Intracranial causes of death and their mechanisms

Intracranial causes of death trail in incidence behind cardiovascular and respiratory system pathologies in most deaths occurring in hospitals. When intracranial pathology becomes more important is in the forensic arena, where it is often supposed that in troublesome cases such as sudden and unexpected deaths or where there appears to be no anatomic cause of death revealed in the general autopsy, the cause must be in the brain. This hope is often dashed after a careful neuropathological examination. Intracranial causes of death are discussed here mostly within the context of the forensic exercise where complex processes may be involved such as: electrophysiological dysfunctions; disorders of respiratory control; dysfunction of the intracranial pressure/volume equilibrium.