What is epidural bleeding?

Epidural bleeding (EDH) is the accumulation of blood between the skull and the dura mater, the membrane that surrounds the brain. It is also called hematoma, it is a common consequence of head injury. If it is not treated, blood can fill intracranial space and cause life -threatening swelling. Treatment releases pressure on the brain by means of neurosurgical decompression to drain the fluid from under the skull. There is another type of epidural bleeding that occurs in the spinal column when the wounded veins bleed into the surrounding space and increase the pressure of the fluid between the bone and the spinal cord.

Epidural bleeding is usually caused by traumatic brain damage, usually shocks on the head side. This leads to arterial bleeding into the epidural space. Bleeding in tissue around the brain will lead to hematoma if the blood continues to be outside the arteries. If there is sufficient blood, the expansion can push the brain, seriously affecting the consciousness, motor skills and the basic nervous reactions regulate breathing and pupillary reaction. Can show up FatIl in a few hours.

Depending on the trauma scale and the scope of bleeding, some patients with epidural bleeding remain fully vigilant, while others either lose consciousness briefly or immediately fall into a coma. Many patients after recovery from the initial shock experience what is called a clear interval where they are vigilant and work normally for one or several hours. During this time, the EDH area will still grow until the pressure on the brain does not increase to the extent that the patient becomes unconscious. At this point, surgery is required to avoid rapid deterioration.

Treatment of epidural bleeding requires immediate surgical decompression to relieve pressure. Surgery involves opening the skull and discharge of the accumulation. In small and medium hematomas, a small hole is bored, but for large bleeding they perform surgeons craniotomy to evacuate fluid and control clots. EPidural bleeding can cause seizures, so anticonvulsant drugs can be prescribed together with drugs to contain the risk of neurological infection.

epidural bleeding can also occur in the spinal column. There, bleeding into the epidural space is more likely to come from damaged veins than arteries. The pressure on the spinal cord at any level is painful and can cause problems with the bladder and intestine and paralysis below the bleeding point. MRI is used to make an epidural bleeding diagnosis because there are many possible causes of spine pain. Spinal epidural hematoma is usually treated by surgical decompression through drainage in a procedure that resembles a spinal cock.