title: [Cerebral contusion in victims of fatal traffic accidents. Frequency and association with other craniocerebral lesions].
abstract: A morphological study, macro and microscopical, was made of brain lesions in 120 victims of fatal road traffic accidents. Contusions of the brain were identified in 67 (55.8%) of the patients. The contusions especially affected the orbital surfaces of the frontal lobes (27.8%) and the temporal poles (19.8%). The recent brain contusion was associated with a skull fracture in 70.1% of the cases and with a diffuse axonal injury in 89.5%. These can be explained by the association of contact and inertia from the road traffic accidents. Old contusions were identified in six patients (5.0%).
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Anatomia Patológica e Medicina Legal, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Pittella
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Gusmão
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D001369:Axons / Q000473:pathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male