Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2019 Feb 25;2019(2):omz002.
doi: 10.1093/omcr/omz002. eCollection 2019 Feb.

Complete early regression of asymptomatic hindbrain herniation caused by minor head trauma

Christina Ble  1 , Parmenion P Tsitsopoulos  1 , Maria Sidiropoulou  2 , Anna Karakouti  1 , Christos Tsonidis  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Complete early regression of asymptomatic hindbrain herniation caused by minor head trauma

Christina Ble et al. Oxf Med Case Reports. .

Abstract

Very few cases of cerebellar tonsillar herniation resulting from head trauma have previously been reported. We present a case of an 11-month-old girl who suffered a minor head trauma. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the head showed an occipital bone fracture and blood in the fourth ventricle. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain 2 days later revealed cerebellar edema and displacement of the cerebellar tonsils 6 mm below the foramen magnum. She was discharged from the hospital without neurological deficits. Repeat brain MRI scan, 1 month after trauma, demonstrated complete regression of the hindbrain herniation. During the hospital stay and at follow-up, no symptoms and signs related to posterior fossa involvement were noted.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Computed tomography (CT) scan of the head following traumatic brain injury showing blood in the fourth ventricle.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showing (left): diffuse hemorrhage and edema in the cerebellar tonsils (right): displacement of cerebellar tonsils 6 mm below foramen magnum.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain 1 month following injury showing (left): absence of hemorrhage and edema in the cerebellum (right): complete regression of cerebellar tonsillar herniation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Spina A, Boari N, Gagliardi F, Donofrio CA, Mortini P. Sudden onset of Chiari malformation type 1 in a young child after trauma. Childs Nerv Syst 2015;31:1589–94. 10.1007/s00381-015-2736-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ogrenci A, Koban O, Eksi M, Yaman O, Dalbayrak S. Traumatic transient herniation concomitant with tonsillar hemorrhagic contusion in a child. Open Access Maced J Med Sci 2017;5:771–3. 10.3889/oamjms.2017.167. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Serlin Y, Benifla M, Shelef I. Tonsillar contusion associated with benign tonsillar ectopia following minor head trauma. Childs Nerv Syst 2016;32:881–5. 10.1007/s00381-015-2924-y. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Massimi L, Della Pepa GM, Caldarelli M, Di Rocco C. Abrupt clinical onset of Chiari type I/syringomyelia complex: clinical and physiopathological implications. Neurosurg Rev 2012;35:321–9; discussion 9. 10.1007/s10143-012-0391-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Couldwell WT, Zhang W, Allen R, Arce D, Stillerman CB. Cerebellar contusion associated with type I Chiari malformation following supratentorial head trauma: case report. Neurol Res 1998;20:93–6. - PubMed

Publication types