Fourteen cases of traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage (TSAH) from the years
1985-1995 are described. Two of these cases, one paediatric and one involvi
ng controlled substances, are considered separately. All 14 cases are then
discussed together with the current literature with respect to: typical sub
ject, the circumstances and aetiology of injury, time interval between inju
ry and collapse, time of survival, the role of alcohol, the site of arteria
l rupture, and the methods recommended by other authors for the location of
such an injury. We conclude that TSAH is a poorly understood cause of sudd
en death; fuller research is needed to clarify aetiology. (C) 1999 Elsevier
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