Bump on head should not be ignored
April 16th, 2012 - 3:32 pm ICT by IANSWashington, April 16 (IANS) A bump on your head could lead to a permanent disability or cognitive deficits if not attended in time, says a case study.
According to the case study, when Irene Gatti de Leon slipped on the ice and bumped her head, she wasn’t too concerned. Two months later, she began to experience weakness in her right leg and right arm while she and her husband were visiting their daughter in suburban Chicago.
She made an urgent appointment with Loyola University Medical Centre neurology professor Jose Biller, a fellow native from Uruguay whom she has known for years.
Biller ordered an immediate MRI scan, which showed a large subdural hematoma — a mass of blood on the surface of the brain. With the hematoma compressing the brain, de Leon was in imminent danger of suffering permanent paralysis or cognitive deficits, similar to disabilities caused by strokes, said a university statement.
Biller referred de Leon to Loyola neurosurgeon Douglas Anderson, who stayed late to perform emergency surgery. Anderson drilled two holes in her skull and drained the hematoma, which was about two inches long and 1.5 inches thick. De Leon has made a full recovery.
Subdural hematomas are triggered by head injuries that cause blood vessels between the surface of the brain and its outer covering (the dura) to stretch and tear.
They usually are caused by severe head injuries that cause bleeding, which rapidly fills the brain area. But less severe head injuries can cause chronic subdural hematomas. These slow bleeds may not cause symptoms for days or weeks.
De Leon’s case “is an excellent illustration of why patients should not ignore neurological symptoms,” Biller said.
- Heart surgery can cause strokes, seizures - Nov 17, 2010
- Blunt head injuries by common household objects may affect kids neurological health - Nov 23, 2008
- Now, a technique to regularise abnormal heartbeats - Sep 09, 2012
- Amanda Brumfield arrested - Jun 01, 2009
- Clot-busting drug 'works best for strokes caused by blood clots' - Nov 10, 2010
- Pakistan hit by haemorrhagic strokes - Oct 31, 2011
- Latest advances in treating stroke, Parkinson's detailed in Neurology Journal - Oct 01, 2010
- World's tiniest premature babies doing well - Dec 12, 2011
- Farmer's wife treated for rare brain disease - Aug 09, 2011
- 'Accident compensation also for loss of earnings, normal life' - Aug 26, 2012
- Footballers continue playing despite undiagnosed brain changes - Oct 08, 2010
- Wearing helmets can protect skiers from head injuries, fatalities - Dec 22, 2009
- Blood test to detect Alzheimer's disease in offing - Aug 10, 2012
- Cerebral malaria linked to epilepsy, behavior disorders: Study - Nov 17, 2010
- ADHD and reading disability have common genetic influences - Dec 09, 2010
Tags: blood vessels, brain area, cognitive deficits, de leon, douglas anderson, emergency surgery, gatti, head injuries, imminent danger, loyola university, mri scan, neurological symptoms, neurosurgeon, paralysis, professor jose, right arm, subdural hematoma, subdural hematomas, suburban chicago, university medical centre