1984 Volume 24 Issue 12 Pages 946-953
Types of diffuse brain injury (DBI) were classified based on a study of fifty patients with acute, severe head injuries. This study focused on findings of computed tomography (CT) and outcomes of the patients. The level of consciousness was estimated by the Glasgow Coma Scale; greater than 8 in 28 cases; 8 or less in 22 cases. The overall mortality rate was 28%, however the rate ranged from 8 to 67%, depending on the type of DBI. CT findings of DBI within 24 hours after head injury were classified into 5 types: diffuse cerebral swelling (DC S), isodense hemispheric swelling (IHS), deepseated brain injury (DSI), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and normal findings. DSI demonstrated the highest mortality rate (67%), and IHS was the second (50%). However, there are many pediatric cases with excellent outcomes. Although both DCS and IHS occurred frequently in children, it was considered that these two conditions should be distinguished, because of the existence of some differences in the clinical course of the two. There were only 7 cases of SAH alone, but SAH was the most frequent associated finding in DBI, existing in 50% of 50 cases. SAH per se could not be regarded as a poor prognostic factor.
It is the authors' impression that DBI without coup or contre-coup injuries can be readily diagnosed by CT scan and that DBI is an important clinical factor in the closed head injury cases.
