[Epidural hematoma without intradural lesions--clinical study of 120 cases]

One hundred twenty cases of epidural hematoma without intradural lesion treated between 1975 and 1983 to which CT scan was available, were presented. Mortality rate was 1.7% and morbidity rate was 6.7%. In all cases of epidural hematoma including with and without intradural lesion in the same term (164 cases), mortality and morbidity rate were 7.3 and 10.4% respectively. Ninety five cases were male and 25 cases were female. Causes of injury were falls from a height (42 cases, 35%), traffic accident (41 cases, 34%), and falls at ground level (24 cases, 20%). The site of hematoma in 120 cases of 128 hematoma were frontal (17 cases, 13%), temporoparietal (74 cases, 58%), parasagittal (4 cases, 3%), middle fossa (8 cases, 6%), occipital (16 cases, 13%) and posterior fossa (9 cases, 7%). Fractures were shown in 109 cases out of 120 cases on skull X-P and depressed fractures were 12 cases. Those which showed no fracture on skull X-P, revealed slow growth of hematoma and delayed onset of clinical signs and were mainly children. Seven operated cases of epidural hematoma does not show fractures on skull X-P nor initial unconscious. Clinical course of disturbance of consciousness were divided in five types as follows; I. no unconsciousness (22 cases, 18%), II. latent interval (17 cases, 14%), III. primary but no secondary unconsciousness (29 cases, 24%), IV. lucid interval (22 cases, 18%), V. unconscious throughout (16 cases, 14%) and unknown (14 cases, 12%). Cases which Glasgow Coma Scale Score were over 7 showed good recovery in Glasgow Outcome Scale.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)