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Head Injuries

Also called: Cranial injuries, Skull fractures, Skull injuries

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Basics

Summary
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Diagnosis and Tests
Treatments and Therapies

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Specifics

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Summary

Chances are you've bumped your head before. Often, the injury is minor because your skull is hard and it protects your brain. But other head injuries can be more severe, such as a skull fracture, concussion, or traumatic brain injury.

Head injuries can be open or closed. A closed injury does not break through the skull. With an open, or penetrating, injury, an object pierces the skull and enters the brain. Closed injuries are not always less severe than open injuries.

Some common causes of head injuries are falls, motor vehicle accidents, violence, and sports injuries.

It is important to know the warning signs of a moderate or severe head injury. Get help immediately if the injured person has:

A headache that gets worse or does not go away
Repeated vomiting or nausea
Convulsions or seizures
An inability to wake up
Dilated (enlarged) pupil in one or both eyes
Slurred speech
Weakness or numbness in the arms or legs
Loss of coordination
Increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation

Doctors use a neurologic exam and imaging tests to make a diagnosis. Treatment depends on the type of injury and how severe it is.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Start Here

Head Injuries (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Overview of Head Injuries (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Brain MRI (Head MRI) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Head CT (Computed Tomography, CAT Scan) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Ultrasound: Head (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Head Trauma, First Aid (VisualDX)
Head Trauma: First Aid (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Bump on the Head: When Is It a Serious Head Injury? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Craniocerebral Trauma (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Head Injuries (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Skull Fractures (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

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Children

Head Injuries (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Head Injury: What to Do if Your Child Loses Consciousness (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Head injury - first aid (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Skull fracture (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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