain.

Even after that procedure is done, we do what we do best in head trauma – we watchfully wait for improvement.

Tags: brain, head trauma, hematoma, neurosurgeon, neurosurgery, surgery

4 Comments/Trackbacks

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Mark
March 19, 2007 | Permalink

an athletic medical device, that the military has recognized as a possible solution to MTBI. It has been a subject of controversy in the NFL, for liability reasons it has been concealed. In fact a story about it in ESPN the magazine set of a chain of events which has led to the resignation of the medical advisor to the NFL.
The retainer like mouth guard used by the N.E. England Patriots has been proven to aide in the prevention of concussion in an AAOP peer study.It is based on a procedure which corrects and balances dislodged cartilage in the TMJ. Doctors at Tufts, a Harvard researcher and many others feel this would greatly benefit the troops. Many studies have also shown an improvement in isometric strength, reducing stress and fatigue, a major problem.

The Patriots consistently have the lowest concussion rate in the NFL, because 70% of their players are fitted with this orthodic corrective device. http://www.mahercor.com

debbie
May 17, 2009 | Permalink

please i’m trying to fine out what I can do or how cerious it is
I was in a rack 2/6/08 but can’t recall ever have hit my head but my boyfriend said i was daies and slering my words and the dr at the hospital said the same make sure i see a dr i always hurt on the left head i thought it was do to my headacks and it always hurt to touch very tenter
will one month for a year on my left side i felt warm liqure like hot water inside my left side head to my mouth then i started dizzey in still and my heart out the blue will start pumping hard like its going to jump out of my chest my ears always rings but now it some time send shot from one side to the other my cant see has good some time light go across my eyes i feel like im moving all the time more when im up

had mir but the dr said she cant help me because see cant relate it to rack
this is what the exray said
focal area of signal hyperintensity with sounding hypointensity in deep left frontal lobe and anterior left frongal lobe on axias FLAIR images only.differantial consideration in setting of know trauma would include foci of diffuse axonal injury with possible rim of herosiderin string
2tiny focus of signual hyperintensity in deep right frontal lobe suggestive of small lacunar infarct

please i dont have ins. i just want to know what can be done and explain to me what going on
debbie debbieh06@hotmail.com
thanks