Intracerebrális

Intracerebrális is an adjective used in medical contexts to describe processes or structures located within the brain parenchyma, i.e., the functional tissue of the brain. It is used to distinguish events inside the brain tissue from those in surrounding compartments such as the skull, meninges, or ventricles. The term can refer to conditions affecting the brain tissue itself, including hemorrhages, infarcts, infections, tumors, or inflammatory and demyelinating processes.

A common context is intracerebral hemorrhage, which occurs when a cerebral vessel ruptures and bleeds into the brain tissue. Causes include chronic hypertension, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, head trauma, vascular malformations, and anticoagulant use. Symptoms depend on the hematoma’s size and location and may include sudden headache, focal neurologic deficits (such as weakness or speech difficulty), or altered consciousness. Diagnosis relies on neuroimaging, with non-contrast CT commonly used in the acute setting; MRI provides further detail and characterization of the lesion.

Management and prognosis vary according to the cause, size, and location. Acute management focuses on stabilizing the patient, controlling blood pressure, reversing anticoagulation when appropriate, and managing intracranial pressure. Surgical intervention may be indicated for certain hematomas (e.g., superficial lobar, cerebellar with compression or hydrocephalus) but is not universally required. Other intracerebrális conditions include brain abscesses and intracerebral tumors, each with specific diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Etymology: from Latin intra- cerebrum, meaning within the brain. It is distinct from intracranial, which refers to contents within the skull as a whole.