Head Injury Center - St. Louis, MOWebMD Physician DirectorySt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri.
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Head InjuryRead the Head Injury article » Head injury introductionHead injuries are one of the most common causes of death and disability in the United States. Every year, almost a quarter million people are hospitalized because of traumatic injuries to the brain, and 50,000 people die. As well, 80-90,000 people sustain long-term or lifelong disabilities because of a brain injury each year. Children are not excluded, with more than 2,500 deaths and almost a half million emergency department visits per year for head injuries. Blows to the head most often cause brain injury, it is important to remember that the face and jaw are located in the front of the head. Brain injury may also be associated with injuries to these structures. It is also important to note that a head injury does not always mean that there is also a brain injury. The brain is a rather soft, pliable material almost jelly-like in feel, and is surrounded by a thin layer of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The brain is surrounded by thin layers of tissue called the meninges; 1) the pia mater, 2) the arachnoid mater, and 3) the dura mater. The CSF is present in the space beneath the arachnoid layer called the subarachnoid space. The dura mater is very thick and has septae, or partitions, that help support the brain in the skull. The septae attach to the inner lining of the bones of the skull. The dura mater also helps support the large veins that return blood from the brain to the heart. The spaces between the meninges are usually very small but they can fill with blood when trauma occurs, and this build-up of blood can potentially press into the brain tissue and cause damage. The skull protects the brain from trauma but it does not absorb any of the impact from a blow. Direct blows may cause fractures of the skull; there can be a contusion or bruising and bleeding to the brain tissue directly beneath the injury site. However, the brain can bounce aro... Recommended Reading Related to Head InjuryIdiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) » What is Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)?Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a bleeding condition in which the blood doesn't clot as it should. This is due to a low number of blood cell fragments called platelets (PLATE-lets). Platelets also are called thrombocytes (THROM-bo-sites). They're made in your bone marrow along with other kinds of blood cells. Platelets stick together (clot) to seal small cuts or breaks on blood vessel walls and stop bleeding. "Idiopathic" (id-ee-o-PATH-ick) means that the cause of the condition isn't known. "Thrombocytopenic" (throm-bo-cy-toe-PEE-nick) means there's a lower than normal number of platelets in the blood. "Purpura" (PURR-purr-ah) refers to purple bruises caused by bleeding under the skin. Overview of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) People who have ITP often have purple bruises that appear on the skin or on the mucous membranes (for example, in the mouth).... Read the Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) article » Other Related Head Injury ArticlesEmergency Contact for St. Louis
Nearby St. Louis Hospitals * SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center  St Louis VA Medical Center John Cochran Division  Saint Louis University Hospital  The Rehabilitation Institute of St Louis  St Louis Children's Hospital  Barnes-Jewish Hospital South Campus  Barnes-Jewish Hospital North Campus  Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital  Kindred Hospital St Louis  St Alexius Hospital Broadway Campus  St Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center  Metropolitan St Louis Psychiatric Center  Forest Park Community Hospital  Select Specialty Hospital St Louis  SSM Rehab  SSM St Mary's Health Center  Gateway Regional Medical Center  Hawthorn Children's Psychiatric Hospital  Touchette Regional Hospital  St Louis VA Medical Center Jefferson Barracks  Shriners Hospital for Children  Christian Hospital NE  Memorial Hospital Belleville  Kindred Hospital St Anthony's  St Anthony's Medical Center  Northwest HealthCare  Ranken Jordan Pediatric Rehabilitation  Missouri Baptist Medical Center  St John's Mercy Medical Center  Des Peres Hospital  Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital  St Elizabeth's Hospital Belleville  SSM DePaul Health Center  Dubuis Hospital of St Louis  St Luke's Urgent Care Center in Fenton  SSM St Clare Health Center  St Luke's Hospital  Anderson Hospital  St John's Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital  SSM St Joseph Health Center  St Clare's Hospital  Alton Memorial Hospital  St Anthony's Health Center  St Luke's Urgent Care Center on Clarkson Road  Barnes-Jewish St Peter's Hospital  St John's Urgent Care Center Saint Peters  Center Pointe Hospital  St Luke's Urgent Care Center in St Charles  St John's Mercy Urgent Care Center  Jefferson Regional Medical Center  Progress West HealthCare Center  St Luke's Urgent Care Center at WingHaven  St Joseph's Hospital of Highland  Red Bud Regional Hospital  SSM St Joseph Hospital West  Jersey Community Hospital Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
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Concussion
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Coma
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Internal Bleeding
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Hematoma
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Black Eye
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Hemophilia
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Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)
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