UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI)

Category: Neurology

Keywords: diffuse axonal injury, DAI, coma, head injury, traumatic brain injury, TBI (PubMed Search)

Posted: 9/25/2008 by Aisha Liferidge, MD (Updated: 11/23/2024)
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Acceleration, deceleration, and rotational forces cause diffuse axonal injury (DAI).
It is characterized by widespread shearing and retraction of axons during traumatic brain injury (TBI).
DAI often results in coma and is associated with poor prognosis.
In addition to cortical white matter injury, it often also involves the corpus callosum, basal ganglia, brainstem, and cerebellum.