Massive traumatic haematoma of the corpus callosum

Five unusual cases with massive haematoma of the corpus callosum caused by blunt head trauma are presented. Aside from the callosal haematomas, intraventricular and subarachnoid haemorrhages or small haemorrhagic foci in the basal ganglia or thalamus were common concomitant lesions on the computerized tomographic (CT) scan. The sites of the impacts were the frontal and occipital areas which were close to the midline and above the level of the corpus callosum. Severe and diffuse brain dysfunction was suggested by the severity of the Glasgow coma score (GCS) and the abnormality on multimodality evoked potentials. An intensive medical treatment such as barbiturate could be promising since a direct surgical approach was dubious because of additional damage to the severely injured brain.