What Is a Parenchymal Hemorrhage?
An intraparenchymal hemorrhage is a blood clot that develops in the brain, according to the Stanford School of Medicine. Mayo Clinic defines it as a hematoma that occurs when blood pools in the brain.
Also known as an intracerebral hemorrhage, the haematoma typically results from a head trauma and normally takes the form of a bruise within the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic also notes that multiple intraparenchymal haematomas may result after a head trauma. A person of any age can get traumatic intraparenchymal hemorrhage and it is typically observed in the lower anterior parts of the brain, according to the Stanford School of Medicine.
Intraparenchymal hemorrhage may occur suddenly without any apparent cause, according to the Mayo Clinic. In such cases, the affected individuals normally have weakened blood vessels as a result of long term hypertension. Other causes of intraparenchymal hemorrhage include tumors, anticoagulant medication and brain lesions, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic notes that, as with most brain lesions, intraparenchymal hemorrhage may present with various symptoms, such as severe headache, seizures, memory loss and coma in cases that are severe.
According to the Stanford School of Medicine, diagnosis is usually by means of a CT scan and once intraparenchymal hemorrhage has been diagnosed, an MRI is performed to determine the possible presence of other lesions.
