Contrecoup Trauma Essay

Contrecoup trauma is a kind of injury that occurs on the opposite side of the brain when the skull hits a stationary object. The trauma that appears where the head hits an object is called a coup trauma. It is worth mentioning that a coup trauma is often a result of a moving object hitting a stationary head whereas contrecoup trauma occurs when a moving head hits a stationary object. This kind of brain injury is known to be focal which means that a specific part of the brain is being affected by it contrary to a diffuse injury which affects an area of the brain. The mechanism of contrecoup trauma is not explored in details. Some believe that it is primarily caused by abrupt deceleration of the brain and the resulting inertia (Stoler & Hill, 2013). Others note that the density of cerebrospinal fluid could explain the reason why a trauma occurs on the opposite side of the brain (Kaufman, 2017). There is also a point of view which states that when the skull bends inwards as a result of a hit, it propels the brain to the opposite side of the skull and it bounced off. In the majority of the cases, lower parts of the frontal lobes as well as front parts of the temporal lobes are affected by this kind of injury. However, a trauma that features a similar mechanism can also occur in other parts of the body such as the lungs, the lens of the eyes as well as bones. That is why it is the unique nature of the injury that should be taken into consideration.Contrecoup Trauma Essay Example