Head Injury Treatment in Hyderabad
Expert neurosurgical management of traumatic brain injuries, skull fractures, brain bleeds, and concussions — with round-the-clock emergency surgical capability at Yashoda Hospital, Malakpet. Dr. Sayuj Krishnan and the neurotrauma team are available 24/7.
If someone has a head injury — act fast
Call 108 (Telangana Emergency) or +91 9778280044 immediately if the person is unconscious, having seizures, vomiting repeatedly, or showing weakness on one side. Do not move someone with a suspected neck injury. Keep their head and neck still and wait for trained responders. Time is brain — every minute matters in severe head injury.
Types of Head Injuries We Treat
Head injuries span a wide spectrum from mild concussions to life-threatening brain bleeds. Understanding the type of injury guides the urgency and nature of treatment.
Concussion
Severity: Mild
A temporary disruption of brain function caused by a blow to the head. The brain is shaken inside the skull, causing symptoms like headache, dizziness, and confusion. CT scans are usually normal. Most patients recover fully with rest, but repeated concussions carry cumulative risk.
Cerebral Contusion
Severity: Moderate to Severe
Bruising of the brain tissue itself, often beneath the point of impact (coup injury) or on the opposite side (contrecoup). Contusions can enlarge over the first 24 to 72 hours and may require surgical evacuation if they cause significant mass effect or neurological deterioration.
Skull Fracture
Severity: Variable
A break in the cranial bone. Linear fractures usually heal on their own. Depressed fractures — where bone is pushed inward — may require surgical elevation to relieve pressure on the brain. Skull base fractures can cause cerebrospinal fluid leaks and cranial nerve injuries.
Epidural Hematoma
Severity: Emergency
Bleeding between the skull bone and the dura (outer brain covering), usually from a torn middle meningeal artery. Classically presents with a brief period of consciousness followed by rapid deterioration. This is a neurosurgical emergency — prompt craniotomy is life-saving.
Subdural Hematoma
Severity: Emergency / Urgent
Bleeding between the dura and the brain surface. Acute subdural hematomas (within hours) are among the most dangerous head injuries with high mortality. Chronic subdural hematomas (developing over weeks) are common in elderly patients and those on blood thinners, and typically require burr-hole drainage.
Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI)
Severity: Severe
Widespread shearing of nerve fibres throughout the brain caused by rotational or deceleration forces, most commonly seen in high-speed motor vehicle accidents. DAI often causes prolonged unconsciousness and carries a guarded prognosis. Management is primarily supportive with ICU care.
Warning Signs of a Serious Head Injury
These red-flag symptoms indicate a potentially life-threatening brain injury. If any of these are present — even hours after the initial injury — seek emergency medical attention immediately.
How Head Injuries Are Diagnosed
Rapid and accurate diagnosis is the cornerstone of head injury management. At Yashoda Hospital, our emergency department is equipped with round-the-clock imaging and a dedicated neurotrauma team to ensure no critical finding is missed.
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) Assessment
The GCS is the internationally standardised scale for assessing consciousness after head injury. It evaluates eye opening, verbal response, and motor response on a scale of 3 (deep coma) to 15 (fully alert). GCS guides the urgency of intervention: a score of 8 or below indicates severe injury requiring intubation and likely surgery; 9 to 12 is moderate; and 13 to 15 is mild.
CT Scan of the Brain
A non-contrast CT scan is the first-line imaging investigation for all significant head injuries. It is fast (completed in minutes), widely available, and reliably identifies skull fractures, intracranial bleeding (epidural, subdural, intracerebral, or subarachnoid haemorrhage), brain contusions, midline shift, and hydrocephalus. Serial CT scans are often performed in the first 24 to 48 hours to detect evolving injuries.
MRI Brain
MRI is more sensitive than CT for detecting diffuse axonal injury, small contusions, and posterior fossa lesions. It is typically performed once the patient is stabilised, as MRI requires the patient to remain still for a longer period. MRI is particularly valuable in patients whose neurological status does not match the CT findings — for example, a deeply unconscious patient with a near-normal CT may have extensive DAI visible only on MRI.
Intracranial Pressure (ICP) Monitoring
In patients with severe traumatic brain injury (GCS 8 or below with an abnormal CT scan), a small pressure sensor is placed inside the skull — either through a bolt (intraparenchymal monitor) or into the ventricle (external ventricular drain, which also allows therapeutic drainage of cerebrospinal fluid). Continuous ICP monitoring guides medical and surgical decisions to keep brain pressure below 22 mmHg, the threshold above which secondary brain damage accelerates.
Treatment Options for Head Injuries
Treatment ranges from careful observation and medication to emergency open surgery, depending on the type, location, and size of the injury and the patient's neurological condition.
Conservative (Non-Surgical) Management
Patients with mild concussions, small contusions, linear skull fractures without depression, or small intracranial collections that are not causing brain compression are managed conservatively. This involves admission to the neurosurgical ward or ICU for close neurological monitoring (repeated GCS assessments, pupil checks), serial CT scans to ensure the injury is not evolving, medications to reduce brain swelling (mannitol, hypertonic saline), anti-epileptic drugs for seizure prophylaxis when indicated, pain management, and nutrition support. The patient is watched closely for any signs of deterioration that would trigger surgical intervention.
Surgical Interventions
Craniotomy for Hematoma Evacuation
The most common emergency neurosurgical procedure for head injuries. A section of the skull is temporarily removed to access and evacuate an epidural or subdural hematoma (blood clot). The bleeding source is identified and controlled, the clot is removed, and the bone flap is replaced. For acute subdural hematomas, surgery within 4 hours of injury significantly improves survival rates.
Decompressive Craniectomy
When the brain is swelling dangerously and intracranial pressure cannot be controlled with medication, a large portion of the skull bone is removed to give the swollen brain room to expand outward rather than herniating downward through the skull base. The bone flap is stored (either in the patient's abdominal wall or in a bone bank) and replaced 3 to 6 months later in a second procedure called cranioplasty.
Depressed Skull Fracture Elevation
When a skull fracture pushes bone fragments inward by more than the thickness of the skull, surgical elevation is indicated. The depressed bone is lifted back to its normal position, loose fragments are removed, and any underlying dural tears are repaired. This prevents ongoing compression of the brain tissue and reduces the risk of infection and post-traumatic epilepsy.
Burr-Hole Drainage (Chronic Subdural Hematoma)
For chronic subdural hematomas — collections of old liquefied blood that accumulate slowly, typically in elderly patients — one or two small holes (burr holes) are drilled in the skull, and the collection is drained. This is a less invasive procedure than a full craniotomy and is often performed under local anaesthesia. Most patients show rapid neurological improvement after drainage.
Emergency Neurosurgery at Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad
Yashoda Hospital Malakpet is a NABH-accredited tertiary-care centre with a Level I trauma setup. The neurosurgery department is equipped to handle the full spectrum of head injuries — from mild concussions to polytrauma with severe brain injury — around the clock, every day of the year.
24/7 Neurosurgical Team on Call
A consultant neurosurgeon, anaesthesiologist, and trained neurosurgical nursing staff are available at all hours. Critical cases are taken to the operating theatre within 60 minutes of arrival in the emergency department.
Round-the-Clock CT and MRI
Advanced multi-slice CT scanner available in the emergency department for immediate brain imaging. MRI is available for detailed evaluation once the patient is stabilised.
Dedicated Neurosurgical ICU
Equipped with continuous intracranial pressure monitoring, ventilatory support, targeted temperature management, and nurse-to-patient ratios appropriate for critically ill brain-injured patients.
Neurorehabilitation Support
In-house physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy teams work with head-injury patients from the ICU phase itself, improving functional outcomes and reducing disability.
Recovery and Rehabilitation After Head Injury
Recovery from a head injury is not limited to the surgical procedure or the hospital stay. The brain continues to heal and reorganise for months to years after the initial injury, and structured rehabilitation plays a critical role in maximising functional recovery.
Neurorehabilitation begins in the ICU itself — with passive limb exercises, chest physiotherapy, and early mobilisation as soon as the patient is medically stable. After discharge, a comprehensive rehabilitation programme is tailored to each patient's specific deficits and may include physiotherapy for motor weakness and balance, occupational therapy for activities of daily living, speech and language therapy for communication and swallowing difficulties, and neuropsychological rehabilitation for cognitive and behavioural problems.
Family education and support are integral to the recovery process. Caregivers are trained in safe transfers, positioning, feeding techniques, and how to recognise signs of complications such as hydrocephalus or seizures. Dr. Sayuj Krishnan and the neurotrauma team provide structured follow-up at defined intervals to monitor recovery milestones, adjust medications, and decide the timing of cranioplasty for patients who have undergone decompressive craniectomy.
Typical Recovery Timeline
| Injury Severity | Hospital Stay | Recovery Period |
|---|---|---|
| Mild concussion | Observation (24 hrs) or outpatient | 1 to 4 weeks |
| Moderate (contusion, small hematoma) | 5 to 14 days | 2 to 6 months |
| Severe (large hematoma, DAI) | 2 to 8 weeks (incl. ICU) | 6 to 18+ months |
| Decompressive craniectomy | 3 to 8 weeks | 6 to 18+ months + cranioplasty at 3-6 months |
Pediatric Head Injuries
Head injuries are one of the leading causes of emergency department visits in children. Falls are the most common cause in infants and toddlers, while road traffic accidents and sports injuries predominate in older children and adolescents.
Children's brains and skulls differ from adults in important ways that affect both the pattern of injury and the approach to treatment. The paediatric skull is thinner and more pliable, meaning the brain is less protected from impact forces. However, children also have greater neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to reorganise and compensate for damaged areas — which generally gives them a better recovery potential than adults with similar injuries.
A unique paediatric condition is the growing skull fracture (leptomeningeal cyst), which occurs when a dural tear beneath a skull fracture in an infant allows the fracture line to widen progressively over weeks to months, driven by normal brain pulsations and growth. This requires surgical repair of the dura and the bone defect.
Parents should seek immediate medical attention if a child loses consciousness after a head injury (even briefly), vomits more than twice, develops a large scalp swelling in an infant (which may indicate an underlying fracture), becomes unusually drowsy or irritable, or has a seizure. Dr. Sayuj Krishnan has experience managing the full spectrum of paediatric head injuries, from concussions to complex skull fractures and intracranial haemorrhages, with a careful approach that accounts for the developing brain.
Why Choose Dr. Sayuj Krishnan for Head Injury Treatment
Fellowship-Trained Neurosurgeon
Dr. Sayuj Krishnan is a specialist neurosurgeon with extensive training and hands-on experience in managing the full spectrum of traumatic brain injuries, from mild concussions to complex polytrauma cases requiring emergency craniotomy and decompressive craniectomy.
Round-the-Clock Availability
Head injuries do not follow office hours. Dr. Sayuj and the neurotrauma team at Yashoda Hospital are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ensuring that critical cases receive prompt surgical intervention without delay.
Comprehensive Approach
Treatment extends beyond the operating theatre. Dr. Sayuj coordinates with intensivists, rehabilitation specialists, neuropsychologists, and the patient's family to create a holistic recovery plan that addresses physical, cognitive, and emotional recovery.
Advanced Technology and Infrastructure
Operating at Yashoda Hospital Malakpet provides access to state-of-the-art neurosurgical instrumentation, intraoperative navigation, a dedicated neurosurgical ICU with ICP monitoring capability, and round-the-clock imaging — all essential for optimal head-injury outcomes.
Related Neurosurgical Services
Head Injury Treatment FAQs
When to Seek Help
Types
Warning Signs
Treatment
Recovery
Cost
Pediatric
Follow-up
Prevention
Head Injury? Every Minute Counts.
If you or a family member has sustained a head injury and is showing any concerning symptoms, do not wait. Contact Dr. Sayuj Krishnan's emergency neurosurgical team at Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad — available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.