Re: CAT scan -- fall or stroke?

Robert Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, 
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] says...
> > "Sparky" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> > > "madiba" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> > > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > > Mark Tarka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Anyone at all with a solution to the problem:
> > > > > brain injury due to a fall as opposed to an
> > > > > ischemic stroke -- is the answer correct --
> > > > > "ischemic lesion looks (very) different to
> > > > > the bleeding caused by a [ischemic] stroke"?
> > > > Oh for Pete's sake it was a typo, get over it.
> > > > If it wasn't for that attitude of yours I would have corrected it sooner
> > > > It should read:
> > > > "the ischemic lesion looks (very) different to the bleeding caused by a
> > > > fall". Those were the only two lesions being compared in that question.
> > > > Are all chemists so pedantic?
> > > > -- 
> > > > madiba
> > > 
> > > The simplest way to help differentiate these 2 conditions would be to look
> > > for the obvious - if there is new swelling of the scalp, or new # of the
> > > skull - and no other known pre-existing conditions - a person could start to
> > > lean towards the brain insult being of a traumatic nature.
> > > 
> > > Just a thought...
> > > 
> > >         Sparky
> > 
> > An old woman, pushed, or falling, against a wall
> > or to a carpeted floor from a standing position
> > and with a lack of sufficient Vit. C (a.k.a.
> > scurvey) might easily suffer bruising of the
> > skin or brain...?  A doctor or nurse dealing
> > with someone allegedly suffering from
> > Alzheimer's would never know, right?
> > 
> > Would a radiologist pick-up on the situation?
> 
> I am a little confused as to what exactly is the situation in question?

Yes, I wasn't precise enough with my words.

This is a hypothetical situation.  An elderly
person, standing, is pushed or falls to a 
carpeted floor hitting the head, is pushed or
falls against a wall hitting the head, is pushed
or falls and hits the head on a piece of padded
furniture.

No resulting sprains, fractures, or broken bones.

At some later time, say for a regular doctor's
visit, or even when a visiting nurse comes to
the person's home, and the elderly person had
been diagnosed as having Alzheimer's Disease,
someone notes in the records that the patient
seems worse (say, decreased cognitive function,
or confusion).

In the absense of a visible bruise on the skin
or scalp, these professionals might miss any
injury to the brain that could cause the elderly
person's condition to worsen somewhat.

Would a radiologist doing a CT be able to detect
a minor injury to the brain and attribute it to
a fall with enough confidence that a doctor could
take appropriate action?


  Mark