Acute subdural hematoma in the elderly. outcome analysis in a retrospective multicentric series of 213 patients

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze the risk factors associated with the outcome of acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) in elderly patients treated either surgically or nonsurgically. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective multicentric analysis of clinical and radiological data on patients aged ≥ 70 years who had been consecutively admitted to the neurosurgical department of 5 Italian hospitals for the management of posttraumatic ASDH in a 3-year period. Outcome was measured according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at discharge and at 6 months' follow-up. A GOS score of 1-3 was defined as a poor outcome and a GOS score of 4-5 as a good outcome. Univariate and multivariate statistics were used to determine outcome predictors in the entire study population and in the surgical group. RESULTS: Overall, 213 patients were admitted during the 3-year study period. Outcome was poor in 135 (63%) patients, as 65 (31%) died during their admission, 33 (15%) were in a vegetative state, and 37 (17%) had severe disability at discharge. Surgical patients had worse clinical and radiological findings on arrival or during their admission than the patients undergoing conservative treatment. Surgery was performed in 147 (69%) patients, and 114 (78%) of them had a poor outcome. In stratifying patients by their Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, the authors found that surgery reduced mortality but not the frequency of a poor outcome in the patients with a moderate to severe GCS score. The GCS score and midline shift were the most significant predictors of outcome. Antiplatelet drugs were associated with better outcomes; however, patients taking such medications had a better GCS score and better radiological findings, which could have influenced the former finding. Patients with fixed pupils never had a good outcome. Age and Charlson Comorbidity Index were not associated with outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic ASDH in the elderly is a severe condition, with the GCS score and midline shift the stronger outcome predictors, while age per se and comorbidities were not associated with outcome. Antithrombotic drugs do not seem to negatively influence pretreatment status or posttreatment outcome. Surgery was performed in patients with a worse clinical and radiological status, reducing the rate of death but not the frequency of a poor outcome

Low-Dose Acetylsalicylic Acid in Chronic Subdural Hematomas: A Neurosurgeon's Sword of Damocles

Background: The possible influence of different antithrombotic drugs on outcome after neurosurgical treatment of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is still unclear. Nowadays, no randomized clinical trials are available. A metanalysis including 24 studies for a total of 1,812 pooled patients concluded that antiplatelets and anticoagulations present higher risk of recurrences. On the other hand, several studies highlighted that antithrombotic suspension, timing of surgery, and resumption of these drugs are still debated, and patients taking these present higher risk of thromboembolic events with no excess risk of bleed recurrences or worse functional outcome. Our assumption is that the real hemorrhagic risk related to antithrombotic drug continuation in CSDH may be overrated and the thromboembolic risk for discontinuation underestimated, especially in patients with high cardiovascular risk. Methods: A comprehensive literature review with the search terms “acetylsalicylic acid” and “chronic subdural x” was performed. Clinical status, treatment, time of drug discontinuation, complications (in particular, rebleeding or thromboembolic events), and clinical and radiological outcome at follow-up were evaluated. Results: Five retrospective studies were selected for the review, three of them reporting specifically low-dose acetylsalicylic intake and two of them general antithrombotic drugs for a total of 1,226 patients. Only two papers reported the thromboembolic rate after surgery; in one paper, it is not even divided from other cardiac complications. Conclusion: The literature review does not clarify the best management of low-dose acetylsalicylic in CSDH patients, in particular, concerning the balance between thromboembolic event rates and rebleeding risks. We do believe that CSDH precipitates the worsening of comorbidities with a resulting increased mortality. Further studies clearly evaluating the thromboembolic events are strongly needed to clarify this topic. In this perspective paper, we discuss the difficult choice of low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (LDAA) management in patients suffering from chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). The balance between hemorrhagic and thromboembolic risks often represents a sword of Damocles for neurosurgeons, especially when dealing with patients with high cardiovascular risk. No guidelines are currently available, and a survey by Kamenova et al. showed that most neurosurgeons discontinue LDAA treatment for at least 7 days in the perioperative period of surgical evacuation of CSDH, even though recent studies show that early LDAA resumption might be safe. Thrombosis prophylaxis is administered by only 60%, even though patients with CSDH are at high risk of developing thromboembolic complications. We would like to bring attention to this controversial issue

Acute surgical removal of low-grade (Spetzler-Martin I-II) bleeding arteriovenous malformations.

Background Early surgical removal of cerebral AVMs is a relatively infrequent therapeutic option when dealing with a cerebral hemorrhage caused by AVM rupture: even in the case of low-grade AVMs, delayed treatment is, if possible, preferred because it is considered safer for patients and more comfortable for surgeons. To assess whether acute surgery may be a safe and effective management, we conducted a retrospective analysis of our early surgery strategy for ruptured low-grade AVMs. Methods We reviewed 27 patients with SM grade I-II AVM treated during 2004 to 2008 in the acute stage of bleeding (within the first 6 days after bleed). All patients showed a cerebral AVM on DSA at admission, and surgical removal was controlled by postoperative angiography. Neurological outcomes were assessed with GOS. The average length of follow-up was 22 months (48-3 months). Results Before surgery, 16 (59%) patients showed a GCS of 8 or less, 2 of them presenting an acute rebleeding after first hemorrhage. All patients underwent radical AVM surgical removal and hematoma evacuation in a single-stage procedure. Most patients (78%) were operated within the first day of hemorrhage. A favorable functional outcome (GOS: good recovery or moderate disability) was observed in 23 patients (85%). Mortality was 7.4%. Outcome was not significantly correlated with GCS at presentation and with presence of preoperative anisocoria. Conclusions Early surgery for grade I-II AVMs is a safe and definitive treatment, achieving both immediate cerebral decompression and patient protection against rebleeding, reducing time of hospital stay and allowing a more rapid rehabilitative course whenever necessary

Techniques for pneumocephalus and brain shift reduction in DBS surgery: a review of the literature

Deep brain stimulation has become an established therapeutic choice to manage the symptoms of medically refractory Parkinson’s disease. Its efficacy is highly dependent on the accuracy of electrodes’ positioning in the correct anatomical target. During DBS procedure, the opening of the dura mater induces the displacement of neural structures. This effect mainly depends on the loss of the physiological negative intracranial pressure, air inflow, and loss of cerebrospinal fluid. Several studies concentrated on correcting surgical techniques for DBS electrodes’ positioning in order to reduce pneumocephalus which may result in therapeutic failure. The authors focused in particular on reducing the brain air window and maintaining the pressure gradient between intra- and extracranial compartments. A significant reduction of pneumocephalus and brain shift was obtained by excluding the opening of the subarachnoid space, by covering the dura mater opening with tissue sealant and by reducing the intracranial pressure in general anesthesia. Smaller burr hole diameters were not statistically relevant for reducing air inflow and displacement of anatomical targets. The review of the literature showed that conserving a physiological intra-extracranial pressure gradient plays a fundamental role in avoiding pneumocephalus and consequent displacement of brain structures, which improves surgical accuracy and DBS long-term results

Untersuchung und Optimierung von Komponenten fuer Hochleistungs-Excimerlaser (TRANSFORM) Schlussbericht

SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: DtF QN1(85,17) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung, Berlin (Germany)DEGerman