March 29, 2024

Brain herniation: Symptoms, treatment, and more – Medical News Today

Brain herniation is a life threatening condition that can occur due to a head injury, stroke, or brain tumor. It requires immediate medical treatment.

Brain herniation, also known as cerebral herniation, happens when brain tissue changes position, creating more pressure inside the skull.

This article discusses the symptoms and causes of brain herniation. It also looks at the treatment options available, the potential complications, and a person’s outlook.

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Brain herniation is a life threatening condition that can occur due to a head injury, stroke, or brain tumor. It requires immediate medical treatment.

Brain herniation, also known as cerebral herniation, happens when brain tissue changes position, creating more pressure inside the skull.

This article discusses the symptoms and causes of brain herniation. It also looks at the treatment options available, the potential complications, and a person’s outlook.

Brain herniation happens when brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and blood move from their usual position inside the skull and create increased pressure within it.

It may occur due to a head injury, brain tumor, or stroke.

There are five different types of brain herniation, depending on the affected part of the brain:

  • Subfalcine: The cingulate gyrus, an arch-shaped section of the brain, pushes against the falx cerebri, a crescent-shaped section between the left and right sides of the brain. This is the most common type of brain herniation.
  • Transtentorial or uncal: A mass may squeeze the medial temporal lobe under and across a membrane called the tentorium.
  • Central: Both temporal lobes shift through an opening in the tentorium, called the tentorial notch.
  • Tonsillar herniation: A mass in the infratentorial area of the brain forces the cerebellar tonsils, small structures at the base of the brain, through the foramen magnum, an opening in the skull.
  • Upward herniation: A mass in the infratentorial area of the brain compresses the brain stem.

Some types of brain herniation, such as subfalcine herniation, may not initially present with severe symptoms. A person may experience:

Other symptoms of brain herniation may include: