extradural haemorrhage
Last reviewed 01/2018
An epidural haemorrhage results from rupture of one of the meningeal arteries that run between the dura and the skull. The middle meningeal artery is most commonly affected.
The usual cause is a skull fracture. Not uncommonly, the blow may be relatively trivial.
More than half of cases occur in persons below 20 years of age. Epidural haemorrhage is rare in persons over 40 years. In part, this can be explained by the dura becoming increasingly adherent to the skull with age.