Condition Specific Radiology: Subdural Hemorrhage

OVERVIEW

This page is dedicated to covering how a subdural hemorrhage will appear on different types of radiological imaging studies.

BASIC CHARACTERISTICS

A subdural hematoma/hemorrhage refers to bleeding that occurs in the space underneath the dura but above arachnoid membranes. It can occur either in the brain or the spinal cord.

Anatomical location of a subdural hematoma. Not the bridging vein that is torn leading to the venous bleeding in subdural space (source)

Here are some general radiological features of a subdural hemorrhage:

Shape: the characteristic description of the shape of a subdural hemorrhage is “crescent-shaped”.
Suture lines: the bleeding of a subdural hemorrhage will be able to cross the suture lines of the skull.

NON-CONTRAST HEAD CT SCAN

A non-contrast CT-scan is the preferred study used to evaluate for intracranial bleeding. Because of this, it is useful to appreciate how a subdural hemorrhage will appear on this scan. Make sure to review how to read non-contrast head CT scans, as well as the archive of unremarkable non-contrast head CT scans as a reference point.

The archive below organizes different examples of how a subdural hemorrhage will appear on a non-contrast head CT-scan. Click on the thumbnails below to view the archive.