Intracranial hemorrhage
| Intracranial hemorrhage | |
|---|---|
| Axiali CT scan of a spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage | |
| Specialty | Emergency medicine |
| Symptoms | Same symptoms as ischemic stroke, but unconsciousness, headache, nausea, stiff neck, and seizures are more often in brain hemorrhages than ischemic strokes |
| Complications | Coma, persistent vegetative state, cardiac arrest (when bleeding is in the brain stem or is severe), death |
| Types | Intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, epidural bleed, subdural bleed |
| Causes | Stroke, head injury, ruptured aneurysm |
Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) refers to any form of bleeding within the skull. It can result from trauma, vascular abnormalities, hypertension, or other medical conditions. ICH is broadly categorized into several subtypes based on the location of the bleed: intracerebral hemorrhage (including intraparenchymal and intraventricular hemorrhages), subarachnoid hemorrhage, epidural hemorrhage, and subdural hematoma. Each subtype has distinct causes, clinical features, and treatment approaches.