Subdural hematoma

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Subdural hematoma

Increased intracranial pressure

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Subdural hematoma

Alternative Names:

Subdural hemorrhage

Symptoms:

Recent injury or trauma to the head
Loss of consciousness after original injury
Headache, steady or fluctuating
Weakness, numbness or inability to speak
Slurred speech
Nausea and vomiting
Lethargy
Seizures

In infants:

Bulging fontanelles
Increased head circumference
Separated sutures
Irritability
High-pitched cry
Focal seizures
Generalized tonic-clonic seizure

Signs and tests:

Always seek medical attention following a significant head trauma or mental deterioration in the elderly. The evaluation should include a complete neurologic exam.

Any of the following may prompt the physician to order a brain imaging study:

Signs of weakness
Numbness
Inability to speak
Slurred speech
Persistent headache
Abnormal level of consciousness
Recent intellectual deterioration in an elderly person, even in the absence of head injury)

A CT scan or MRI scan would likely be done to evaluate for the presence of a subdural hematoma.

Review Date: 8/14/2004
Reviewed By: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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