A Brief Survey of the Development of Brain Displacement Theory. Terminology

Abstract

In the presence of focal pathological processes such as tumors, abscesses, and hemorrhages of various etiology, there is an increase in volume of the cranial contents delimited by rigid walls—by the dura mater and the bony skeleton. This leads to an increase and redistribution of pressure in the various sections of the intracranial space entailing compression, displacement, and deformation of various parts of the brain not only in the vicinity of, but also at a distance from, the main focus of lesion, which in turn leads to secondary circulatory disturbances and regional edema.