[Quantification of cerebral contusions using the contusion index]

The submitted results provide evidence that calculation of the contusion index (CI) for objective expression of the extent and depth of cerebral contusion is very suitable for various comparative studies. The authors assessed, using the CI the influence of direction, site of violent action, and age on the extent and depth of cerebral contusion in different types of head injuries. Consistent with the literature, the greatest contusion developed in areas of the frontal and temporal lobes. In case of violence from the back and from the side, in subjects above 50 years of age the CI of contusion par contrecoup was markedly greater than at the site of violence. The highest CI of the whole brain was in case of violence from the side. During falls from major heights or walking during alcohol intoxication the contusion was worse than in casualties during traffic accidents where pedestrians predominated. Fractures of the skull in junior subjects occurred only after an intensity which at the same time led also to the development of more extensive and deeper contusion as compared with older subjects where CI in fractures of the skull and intracranial haemorrhage were markedly smaller.