There are several different types of brain injuries that a person could face after an accident or illness. One major type, the diffuse axonal injury, has already been discussed on this website. But another popular brain injury to be aware of is the focal brain injury. This type of brain injury could cause problems for your loved one if they sustain an injury, are in an accident, or face an illness. If you suspect that your loved one could have a focal brain injury, you can learn more about this type of issue here. Understanding the focal brain injury can equip you with the knowledge needed to help an injured loved one.
What is a Focal Brain Injury?
Unlike the diffuse axonal brain injury, the focal brain injury is confined to one part of the brain. This causes the brain tissue in one area of the brain to be damaged. Oftentimes, focal brain injuries occur as a result of a sharp blow to the head, a fall, assault, or a bullet wound. If your loved one was recently involved in a car accident or if they were involved in a fall, they could have a focal brain injury.
There are two major categories of focal brain injury to familiarize yourself with if you suspect that your loved one faces this issue. Focal brain injuries can be open injuries or closed injuries.
An open injury happens if something pierces the skull and reaches the brain tissue in the skull. This might happen in an assault, a work related accident, or a car accident.
A closed injury means that something has struck the head and caused the skull to press into the brain. In this case, nothing pierces through into the brain, but pressure on the skull causes it to move. This might happen during a fall or a car accident.
Focal brain injuries oftentimes result in bleeding or bruising of the brain. Bleeding can happen within the brain itself or within the skull. Bleeding within the skull is called hematoma or intracranial hemorrhage. Bruising in the brain in called a contusion.
Types of Focal Brain Injuries
While it is true that there are two major categories of focal brain injuries, doctors sometimes define focal brain injuries further by type. Common types that a doctor might consider in their diagnosis are:
- Cerebral contusion: This is a brain bruise that usually happens when the skull hits the brain
- Cerebral laceration: If the brain’s pia-arachnoid becomes lacerated, this is classified as a cerebral laceration
- Epidural hemorrhage: If the brain bleeds between the dura matter and the skull, this is considered an epidural hemorrhage
- Intracerebral hemorrhage: This is when bleeding occurs in the brain’s main tissue, also known as the cerebrum
- Intraventricular hemorrhage: This happens if bleeding occurs in the brain’s ventricles
- Subdural hemorrhage: This happens when bleeding happens between the dura matter and the brain arachnoid
Signs to Watch Out For
If your loved one was involved in an accident, they could have a focal brain injury. If you think that this might be the case, you need to watch for symptoms. Unfortunately, the symptoms for a focal brain injury can vary a lot, making it difficult to recognize and diagnose. Symptoms oftentimes differ based on which area of the brain is affected. But, some general symptoms to watch out for include:
- Difficulty staying awake
- Changes in behavior
- Numbness
- Slurred speech
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty speaking
- Sudden fear or depression
- Headaches
- Vision issues
- Ringing in the ears
Even if you think your loved one is ok, it is important to seek medical attention after an accident, especially an accident that could have affected the brain. Especially if you notice any of these symptoms, it is important to get help. A focal brain injury can be very serious if left untreated.
Getting Help
If your loved one sustains a head injury, go to the hospital or a doctor to seek help. They could have a focal brain injury or another type of brain injury. If your loved one is diagnosed with focal brain injury, knowing what they face can help you assist them during this difficult time. If you have additional questions, you can contact my office. I am happy to answer any questions that you have.
