cerebral contusion
Last reviewed 01/2018
There are various types of cerebral contusion. Broadly they divide into diffuse and focal, each of which can be acute or subacute.
Acute contusion is seen as a swelling of the brain on a CT scan, and is astrocytic in genesis, the effect occuring via impaired circulation as mediated by the astrocytes.
Subacute contusion, by contrast, is directly vasogenic and is seen to come on over the 7-10 days following a head injury.
In considering focal contusion, consideration must be made of both the site of the injury and of the contracoup injury.