Rupture of several parasagittal bridging veins without subdural bleeding

This case reports on a fatal craniocerebral trauma involving numerous ruptured cerebral bridging veins that did not bleed subdurally, despite approximately 15 hours of survival. A 15-year-old girl was severely injured as the passenger of a car that crashed sideways into a tree. She-suffered a cerebral trauma of the "diffuse injury" type and was unconscious after the accident. Her computed tomographic scan at admission showed massive brain edema, axial herniation, and marked hypodensity of the bilateral carotid flow area. Despite intensive care measures, the clinical course was characterized by central decompensation with therapy-resistant cardiocirculatory insufficiency. The autopsy revealed ruptures of numerous parasagittal bridging veins. The injured vessels were not thrombosed, and yet there was absolutely no subdural bleeding. This unusual combination of findings is assumed to be caused by an isolated collapse of cerebral circulation occurring shortly after the accident and primarily attributed to a rapid increase of intracranial pressure.