Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 5, 2026
Pre-Chiasmatic, Single Injection of Autologous Blood to Induce Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in a Rat Model
Published on: June 18, 2021
Natural History of Acute Subdural Hematoma
Rafael A Vega1, Alex B Valadka1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, 417 North 11th Street, 6th Floor, PO Box 980631, Richmond, VA 23298-0631, USA.
Because published guidelines for surgical decision-making in patients with acute subdural hematomas (ASDHs) are based largely on case series and other weak evidence, management often must be individualized. Nonoperative management is a viable option in many cases. The literature is divided about the effects of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications on rapid growth of ASDHs and on their likelihood of progression to large chronic subdural hematomas. Close clinical and radiologic follow-up is needed, both acutely to detect rapid expansion of an ASDH, and subacutely to detect formation of a large subacute or chronic subdural hematoma.
Because published guidelines for surgical decision-making in patients with acute subdural hematomas (ASDHs) are based largely on case series and other weak evidence, management often must be individualized. Nonoperative management is a viable option in many cases. The literature is divided about the effects of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications on rapid growth of ASDHs and on their likelihood of progression to large chronic subdural hematomas. Close clinical and radiologic follow-up is needed, both acutely to detect rapid expansion of an ASDH, and subacutely to detect formation of a large subacute or chronic subdural hematoma.
