Secondary Growth of a Primary Brain Tissue Necrosis from a Focal Lesion

Traumatic brain injury is associated with the development of secondary brain damage, such as brain edema, intracranial hypertension, and cerebral ischemia [1]. A novel aspect is that a primary necrosis of brain parenchyma evolving from a focal cerebral insult may be subjected to secondary growth. Experiments utilizing different methods of brain injury have consistently confirmed an increase in size of the resulting tissue necrosis within 24 h, amounting to 50% in rats [3, 7, 10] and even 300% in rabbits [11]. It is not clear yet, however, whether the phenomenon reflects a delayed but irreversible primary process which is resistant to treatment or a manifestation of secondary brain damage, t…