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A Craniotomy Surgery Procedure for Chronic Brain Imaging
Published on: February 15, 2008
Burr-hole craniotomy treating chronic subdural hematoma: a report of 398 cases
Yuan Liu1, Jun-zhe Xia, An-hua Wu
1Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
Insights
Burr-hole craniotomy effectively treats chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). This minimally invasive procedure offers a high success rate for patient recovery, making it a reliable surgical option.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Neurology
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a significant clinical challenge.
- Understanding treatment efficacy is crucial for patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of burr-hole craniotomy for treating CSDH.
- To analyze patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 398 CSDH patients treated between 2004-2009.
- Data collected included patient demographics, trauma history, CT findings, and neurological status.
- Procedures performed under local or general anesthesia.
Main Results:
- Burr-hole craniotomy demonstrated a 95.6% success rate in treating CSDH.
- Trauma history varied significantly by gender and age.
- Common presentations included hemiplegia in the elderly and headache in younger patients.
Conclusions:
- Burr-hole craniotomy is a safe, efficient, and dependable treatment for CSDH.
- The procedure facilitates successful patient recovery with minimal complications.
Objective:
To investigate the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) with burr-hole craniotomy in our hospital.
Methods:
From January 2004 to December 2009, 398 patients with CSDH, 338 males and 60 females (male/female equal to 5.63/1), received burr-hole craniotomy in our hospital. The median age was 60 years with the mean age of (58.1 ± 18.1) years, (65.0 ± 14.5) years for females and (57.0 ± 18.2) years for males. Trauma history was determined in 275 patients (69.1%). Burr-hole craniotomy was performed under local anesthesia in 368 patients and general anesthesia in 30 patients. CSDH was classified into 3 groups according to the density on CT scan. Clinical data concerning etiologies, symptoms and signs, concomitant diseases, diagnosis, therapies and outcomes were investigated retrospectively. Patients'neurological status on admission and at discharge was also classified to judge the outcomes.
Results:
Generally, trauma history showed few differences between those over 60 years old and under 60 years old, but showed obvious differences when gender was taken into account. Totally 123 male patients (60.0% of 204 cases) suffering from head injuries were under 60 years, whereas 35 female patients (85.4% of 41 cases) with trauma histories were over 60 years. The duration from trauma to appearance of clinical symptoms was (84.0 ± 61.7) days (range, 0-1493 days). Traumatic accident was the leading etiology, other accompanying diseases such as cerebral vascular disease, hypertension, etc, were also predisposing factors. Commonly, the elderly presented with hemiplegia/hemidysesthesia/hemiataxia and the young with headache. Most CSDH patients (95.6%) treated with burr-hole craniotomy successfully recovered. However, postoperative complications occurred in 17 cases, including recurrence of CSDH in 15 cases, subdural abscess in 1 case and pneumonia in 3 cases.
Conclusion:
Burr-hole craniotomy is an easy, efficient and reliable way to treat CSDH.

