Which type of hemorrhage results from venous bleeding into the space beneath the dura and above the arachnoid?

• A. Epidural hematoma
• B. Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• C. Subdural hematoma
• D. Intracerebral hematoma

Answer: (C)

Bleeding into the space beneath the dura and above the arachnoid is a subdural hematoma. This occurs when the bridging veins that drain the cerebral cortex are torn, releasing venous blood into the subdural space. Because it’s venous bleeding, it typically accumulates more slowly than an arterial bleed, so symptoms can develop gradually over hours to days and may be subtle in older adults with brain atrophy. This location—between the dura and the arachnoid—defines the subdural hematoma. By comparison, an epidural hematoma is an arterial bleed between the skull and dura with rapid progression, a subarachnoid hemorrhage bleeds into the space around the brain (the subarachnoid space) often from a ruptured aneurysm and presents with a sudden severe headache, and an intracerebral hematoma bleeds inside brain tissue.