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Updated: Feb 27, 2026
Minimally Invasive Thumb-sized Pterional Craniotomy for Surgical Clip Ligation of Unruptured Anterior Circulation Aneurysms
Published on: August 11, 2015
Trephination mini-craniectomy for traumatic posterior fossa epidural hematomas in selected pediatric patients
Han-Song Sheng1, Chao-Guo You2, Liang Yang2
1Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Purpose:
Posterior fossa epidural hematomas (PFEDH) are uncommon in children but usually require timely surgical intervention due to the risk of life-threatening brainstem compression. We attempt to make the surgical procedure less invasive by treating selected pediatric patients with trephination mini-craniectomy.
Methods:
We retrospectively reviewed the clinical courses, radiological findings, surgical procedures, and prognoses of the pediatric patients who were treated in our departments for traumatic PFEDH from January 2010 to January 2015.
Results:
During this period, a total of 17 patients were surgically treated for PFEDH and 7 were managed with trephination mini-craniectomy for hematoma evacuation. The outcomes were good in all 7 patients as evaluated with Glasgow Outcome Score. There was no mortality in this series. The on average 30-month clinical follow-up showed that patients experienced satisfactory recoveries without complications.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest that trephination mini-craniectomy is a safe surgical technique for selected PFEDH patients with moderate hematoma volume and stabilized neurological functions. However, standard craniectomy is recommend when there are rapid deteriorations in patients' neurological functions or the hematomas are large and exerted severe mass effects.
