CEN Subdural Hematoma

CEN Subdural Hematoma Overview

A subdural hematoma occurs when blood collects on your brain’s surface beneath the skull. Subdural hematomas can be life-threatening. They usually result from a head injury.

Subdural hematomas are either acute or chronic. Acute subdural hematomas commonly form because of a severe head injury. Approximately 20 to 30 percent of people regain full or partial brain function after having an acute subdural hematoma.

Signs and Symptoms

Acute subdural hematomas cause symptoms right away. However, people with chronic subdural hematomas may have no symptoms at all.

Common symptoms of a subdural hematoma are:

• slurred speech
• loss of consciousness or coma
• seizures
• numbness
• severe headaches
• weakness
• visual problems

Causes

A head injury is the most common cause of bleeding within the skull. A head injury may result from motor vehicle or bicycle accidents, falls, assaults, and sports injuries.

Complications

Complications of subdural hematomas may occur soon after the injury or sometime after the injury has been treated.

These complications may include:

• brain herniation, which puts pressure on your brain and can cause a coma or death
• seizures
• permanent muscle weakness or numbness

The extent of complications depends on the severity of your brain injury. Other health issues may affect either chronic or acute subdural. People who take anticoagulants (blood thinners) are at higher risk. People over the age of 65 also have a higher risk, especially for the chronic type.

Treatment

An acute subdural hematoma can only be treated in an operating room.

A surgical procedure called a craniotomy may be used to remove a large subdural hematoma. It’s normally used to treat acute subdural hematomas. In this procedure, your surgeon removes a part of your skull in order to access the clot or hematoma. They then use suction and irrigation to remove it.