An interesting case of arterial trauma after craniocerebral injury

A 63-year-old drunken man fell and hit his head on the ground. Apart from symptoms of alcoholisation no signs of severe injuries were found. The man died 2 1/2 days after the accident. The autopsy revealed a huge fracture system in the right parietal region. A branch of the medial cerebral artery was stretched between the cortex and one of the fracture lines, passing through a tear in the dura. Characteristics of this case were that no larger hemorrhage was found and the artery which was torn from the cortex showed no lesions. The case also indicates the immense relative movements between skull and brain which occur during such trauma.