Nontraumatic Acute Subdural Hematoma

A case of an acute subdural hematoma in association with a hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage is presented. Scene examination, medical history, and autopsy findings support the conclusion that the subdural hemorrhage was the result of natural disease. Although the majority of acute subdural hematomas occurring in cases of sudden unexpected death involve trauma of some type, they can occur as a result of natural processes, or as a spontaneous phenomenon associated with cortical artery rupture. The literature describing nontraumatic causes of subdural hemorrhage is reviewed.