Open AccessThe Nature, Distribution and Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury
Author(s) -
Graham D.I.,
Adams J. Hume,
Nicoll J.A.R.,
Maxwell W.L.,
Gennarelli T.A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
brain pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.986
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1750-3639
pISSN - 1015-6305
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-3639.1995.tb00618.x
Subject(s) - traumatic brain injury , distribution (mathematics) , neuroscience , medicine , biology , psychiatry , mathematics , mathematical analysis
The identification and interpretation of brain damage resulting from a non‐missile head injury is often not easy with the result that the most obvious structural damage identified postmortem may not be the most important in trying to establish clinico‐pathological correlations. For example patients with a fracture of the skull, quite severe cerebral contusions or a large intracranial haematoma that is successfully treated can make an uneventful and complete recovery if no other types of brain damage are present. However, not infrequently more subtle forms of pathology are present and ones that can only be identified microscopically. A systematic and pragmatic approach through the autopsy is therefore required and one that recognises the need for tissue to be retained in ways that are appropriate for cellular and molecular studies.