Head injury may result in any combination of skull fracture, parenchymal injury, and/or vascular injury. All of these have different consequences.
A. Classification of traumatic injuries.
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Trauma may produce closed or open head injuries.
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Injuries may be penetrating or blunt. Penetrating injuries are always open head injuries. In blunt trauma nothing penetrates through the skull, but there may be severe damage.
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Skull fractures may be depressed or non-depressed
B. Mechanisms of damage in closed-head injury
1. Linear acceleration or deceleration of head
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coup lesions (directly beneath impact),
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contrecoup lesions (direct opposite the site of impact),
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intermediary coup lesions
