Bilateral traumatic hemorrhage of the basal ganglia is an extremely rare neuropathologic
entity. Hematomas of the basal ganglia in head injury have long been recognized with
an interest but their mechanism has not been revealed clearly. It is presumed to be
secondary to rupture of the lenticulostriate or anterior choroidal artery by shearing
as a result of acceleration/deceleration forces. Outcome of traumatic basal ganglia
haemorrhage (TBGH) appears favourable unless it is large or associated with coagulation
disorders or when it is associated with other intracranial injuries such as diffuse
axonal injury, cerebral contusion etc. We present a rare case of 42 yrs old male with
isolated bilateral (mirror-image) traumatic basal ganglia bleed. Mechanism, clinical
features and management is discussed and available literature reviewed.
Keywords
basal ganglia - contusion - head injury - hemorrhage - traumatic brain injury
