INITIAL CT CHANGES OF THE DEATH AFTER HEAD INJURY

Kim, Kab Teug; Park, Joon Seok

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 7(2); 1996 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 1996;7(2): 229-239.

INITIAL CT CHANGES OF THE DEATH AFTER HEAD INJURY

Kab Teug Kim, Joon Seok Park

Department of emergency medicine, Dankuk University Hospital, Chunan, Korea

Published online: June 30, 1996.

ABSTRACT

We reviewed 65 died patients admitted to emergency medical center of Dankuk University hospital after severe head trauma from January 1995 to December 1995. To predict the out.come after severe head injury, we analyzed patients according to the initial GCS score and the initial CT findings. The CT findings that we evaluated were the type of intracranial lesion(mass Vs diffuse lesion). midline shift(≥3mm), and compression status of basal cisterns. The irreversible brain damage was suspected from the conditions of low GCS score(GCS≤ 3-5) and the CT findings of ① diffuse lesions with obliteration of basal cisterns and ② mass lesions with midline shift more than 3mm and obliteration of basal cisterns. The patients with irreversible brain damage were almost died within 24 hours after injury. But the CT findings of ① pure mass lesion,② diffuse lesion with mild compression of basal cisterns, and ③ mass lesion with midline shift and mild compression were supposed to the reversible brain damage, and the patients with these findings had long survival time more than 48 hours or 7 days.

Key words: GCS. CT. Irreversible brain damage, Reversible brain damage