I have and will always hail the amazing brain , everything in this world is to do with the brain. The human brain is very soft , its not as hard as ghee , but should be near vaseline in consistency.
Owing to its importance ,and very fragile nature , the brain is kept in a very hard and rigid container of bones called the skull , making it the most protected body organ in the universe
How Does The Body Respond To Injury ?
It really hurts to be insulted , even verbally , mood changes , we get annoyed , heart races faster , we yell , insult or fight back!
Have you noticed that any body part swells whenever there is injury ? , the magnitude of injury determines how bad the swelling gets.
Simply put , whatever is injured swells !
Brain Response To Injury (Stroke )
Stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is occluded or narrowed interfering with blood flow to the brain, thus brain injury.
Stroke may also be due to a ruptured blood vessel in the brain, causing bleeding into the brain.
Stroke patients have brain damage / injury / insult , we have already agreed that whatever is injured swells , the brain is not an exception.
One must and should understand that this very fragile brain is stored in hard rigid container ( skull bones ) , so if it must swell after a bad stroke , it needs space !
That is why it is important to understand that some ( definitely not all) stroke patients need emergency removal of part of the very rigid skull bones to give space for the brain to peacefully swell.
Having the skull of a loved one opened is not a casual matter , but allowing a very soft brain to swell in a non-open rigid skull only adds insult to injury.
Real Life Scenario
Apologies in advance , let us look at the brain CT scans of this quadragenarian , story was “ found unconscious in the bathroom ” , if you are curious why always the bathroom , so am i.
Big insult , Big stroke , we certainly need (not want) space for the brain to safely swell.
The damage here was extensive , patient did not make it , but is atleast raising awareness on the role of emergency skull opening in stroke , this much urgently needed surgery is what experts call “ decompressive craniectomy for stroke “.
At times , emergency skull opening tops a stroke patient’s needs , delaying or denying them one only fans the flames.
Some patients actually do well after emergency skull opening , the removed skull bone is safely stored in the abdomen (tummy) in most cases , that way we won’t lose this much later needed spare part ( removed skull bone). When the dust settles , the removed skull bone is placed back , something called cranioplasty.
The term cranioplasty actually should not cause any un-neccesary confusion , as cranioplasty = cranio + plasty ;
Cranio = Short form of cranium , with means skull.
Plasty = Repairing
So simply put cranioplasty is skull defect repairing , show-cased in the 3D picture of the skull below.
For those having trouble , yellow shows you the margins of the replaced skull bone.
Should you or the loved one ever be advised to under go emergency skull opening , do not delay to consent to one , stroke is a race against time.
Just like life , for stroke , we can only do what we have to do , timely – i must add.
