Contrecoup Brain Injury

Contrecoup brain injury occurs at sites remote to the actual impact site on the head. The etiology and significance of this type of injury have been debated intermittently for centuries. The classic contrecoup injury involves a contusion remote from, and classically opposite to, the actual site of impact to the head. This model requires refinement to appreciate the variation in the actual sites of injury remote from the impact site. Contrecoup injury is a focal phenomenon and is unlike diffuse axonal injury or brain edema which may also result from trauma. Contrecoup injury has also been considered to play a role in visual abnormalities following minor head injuries.[1][2]