Development of Medical Adjunctive Treatment Acute Penetrating Head Injury.

摘要

Head injury is the principal cause of death and disability in young adults today. While it is a major cause of combat mortality and accounts for a significant proportion of combat casualty care resources, young survivors nevertheless may have a relatively good prognosis. Acute intracranial debridement of missile tracts has been the traditionally accepted management for patients with penetrating brain injuries, but more recent experience has questioned the need and value of this approach in most cases. At the same time, delayed secondary injury mediated by a variety of biochemical changes has come to be recognized as a major contributor to mortality and morbidity after head trauma. The principal objective of this clinical project is to develop medial adjunctive treatments for this secondary injury that will not only minimize or delay the need for extensive surgery in the area of missile penetration and minimize ultimate tissue loss, but can also be used to manage inaccessible lesions and more diffuse secondary injury not amenable to surgery. Keywords: Neurosurgery; Cellular pathophysiology; Acute penetration; Therapeutic modalities. (js)