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Comprehensive Endovascular and Open Surgical Management of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations
Published on: October 20, 2017
Decompressive surgery for severe cerebral venous sinus thrombosis
Rahul Lath1, Sudhir Kumar, Rajesh Reddy
1Stroke Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad 500 033, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Insights
Decompressive surgery can be life-saving for patients with large cerebral venous infarcts and signs of transtentorial herniation. This procedure offers significant benefits for managing cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) complications.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Vascular Neurology
Background:
- Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a significant cause of stroke in young adults.
- Elevated intracranial pressure and transtentorial herniation are major contributors to mortality in CVST.
- The efficacy of decompressive surgery in managing CVST remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the experience with decompressive surgery in patients with CVST.
- To review existing literature on surgical interventions for CVST.
- To assess the outcomes of decompressive surgery in severe CVST cases.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of medical records from a tertiary care hospital in South India.
- Inclusion of patients diagnosed with CVST between December 2003 and July 2009.
- Assessment of clinical presentation, etiology, management, surgical indications, and outcomes using Glasgow Coma Scale and modified Rankin scale.
Main Results:
- Eleven out of 106 CVST patients (10%) underwent decompressive surgery.
- Indications included low GCS, large infarcts, mass effect, herniation, and neurological deterioration.
- 73% of surgically treated patients had a good outcome; mortality was 27%.
Conclusions:
- Decompressive surgery is a life-saving intervention for CVST patients with large cerebral venous infarcts.
- Patients with CVST exhibiting signs of transtentorial herniation may benefit from timely decompressive surgery.
Background:
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is one of the common causes of stroke in young people. Mortality in CVST, in addition to progressive thrombosis, is related to elevated intracranial pressure causing transtentorial herniation. The role of decompressive surgery in CVST is not well established.
Aims:
We report our experience with decompressive surgery in CVST and review the literature.
Settings And Design:
This is a retrospective study carried out in the Stroke Unit of a multispeciality tertiary care hospital in south India.
Materials And Methods:
The medical records of patients admitted with the diagnosis of CVST between December 2003 and July 2009 were reviewed. The clinical presentation, etiology, medical management, indications for surgery and outcomes were assessed for patients undergoing decompressive surgery. The sensorium was assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), while the outcome was assessed using the modified Rankin scale (mRS). Descriptive statistics were used as appropriate.
Results:
One hundred and six patients were admitted with the diagnosis of CVST during the study period. Eleven patients (10%) underwent decompressive surgical procedure. Indications for surgery included a low GCS at admission with large infarct on the computed tomography scan, mass effect and midline shift, clinical and radiological signs of transtentorial herniation, deterioration in the sensorium in spite of anti-edema measures and postthrombolysis hematoma. Eight patients (73%) had a good outcome while three patients (27%) died. Of the patients who died, two had a low GCS and bilaterally nonreactive pupils before the surgery while one had thrombosis of the deep venous system.
Conclusion:
Decompressive surgery for patients with large cerebral venous infarcts is a life-saving procedure. Patients with CVST who develop clinical and radiological features of transtentorial herniation either at presentation or during the course of medical management may benefit from decompressive surgery.
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