Traumatic bilateral (mirror image) basal ganglia bleed

Abstract

Bilateral traumatic hemorrhage of the basal ganglia is an extremely rare neuropathologic entity. Hematomas of the basal ganglia in head injury have long been recognized with an interest but their mechanism has not been revealed clearly. It is presumed to be secondary to rupture of the lenticulostriate or anterior choroidal artery by shearing as a result of acceleration/deceleration forces. Outcome of traumatic basal ganglia haemorrhage (TBGH) appears favourable unless it is large or associated with coagulation disorders or when it is associated with other intracranial injuries such as diffuse axonal injury, cerebral contusion etc. We present a rare case of 42 yrs old male with isolated bilateral (mirror-image) traumatic basal ganglia bleed. Mechanism, clinical features and management is discussed and available literature reviewed.

Keywords

basal ganglia - contusion - head injury - hemorrhage - traumatic brain injury

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