A morphological study, macro and microscopical, was made of brain lesions in 120 victims of fatal road traffic accidents. Parahipoccampal hernia, Duret haemorrhage and infarction in the medio-basal occipital lobe, clear evidence of raised intracranial pressure, occurred in 43 (35.8%) patients. The increased intracranial pressure from the head injury is caused by brain swelling and by intracranial haematomas. In this series 3 cases of extradural haematomas (7.0%), 9 of subdural haematomas (20.9%), 6 of intracerebral haematomas (14%), 6 of burst lobe (14%) and 9 of brain swelling (20.9%) were observed.
head injury; road traffic accident; increased intracranial pressure
