Traumatic Basal Ganglia Hemorrhage Following Motor Vehicle Accident: A Case Report

Ertuğrul, Bilal; Akçin, İsmail

doi:doi:10.34172/jept.1789

Traumatic Basal Ganglia Hemorrhage Following Motor Vehicle Accident: A Case Report

Document Type : Case Report

Authors

Bilal Ertuğrul

İsmail Akçin

Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Firat University, Elazığ, Türkiye

https://doi.org/doi:10.34172/jept.1789

Abstract

Introduction: Traumatic basal ganglia hemorrhage is a rare phenomenon compared with spontaneous hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. We aimed to present a rare case of traumatic basal ganglia hemorrhage following a motor vehicle accident and discuss its clinical and radiological features.
Case Presentation: A 59-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department after a motor vehicle accident with confusion and left-sided weakness. Her Glasgow Coma Scale score was 12. Cranial computed tomography revealed a right basal ganglia hematoma measuring approximately 26 × 20 mm without midline shift or intraventricular hemorrhage. The patient was managed conservatively with antiedema treatment and close neurological follow-up. Follow-up imaging demonstrated gradual hematoma resolution, and the patient recovered without neurological deficit.
Conclusion: Traumatic basal ganglia hemorrhage is an uncommon form of traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Careful differentiation from spontaneous hypertensive hemorrhage is essential. Conservative management may provide favorable outcomes in patients without significant mass effect or neurological deterioration.

Keywords

Basal ganglia hemorrhage

Traumatic brain injury

Intracerebral hemorrhage

Motor vehicle accident

Subjects

Trauma

1. Rajashekar D, Liang JW. Intracerebral hemorrhage. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2025.
2. Adams JH, Doyle D, Graham DI, Lawrence AE, McLellan DR. Deep intracerebral (basal ganglia) haematomas in fatal nonmissile head injury in man. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry
1986;49(9):1039-43. doi:10.1136/jnnp.49.9.1039
3. Boto GR, Lobato RD, Rivas JJ, Gomez PA, de la Lama A, Lagares A. Basal ganglia hematomas in severely head injured patients: clinicoradiological analysis of 37 cases. J Neurosurg
2001;94(2):224-32. doi:10.3171/jns.2001.94.2.0224
4. Bhargava P, Grewal SS, Gupta B, Jain V, Sobti H. Traumatic bilateral basal ganglia hematoma: a report of two cases. Asian J Neurosurg 2012;7(3):147-50. doi:10.4103/1793-5482.103725
5. Kang JK, Park CK, Kim MC, Kim DS, Song JU. Traumatic isolated intracerebral hemorrhage in children. Childs Nerv Syst 1989;5(5):303-6. doi:10.1007/bf00274518
6. Li JL, Yu CJ. Diagnosis and treatment of traumatic basal ganglia hemorrhage. Chin J Neurosurg 2006;22:83-5.
7. Lindenberg R. Significance of the tentorium in head injuries from blunt forces. Clin Neurosurg 1964;12:129-42. doi:10.1093/neurosurgery/12.cn_suppl_1.129
8. Maki Y, Akimoto H, Enomoto T. Injuries of basal ganglia following head trauma in children. Childs Brain 1980;7(3):113-23. doi:10.1159/000119936
9. Kinoshita Y, Yasukouchi H, Harada A, Tsuru E, Okudera T. [Case report of traumatic hemorrhage from the anterior choroidal artery]. No Shinkei Geka 2008;36(10):891-4.[Japanese].
10. Vega MB, Hamamoto Filho PT, de Jiácomo Machado C, Zanini MA. Traumatic brain injury presenting with bilateral basal ganglia hemorrhage. Neurol Neurochir Pol 2015;49(6):456-9.
doi:10.1016/j.pjnns.2015.09.001
11. Kankane VK, Gupta TK, Jaiswal G. Traumatic bilateral basal ganglia bleed: a report of rare two cases and review of the literature. Asian J Neurosurg 2016;11(4):457. doi:10.4103/1793-5482.175646
12. Reddy MS, Beniwal H, Karla R, Gollapudi PR. Posttraumatic bilateral basal ganglia bleed: a report of three extremely rare cases. Indian J Neurosurg 2019;8(2):133-6. doi:10.1055/s-0039-1694850
13. Lee BH. Bilateral traumatic basal ganglia hemorrhage. Radiol Case Rep 2020;15(10):1901-4. doi:10.1016/j.radcr.2020.07.064
14. Anh TN, Thi HN, Duc TN. Isolated bilateral, large, basal ganglia haemorrhage following a traumatic brain injury: a case report. J Int Med Res 2022;50(3):3000605221087060.
doi:10.1177/03000605221087060
15. Watanabe G, Conching A, Ogasawara C, Chavda V, Bin- Alamer O, Haider AS, et al. Bilateral basal ganglia hemorrhage: a systematic review of etiologies, management strategies,
and clinical outcomes. Neurosurg Rev 2023;46(1):135.doi:10.1007/s10143-023-02044-x