working in Collaboration with a team of specialists
At Polin Neurosurgery, we collaborate with a group of specialists in brain injury. Experts in Emergency medicine, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neurophysiology, and Neuropsychology team to ensure every TBI patient who comes to us receives the specific care they need to recover from their injury.
What is Traumatic Brain Injury? Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, can be either a closed head injury caused by a blunt force impact, a traumatic skull fracture, a penetrating head injury, or a combination of these that disrupts the normal function of the brain.
During an impact trauma, the brain crashes back and forth against the inside of the skull. This can result in bruising, swelling, tearing of tissue, and hemorrhage.
Never ignore a blow to the head
If you ever receive a blow to the head, other than just a bump, do not attempt to shake it off. You may have a serious injury. If it hurts for more than a couple minutes, if you feel nausea, experience vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision, affected speech, confusion or any other abnormal feeling, seek medical attention immediately.
What is a concussion?
A concussion is a brain injury caused by the force from a blow to the head, sudden impact, or after a whiplash-type injury that causes the head and brain to shake quickly back and forth. The force of an impact can cause the brain to move around inside the skull, striking the skull wall. Nerve endings and blood vessels are stretched and torn as the brain rotates and rebounds, and the brain becomes bruised.
A concussion results in an altered mental state that may include nausea, dizziness, confusion, or loss of consciousness.
Coup/Contrecoup injuries
Most of brain injuries are the result of outside force striking the head. This impact, and the resulting injuries, are categorized as three different types.
Coup
Contrecoup
Coup-Contrecoup
With a coup brain injury, the brain is damaged at the point of impact. With a contrecoup injury, the brain is damaged on the opposite side instead of at the point of impact. Contrecoup occurs when a force or blow causes the brain to to shift rapidly within the skull and strike the side of the skull opposite from the point of impact. A coup-contrecoup brain injury indicates trauma at both the site of impact and the side of the brain opposite from the site of impact.
A coup injury occurs on the brain directly under the point of impact. A contrecoup injury occurs on the opposite side of the brain from the point of impact. Coup-Contrecoup injuries result when the brain is damaged at the initial point of impact, and then, as the skull is jolted by the force of the impact, the brain hits the skull in the opposite direction.
Treating the damage caused by serious coup, contrecoup, and coup-contrecoup type injuries is a critical matter of time and treatment. Although some blunt force damage may be irreversible, just as with a stroke, rapid and immediate treatment is vital. Doctors and surgeons will need to treat the injuries right away in order to prevent any further injury or worsening damage.
seminar on advances in Tbi treatment
Dr. Richard Polin delivered the keynote address on new breakthrough treatment options for Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion