Summary:
In neurosurgery, bicycle injuries unequivocally predominate among those in sports. In a bicycle
accident there occurs most frequently an injury of the head, frequent are also injuries to the
vertebral column and spinal chord. The authors present a ten-year series of 140 injuries treated
at the Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital in Plzeň, sustained in bicycle accidents.
Bicycle injuries occurred most frequently in the age group of 11-20 years. In 39 % of cases there
has been found alcohol in the blood. The most frequent head injury was brain concussion,
frontobasal injury and epidural hematoma. Injuries to the spine were mostly localized in the
neck and thorax. Ten percent of hospitalized have died. In most cases the cause of death was
brain concussion with acute subdural hematoma. In 61% of cases the patients were treated
surgically. The most frequent intervention was decompressive craniotomy and plastic surgery
of the anterior cranial depression. In spinal injuries therewasmostly carried out decompression
of nerve structures with subsequent fixation of the spinal fracture. Lethal injuries of bicyclists
were mostly caused by encounter with an automobile. The injures almost exclusively died due
to injury of the head. From the point of view of number of accidents bicycle paths are more
dangerous than roads. The use of bicycle helmets has an irreplaceable role in the prevention of
craniocerebral injuries.
Key words:
bicycle accident - neurosurgery - craniocerebral injury - bicycle helmet - bicycle path.
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