The key difference between contusion and hematoma is that contusion occurs when blood leaks from smaller blood vessels, while hematoma occurs when blood leaks from larger blood vessels.
The human body consists of several organs. These organs may face trauma or injuries. When a body part faces trauma, it may get severely injured. These injuries may cause bleeding, cuts, wounds, and stitches, and a person may also have to undergo surgery. There are several types of injuries that can take place within a human body and its organs. Two such injuries are contusion and hematoma.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Contusion
3. What is Hematoma
4. Similarities – Contusion and Hematoma
5. Contusion vs Hematoma in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Contusion vs Hematoma
What is Contusion?
A contusion occurs when the blood leaks from smaller blood vessels, causing a purple, blue or dark spot to appear on the skin. A contusion is a comparatively less severe bruise that occurs when capillaries, tissues, and blood vessels are damaged. It is normally a result of trauma to the skin. A contusion may be accompanied by a raised area or bump. In addition, a contusion may also cause tenderness and discoloration in the affected area.
Figure 01: Contusion
A bone contusion is a bruise on the bone that can occur on any bone in the chest, rib, knee, head, or leg. A contusion is less serious than a fracture. The symptoms of bone contusion may include swelling and stiffness of a joint, pain and tenderness in the injured area, and difficulty using the injured joint. Risk factors for contusion are vitamin C deficiency, bleeding disorders, and patients who take anticoagulants. Moreover, contusion can be diagnosed through physical examination, X-ray, MRI, and blood tests. Furthermore, contusions can be treated by resting and elevating the injured area to relieve the pain and swelling, applying ice packs, applying a heating pad or warm compress, and over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen and NSAIDs.
What is Hematoma?
A hematoma is the collection of blood outside a blood vessel. Hematoma is caused when the tissue that is present below the skin is damaged, and the blood gets accumulated in a certain area. It causes severe damage to the skin. The common symptoms of inflammation from hematoma may include discoloration, redness, tenderness, warmth, pain, and swelling. Hematomas in the skull cause symptoms like severe worsening headache, uneven pupils, difficulty moving arm or leg, hearing loss, difficulty swallowing, sleepiness, drowsiness, and loss of consciousness. Risks of hematoma are older age, blood thinner usage, and recent trauma. The causes of hematoma are trauma, aneurysm, certain medications, viral infections such as rubella, mumps, chickenpox, HIV or hepatitis C, and orthopedic injuries like fractures.
Figure 02: Hematoma
Moreover, a hematoma can be diagnosed through physical examination, X-ray, CT scan, and ultrasound. Furthermore, the treatment options for hematoma include ice, compression, elevation, warp or splint of the area, OTC medications like Tylenol, Advil, aspirin, and surgical drainage.
What are the Similarities Between Contusion and Hematoma?
- Contusion and hematoma are two of the main injuries in the human body.
- Both occur when blood vessels are damaged.
- They may cause similar symptoms, such as discoloration and tenderness in the affected area.
- Both can be diagnosed through physical examination.
- They are treated through resting and over-the-counter medications.
What is the Difference Between Contusion and Hematoma?
A contusion occurs when blood leaks from smaller blood vessels, while hematoma occurs when blood leaks from larger blood vessels. Thus, this is the key difference between contusion and hematoma. Furthermore, contusion does not cause severe damage to the skin, while hematoma causes severe damage to the skin.
The below infographic presents the differences between contusion and hematoma in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Contusion vs Hematoma
The human body may face trauma or injuries. These injuries may cause bleeding, cuts, wounds, stitches, and even lead to surgery. Contusion and hematoma are two of the main injuries that can happen to the human body. A contusion occurs when blood leaks from smaller blood vessels, while hematoma occurs when blood leaks from larger blood vessels. So, this is the key difference between contusion and hematoma.
Reference:
1. “Bruises: Types, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Hematoma: Overview, Types, Treatment, and Pictures.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Hematoma development” By Whoisjohngalt – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Injury bruising contusion” By Nadrich & Cohen Accident Injury Lawyers (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr