CONTRECOUP Meaning and
Definition
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Contrecoup is a term used in medical and forensic contexts to describe a specific type of injury or trauma that occurs on the opposite side or area of impact from the initial force. Derived from the French phrase "contre" meaning against, and "coup" meaning blow, contrecoup refers to an injury caused by a force or impact transmitted through tissue and resulting in damage or injury to the opposite side of the body or organ.
This phenomenon typically occurs in situations where a sudden force is applied to the body, causing the affected tissues or organs to be displaced or compressed. As a result, the momentum generated by the initial force is transferred to the opposite side, leading to injury in that area. Examples of contrecoup injuries include brain contusions, where the brain sustains damage on the side opposite to the site of impact, and contrecoup fractures, where a fracture occurs on the side unconstrained by the force.
Contrecoup injuries are often observed in situations involving high-velocity accidents, falls, or physical assaults. Medical professionals and forensic experts closely examine contrecoup injuries to determine the mechanism of injury and establish a clear understanding of the event sequence.
Understanding the concept of contrecoup is vital in medical diagnoses, treatment planning, and forensic investigations, enabling healthcare providers and experts to identify and manage the consequences of peculiar injury patterns associated with this type of trauma.
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Noting the manner of a contrafissura, or fracture of a bone, as in the skull, at a point opposite that at which the blow was received.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
Common Misspellings for CONTRECOUP
- xontrecoup
- vontrecoup
- fontrecoup
- dontrecoup
- cintrecoup
- ckntrecoup
- clntrecoup
- cpntrecoup
- c0ntrecoup
- c9ntrecoup
- cobtrecoup
- comtrecoup
- cojtrecoup
- cohtrecoup
- conrrecoup
- confrecoup
- congrecoup
- conyrecoup
- con6recoup
- con5recoup
Etymology of CONTRECOUP
The word "contrecoup" has its etymology rooted in the French language. It is a combination of two French words, "contre", meaning "against", and "coup", meaning "blow" or "impact".
In medical terminology, "contrecoup" refers to an injury that occurs on the side of the brain opposite to the point of impact. The concept was first described in the 18th century by the French physician and surgeon René Laënnec. The term has since been borrowed into English and other languages to describe such injuries.
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