Seniority of Surgeon in Chronic Subdural Hematoma Recurrence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is increasingly common, particularly in the older and multimorbid population. Surgical proficiency in management is required in the early years of U.K. neurosurgical training with most cases performed by nonconsultant-grade surgeons. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the effect of surgeon seniority on recurrence for patients with CSDH. Full-text articles comparing surgical treatment for CSDH with a "senior" (consultant/attending level) or "junior" (resident/registrar or similar) lead surgeon were identified. MEDLine and EMBASE databases were searched. The primary outcome of this study was recurrence. Secondary outcomes included postoperative complications and mortality rate. A random effects meta-analysis was performed. The risk of bias was assessed using the National Institute of Health risk of bias toolkit. Five studies were included in the final analysis (n = 941 total patients). Individually, no study identified a significant difference in recurrence rate and postoperative complications between senior and junior neurosurgeons. On meta-analysis, junior-led evacuations had lower recurrence rates on pooled univariable analysis (12.0% vs. 17.9% [odds ratio 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.29-0.78, I2 = 0%]) (3 studies). Seniority of surgeon was not associated with increased rates of recurrence patients undergoing CSDH surgery. Complexity of operation may be a confounding factor in observed lower recurrence rates with more junior operators.