Cerebral contusion, Latin contusio cerebri, a form of traumatic brain injury, is a bruise of the brain tissue. Like bruises in other tissues, cerebral contusion can be cause by multiple microhemorrhages, small blood vessel leaks into brain tissue. Contusion occurs in 20–30% of severe head injuries. The injury can cause a decline in mental function and may result in brain herniation, a life-threatening condition in which parts of the brain are squeezed past parts of the skull. Treatment aims to prevent dangerous rises in intracranial pressure, the pressure within the skull. Contusions are likely to heal on their own without medical intervention.