Extradural haematoma and diffuse axonal injury in victims of fatal road traffic accidents.

Seven cases of victims of road traffic accidents with extradural haematoma (EH) and diffuse axonal injury (DAI) are reported. Such cases are part of a total of 120 victims of fatal road traffic accidents that were subjected to pathological study. The association of the two lesions occurred in 5.8% of the patients and all cases of EH were associated with DAI. The latter explains the immediate coma (absence of lucid interval) and the grave prognosis for all seven patients. It was noted that EH is relatively infrequent in road traffic accidents, but in such cases it is more severe since it is frequently associated with DAI and immediate coma.