[Role of the pituitary-adrenal system in the pathogenesis of severe closed craniocerebral injuries].

In patients with severe contusion of the brain, the concentration of ACTH in blood increases from the 2nd and to the 10th day after the trauma whereas the level of 11-OCS remains on a significantly high level during the entire period of treatment. The potential reserves of the adrenal cortex are reduced on the 5th day. The ACTH level returns to normal by the end of the 3rd week. Neurohormonal shifts play an important role in the pathogenesis of the trauma and cause the development of its clinical manifestations.