An eye opener for me
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kansas
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An eye opener for me
One of my college classes is medical terminology, and today I'm taking notes on pathological conditions of the nervous system.
I was reading down through subdural hematoma, which is basically bleeding on the brain.
Guess what one of the causes of that is? Chronic alcoholism.
It's also usually such a slow bleeder that they can't do surgery just by drilling holes (burrs into the skull), but have to do a craniotomy where they remove part of the skull to fix it.
What a potential perk for active alcoholism, eh?!
I was reading down through subdural hematoma, which is basically bleeding on the brain.
Guess what one of the causes of that is? Chronic alcoholism.
It's also usually such a slow bleeder that they can't do surgery just by drilling holes (burrs into the skull), but have to do a craniotomy where they remove part of the skull to fix it.
What a potential perk for active alcoholism, eh?!
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 2,126
"...Guess what one of the causes of that is? Chronic alcoholism..."
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My book says.....:
SUBDURAL HEMATOMAS are most often CAUSED by HEAD INJURY, when fast changing velocities within the skull may stretch and tear small bridging veins. Subdural hematomas due to head injury are described as traumatic. Much more common than epidural hemorrhages, SUBDURAL HEMORRHAGES generally RESULT from SHEARING INJURIES due to various rotational or linear forces.[1][2] It is also COMMONLY SEEN IN THE ELDERLY AND IN ALCOHOLICS, who have EVIDENCE of BRAIN ATROPHY. CEREBRAL ATROPHY increases the length the bridging veins have to traverse between the two meningeal layers, hence increasing the likelihood of shearing forces causing a tear. It is ALSO COMMON in patients on ANTICOAGULANTS, especially ASPIRIN and WARFARIN. Patients on these medications can have a subdural hematoma with a minor injury.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My book says.....:
SUBDURAL HEMATOMAS are most often CAUSED by HEAD INJURY, when fast changing velocities within the skull may stretch and tear small bridging veins. Subdural hematomas due to head injury are described as traumatic. Much more common than epidural hemorrhages, SUBDURAL HEMORRHAGES generally RESULT from SHEARING INJURIES due to various rotational or linear forces.[1][2] It is also COMMONLY SEEN IN THE ELDERLY AND IN ALCOHOLICS, who have EVIDENCE of BRAIN ATROPHY. CEREBRAL ATROPHY increases the length the bridging veins have to traverse between the two meningeal layers, hence increasing the likelihood of shearing forces causing a tear. It is ALSO COMMON in patients on ANTICOAGULANTS, especially ASPIRIN and WARFARIN. Patients on these medications can have a subdural hematoma with a minor injury.
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