Questions on types of cerebral oedema are frequent in NEET PG, INI-CET, and FMGE exams—often integrated in clinical scenarios involving trauma, stroke, tumors, or infections. Differentiating vasogenic vs cytotoxic edema is not just academic—it’s clinically relevant, radiologically distinct, and high-yield for MCQs.

Feature	Cytotoxic Edema Think neuronal Cell is swollen	Vasogenic Edema Think Vascular leak
Etiology	Ischemia, hypoxia, seizures	Tumors, infections, trauma
Pathophysiology	Failure of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase due to hypoxia → intracellular sodium and water accumulation	Disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) → leakage of plasma and proteins into the extracellular space
Fluid Location	Intracellular (inside neurons/ glia)	Extracellular (interstitial space)
Imaging (DWI)	Restricted diffusion (DWI bright, ADC dark)	No true restriction (DWI May be normal or Mildly bright, ADC high)
Location	Affects grey + white matter	Affects white matter only, spares cortex
Response to steroids	No benefit	Responsive to steroids (e.g. peritumoral edema)
NCCT head	Notice loss of gray and white matter differentiation	Notice the finger like projection appearance due to exclusive white matter differentiation

Image credits and source: Radiopedia.com

In a competitive exam like NEET PG, where every question matters, mastering the pathophysiology, imaging, and treatment implications of cerebral oedema can be the difference between a top rank and an average one.