Contrecoup Brain Injury

Contrecoup brain injury involves a contusion remote from, and classically opposite to, the actual site of impact to the head. Contrecoup, a French term, means counterblow. The first use of the contrecoup was made by Hippocrates to describe a fracture opposite to the point of impact. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, it has been occasionally referenced in the literature. Sometimes the term countercoup has been used. The etiology and significance of this type of injury have been discussed and debated for centuries. Contrecoup injury is a focal phenomenon and is unlike diffuse axonal injury or brain edema, which are extensive and may also result from trauma. Contrecoup injury has also been considered to play a role in visual abnormalities following minor head injuries.