Clinical study of posterior fossa head injuries

Posterior fossa head injury is relatively less common and accounts for less than 3% of total head injuries. Among traumatic posterior fossa head injuries Extra Dural Hematoma is the most common, accounting for 10% of all Extra Dural Hematomas followed by sub dural haemorrhages (1% of head injuries) and sub-arachnoid haemorrhage with cerebellar contusion. In the days before the advent of CT scan, Posterior Fossa head injuries often escaped diagnosis in alive patients. It was very difficult to diagnose based on clinical examination alone. It is unfortunate as it is an easily preventable cause of mortality. The history of posterior fossa operations, as compared with the entire history of neurosurgical procedures, is relatively brief. This is not surprising, considering the vulnerability of the vital neural structures found in the posterior fossa. Surgical manipulation of the cerebellum, brainstem, and cranial nerves resulted in forbiddingly high mortality prior to the sophisticated techniques and operative environment available in the modern neurosurgical era. Even with the diminished risk associated with contemporary technological advancements, surgical procedures involving the posterior fossa continue to carry higher morbidity than elsewhere in the central nervous system.