Effects of postoperative atorvastatin use in elderly patients with chronic subdural hematoma

Atorvastatin has been suggested to reduce hematoma volume and improve neurological outcomes in patients with chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). However, the benefits and harms of atorvastatin use after surgery in elderly patients are not well studied.

We conducted a retrospective trial to analyze older people (> 60 years) with CSDH, those who were treated with surgical intervention. Patients were assigned to study group if they received oral atorvastatin after surgery at least 1 week, and patients without atorvastatin medication postoperatively were assigned to control group. The primary outcome was the overall rate of recurrence at 1 month after surgery. The main secondary endpoints were the scores on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), hematoma volume, mortality, and complications after surgery.

A total of 49 eligible patients were included - 21 in the study group and 28 in the control group. The baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. At 1 month, recurrence of subdual hematoma requiring repeat surgery was reported in 4 of 21 patients (19.0%) in the study group and in 5 of 28 patients (17.9%) in the control group (p=0.915). The hematoma volume was similar between the 2 groups (p=0.979). A favorable outcome (a score of 2 or less on the mRS) occurred in 90.5% of patients in the study group and in 96.4% of those in the control group (p=0.390).

In older people with CSDH, postoperative atorvastatin use barely reduces the incidence of recurrence and hematoma volume.