PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Fong Y. Tsai
AU  - James S. Teal
AU  - Michael F. Quinn
AU  - Hideo H. Itabashi
AU  - James E. Huprich
AU  - Jamshid Ahmadi
AU  - Hervey D. Segall
TI  - CT of Brainstem Injury
DP  - 1980 Jan 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 23--29
VI  - 1
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/1/1/23.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/1/1/23.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.1980 Jan 01; 1
AB  - Cranial computed tomography (CT) scans of 1,600 head trauma patients, 67 of which demonstrated evidence of brainstem injury, were reviewed. CT diagnosis of brainstem injury was based on direct and indirect evidence. Direct signs, which include focal hemorrhage, significant intraparenchymal contrast enhancement, hemorrhagic contusion, and edema of the brainstem, appear as areas of high density, mixed density, and low density on the CT scan. Indirect signs are obliteration of the pontine, cerebellopontine angle, and perimesencephalic cisterns. Mortality and morbidity rates after brainstem injury are 2–3 times greater than for head trauma with descending transtentorial herniation, but without brainstem injury.