[Characteristics of the process of brain stem compression in the acute period of cranio-cerebral injury].

Proceeding from an analysis of 520 cases of surgery for acute and subacute intracranial haematomas, the author concludes that the process of brain compression is characterized by the tempo, degree and duration that are interrelated. A slow tempo of compression may bring about a significant degree and duration of the compression, with the compression-dislocation syndrome being rather indistinct, which is not observed in cases of a fast tempo. The degree of compression is determined not only by the size of the haematoma, but also by the severity of the contusion and oedema of the brain, by the size of the reserve intracranial spaces, etc. The duration of an acutely developing significant brain compression is a decisive factor in the success of a surgical management of a haematoma. The severity of brain contusion affects various aspects of the compression process--its tempo, degree, and --indirectly--duration.