Unusual fatality: Pontine Hemorrhage - bleeding out at the brain stem

Saw a weird trauma case: Pontine Hemorrhage....almost always fatal, but some drainage surgeries work.


Here are the surgeries:

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01809107?LI=true

Acta Neurochirurgica

1971, Volume 25, Issue 3-4, pp 269-276

Primary pontine haemorrhage revealed by pneumoencephalo-roulette tomography, and a report on surgically treated cases

• M. Kowada, 
• Z. Ito, 
• Sh. Matsuoka, 
• K. Yamaguchi

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Summary

Pneumoencephalo-roulette tomography has been carried out in seven cases of primary pontine haemorrhage. An extensive mass lesion has been distinctly visualized in all cases during life without any severe complications.

An intrapontine haematoma has been removed in a 47-year-old male, and a ventriculo-atrial shunt has been done in a 41-year-old male. These two surgically treated patients have survived primary pontine haemorrhage. Eight cases of successful surgical approach to intrapontine haematoma have been previously reported in the literature.