EARLY DYNAMICS OF ACUTE EXTRADURAL AND SUBDURAL HEMATOMAS

In a retrospective study volumes of 42 extradural and 102 subdural tra umatic hematomas were evaluated. Results were related with the time in terval between injury and initial CT scan, outcome, coma grade and sub ject age. Mean volumes were found to increase with time after the inju ry. In the first hour volumes of 8 intracranial hematomas were hardly space consuming, while they became clearly space consuming in the seco nd and in later hours after the injury. It was therefore concluded tha t it should not take longer than one hour until a CT scan be performed when an intracranial post-traumatic hematoma is suspected in the coma tose patient.