A person with a cerebral contusion has bruising to the brain. A brain contusion causes areas of localized brain swelling and tiny zones of bleeding within the brain tissue. Most with a brain contusion will also have symptoms of a concussion. Not all concussions cause a brain contusion, demonstrable with head CT or MRI scanning of the brain.

Brain contusions range from mild to fatal injuries. The presence of a brain contusion can only be detected by:

• CT scan of the brain
• MRI scan of the brain