Determination of Prognostic Factors in Cerebral Contusions

Abstract

Objective:Cerebral contusion (CC) is vital because it is one of the most common traumatic brain injury (TBI) types and can lead to lifelong physical, cognitive, and psychological disorders. As with all other types of craniocerebral trauma, the correlation of prognosis with specific criteria in CC can provide more effective treatment methods with objective approaches.Method:The results of 105 patients who were hospitalized in the emergency clinic with the diagnosis of CC and whose lesion did not require surgical intervention were evaluated. The demographic variables, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score, radiographic findings, coexisting traumas and, type, number, and the midline shift of the contusions detected in computerized tomography (CT) were evaluated as a guide in determining the prognosis in one month.Results:Twenty-five patients were female, and 80 were male, and the mean age was 37 years. The traffic accident was the most common cause of head injury. It was seen that while advancing age had a significant effect on mortality, sex factor had no impact on prognosis. Motor posture in GCS score, pupil light reactions, the number of contusions, and presence of accompanying subdural hemorrhage (SDH) on cranial CT were found to be substantial prognostic indicators. The presence of a cranial fracture and the degree of midline shift did not affect prognosis.Conclusion:Advanced age, low GCS score, abnormal motor response, abnormal pupil light reaction, presence of other system traumas, multiple contusions, and accompanying SDH affected the prognosis of the cases adversely.

Keywords

• cerebral contusion
• head injury
• computerized tomography
• glasgow coma scale
• intraparenchymal hemorrhage
• prognosis
• trauma
• traumatic brain injury