An intracranial epidural hematoma is when blood collects or pools together between the skull and the outermost protective layer of the brain, the dura mater. In most cases, intracranial epidural hematomas occur when you burst a blood vessel inside your head. They typically happen due to an accident that results in head trauma.
Intracranial epidural hematomas can happen at any time to anyone, but some form of head trauma is usually involved. Any type of internal bleeding is dangerous, but bleeding between the brain and skull is especially serious. Intracranial epidural hematomas require immediate diagnosis and treatment, or they could prove fatal.
In most cases, the only way that a blood vessel can burst inside your head is if you sustain a head injury. This can happen from a car accident, a sports injury, running into an object, or anything else where you forcefully hit your head. In most cases, people will lose consciousness after the blow that causes an intracranial epidural hematoma.
Depending on the severity of the head trauma, you will either regain consciousness or remain unconscious and slip into a coma. The severity of the head trauma will also determine how quickly signs and symptoms manifest. Here’s what to watch out for if you suspect you or someone you know has an intracranial epidural hematoma.
It can be minutes or hours between the head trauma and the first onset of symptoms. However, if someone displays several of the above symptoms, they require medical assistance.
Three-quarters of intracranial epidural hematomas are caused when someone suffers severe head trauma. However, not all hits to the head result in this type of condition. Additionally, there are rare cases where someone can develop an intracranial epidural hematoma despite not sustaining a head injury.
Here are a few additional risk factors that increase your risk of an intracranial epidural hematoma.
Elderly people tend to bruise easier than young adults. As a result, they don’t have to get hit in the head as hard as young adults to sustain an intracranial epidural hematoma.
Intracranial epidural hematomas are more common in people with previous head injuries.
While symptoms are helpful when diagnosing an intracranial epidural hematoma, imaging tests will confirm a diagnosis. CT scans, MRIs, and angiograms are the most effective tests for diagnosing any form of internal bleeding. These imaging tests will give your doctor a look inside your skull, and they will easily be able to see if there’s bleeding. Imaging tests will also tell your doctor where the bleeding is taking place and how severe it is.
Surgery is the only way to treat an intracranial epidural hematoma. However, if you have a very small, minor hematoma that isn’t causing symptoms, your doctor may advise you not to remove it, as surgery can do more harm than good. If you forgo surgery, it’s important to watch out for symptoms that may arise later and seek medical assistance.
If your doctor advises surgery, they will perform either a craniotomy or surgical drainage. Surgical drainage is where your doctor makes a tiny hole in your skull, allowing the blood to drain. A craniotomy is more in-depth and will require your doctor to remove a small part of your skull to manually remove the blood.
Following the surgery, you may receive medications to help reduce pain and inflammation. Intracranial epidural hematomas are manageable as long as you seek a timely diagnosis and ensuing treatment.