clinical features
Last reviewed 02/2022
The effects develop gradually as bleeding is venous in origin and at low pressure.
General features include:
- fluctuating conscious level:
- there may be a history of gradual onset of headaches, memory loss, personality change, dementia, confusion and drowsiness
- symptoms vary from day to day with intervening lucid periods
- focal neurological signs - often, hemiparesis of the side ipsilateral to the lesion - a "false" localising sign
- aphasia - if the lesion is on the left side
Acute form:
- symptoms follow immediately from an identifiable injury
Chronic form:
- latent period of weeks or months before symptoms apparent
- greater extent of cerebral distortion and herniation than acute form as the brain can initially accommodate the developing mass lesion