What is subdural haematoma
Mia Kelly
Published Mar 20, 2026
A subdural haematoma is a serious condition where blood collects between the skull and the surface of the brain. It’s usually caused by a head injury. Symptoms of a subdural haematoma can include: a headache that keeps getting worse. feeling and being sick.
What does epidural haematoma mean?
An epidural hematoma (EDH) is bleeding between the inside of the skull and the outer covering of the brain (called the dura).
What causes bleeding between brain and skull?
There are many causes, including trauma, rupture of a bulging blood vessel (aneurysm), poorly connected arteries and veins from birth, high blood pressure, and tumors. Diseases can cause spontaneous leakage of blood into the brain. A head trauma can result in multiple severe intracerebral hematomas.
What happens if you have a subdural hematoma?
If you have a subdural hematoma, blood is leaking out of a torn vessel into a space below the dura mater, a membrane between the brain and the skull. Symptoms include ongoing headache, confusion and drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, slurred speech and changes in vision. Subdural hematomas can be serious.Which vessel is involved in subdural hematoma?
Acute subdural hematoma is usually caused by external trauma that creates tension in the wall of a bridging vein as it passes between the arachnoid and dural layers of the brain’s lining—i.e., the subdural space. The circumferential arrangement of collagen surrounding the vein makes it susceptible to such tearing.
What is a Haematoma?
A hematoma is a bad bruise. It happens when an injury causes blood to collect and pool under the skin. The pooling blood gives the skin a spongy, rubbery, lumpy feel. A hematoma usually is not a cause for concern. It is not the same thing as a blood clot in a vein, and it does not cause blood clots.
What is the difference between epidural hematoma and subdural hematoma?
Epidural hematomas are usually caused by bleeding from the middle meningeal artery, while subdural hematomas are usually due to bleeding from veins that drain blood away from the surface of the brain. The amount of bleeding that occurs also differs in these hematomas.
Which type of hematoma occurs between the skull and the dura as a result of a ruptured meningeal artery usually after a fracture of the skull?
Epidural hematomas occur when blood dissects into the potential space between the dura and inner table of the skull. Most commonly this occurs after a skull fracture (85% to 95% of cases).Are hemorrhage and hematoma the same?
A hematoma can result from an injury to any type of blood vessel (artery, vein, or small capillary). A hematoma usually describes bleeding which has more or less clotted, whereas a hemorrhage signifies active, ongoing bleeding. Hematoma is a very common problem encountered by many people at some time in their lives.
When does an epidural hematoma occur?General Information. An epidural hematoma (EDH) occurs when blood accumulates between the skull and the dura mater, the thick membrane covering the brain. They typically occur when a skull fracture tears an underlying blood vessel. EDHs are about half as common as a subdural hematomas and usually occur in young adults.
Article first time published onWhat happens when a person suffers an epidural hematoma?
An epidural hematoma is a potentially life-threatening complication of a head injury. If left untreated, a person can face serious consequences, including death. Even after prompt treatment, someone may have permanent brain damage or disability.
Where does subdural hemorrhage occur?
In a subdural hematoma, the blood seeps between the dura and the arachnoid layers. It collects inside the brain’s tough outer lining. This bleeding often comes from a blood vessel that breaks within the space around the brain. This most often happens because of a head injury.
What do they do for a subdural hematoma?
Craniotomy. A craniotomy is the main treatment for subdural haematomas that develop soon after a severe head injury (acute subdural haematomas). During the procedure, the surgeon creates a temporary flap in the skull. The haematoma is gently removed using suction and irrigation, where it’s washed away with fluid.
What causes spontaneous subdural hematoma?
The majority of acute subdural hematoma (SDH) occur due to head trauma, and nontraumatic or “spontaneous” acute SDH is rare, which is caused by various etiologies such as cortical artery bleeding, vascular lesions, coagulopathy, neoplasms, spontaneous intracranial hypotension, cocaine, and arachnoid cyst.
What happens when you have bleeding on the brain?
Brain bleeds – bleeding between the brain tissue and skull or within the brain tissue itself – can cause brain damage and be life-threatening. Some symptoms include headache; nausea and vomiting; or sudden tingling, weakness, numbness or paralysis of face, arm or leg.
What causes bleeding in the brain?
Bleeding in the brain (also called a brain hemorrhage or brain bleed) can happen because of an accident, brain tumor, stroke, or high blood pressure caused by congenital or other health conditions. Brain bleed can reduce oxygen delivery to the brain, create extra pressure in the brain and kill brain cells.
What causes a hematoma?
A hematoma is the result of a traumatic injury to your skin or the tissues underneath your skin. When blood vessels under your skin are damaged and leak, the blood pools and results in a bruise. A hematoma forms as your blood clots, resulting in swelling and pain.
What is dura?
Dura: The outermost, toughest, and most fibrous of the three membranes (meninges) covering the brain and the spinal cord. Dura is short for dura mater (from the Latin for hard mother). … An accumulation of blood outside the dura is an epidural hematoma. Subdural means under the dura.
Is an epidural hematoma arterial or venous?
Epidural hematomas are usually arterial in origin but result from venous bleeding in one third of patients. Occasionally, torn venous sinuses cause an epidural hematoma, particularly in the parietal-occipital region or the posterior fossa.
Is an subdural hematoma arterial or venous?
Chronic Subdural Hematoma Subdural hematomas are usually of venous origin and progress slowly, as opposed to epidural hematomas that are of arterial origin and may reach maximum size within minutes. On the patient’s right side, cortical atrophy results in diffusely thin gyri and widened sulci.
What are the differences in signs and symptoms of an epidural and subdural hemorrhage?
Patients with an epidural hematoma can remain conscious with minimal symptoms, can become drowsy, or can progress to a coma immediately following their injury based on the size of the hematoma. A subdural hematoma occurs when the bleeding exists inside the dura, but still outside the brain.
What is the difference between a subdural hematoma and a stroke?
However, a subdural hemorrhage can become large enough to push against the brain, causing significant neurological symptoms. If a subdural hemorrhage involves significant amounts of blood, it can cause a stroke, due to the pressure.
What's the difference between epidural and spinal anesthesia?
Spinal anesthesia involves the injection of numbing medicine directly into the fluid sac. Epidurals involve the injection into the space outside the sac (epidural space).
What are the causes of hematoma formation from venipuncture?
Hematomas are the most common adverse reaction to venipuncture. There are many factors that can contribute to the formation of a bruise. If the phlebotomist pushes the needle too far into and through the vein, blood leaks out of that opening and into the surrounding tissue.
What is the difference between a hematoma and a blood clot?
Blood clots typically occur inside larger blood vessels, such as an artery or a vein. Doctors refer to a blood clot as a thrombus. Damage to blood vessels can cause large amounts of blood to leak into the surrounding tissue, forming so-called hematoma. This collection of blood can then become sticky and harden.
What is the difference between a bruise and a hematoma?
A bruise, also known as a contusion, typically appears on the skin after trauma such as a blow to the body. It occurs when the small veins and capillaries under the skin break. A hematoma is a collection (or pooling) of blood outside the blood vessel.
What happens when a hematoma bursts?
Unlike bruises, hematomas can cause serious harm. If they get large enough, hematomas may cause blood pressure to drop and can even lead to shock. Very large hematomas, like those within the wall of the abdomen, can cause organs to shift and affect how they function.
What artery causes epidural hematoma?
An epidural hematoma (EDH) is usually caused by a head injury. A skull fracture occurs in 75% of the cases. A skull fracture that tears the middle meningeal artery is the most common source of bleeding. Occasionally, an EDH can form due to bleeding from a vein.
What is the difference between a brain aneurysm and hemorrhage?
A hemorrhagic stroke happens when an artery ruptures. An aneurysm is the result of a weakened artery wall that can bulge and rupture. Aneurysms can occur in the brain (cerebral aneurysm) or in other parts of the body, such as the abdomen or the heart. A brain aneurysm can cause a hemorrhagic stroke.
What is dura mater?
(DER-uh MAY-ter) The tough outer layer of tissue that covers and protects the brain and spinal cord and is closest to the skull. The dura mater is one of the three layers that form the meninges.
What causes battle signs?
Battle’s sign is primarily caused by a type of serious head injury called a basilar skull fracture, or basal fracture. This type of fracture occurs at the base of your skull. Fractures to the base of your skull can occur behind your ears or nasal cavity, as well as near part of your spine.