Postcontrast magnetic resonance imaging to predict progression of traumatic epidural and subdural hematomas in the acute stage

Do Age and Anticoagulants Affect the Natural History of Acute Subdural Hematomas?

Acute subdural hematoma is a serious complication following traumatic brain injury. Large volume hematomas or those with underlying brain injury can cause mass effect, midline shift, and eventually herniation of the brain. Acute subdural hematomas in the young are associated with high-energy trauma and often have underlying contusions, while acute subdural hematomas in the elderly are associated with minor trauma and an absence of underlying contusions, even though the elderly are more likely to be on anticoagulants or anti-platelet therapy. In the young patients with high impact injuries the hematomas tend to be small and the underlying brain injury and swelling is responsible for the increased intracranial pressure and midline shift. In the elderly, the injuries are low impact (e.g fall from standing), the underlying brain is intact, and the volume of the hematoma itself produces symptoms. In addition the use of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents in the elderly population has been thought to be a poor prognostic indicator and is considered to be responsible for larger hematomas and poor outcome. When managed conservatively, acute subdural hematomas can sometimes progress to chronic subdural hematoma formation, further enlargement, seizures, and progressive midline shift. Another potential difference in the young and the elderly is brain atrophy, which increases the potential space to accommodate a larger hematoma. It is not known if these two groups differ in other ways that might have implications for treatment or prognosis. In this paper, we investigate the clinical course of 80 patients admitted to our institution with acute subdural hematomas, to identify differences in patients above or below the age of 65 years. The natural progression/resolution of acute subdural hematomas was mapped by measuring volume expansion/regression over time. In this retrospective chart review, we investigated clinical baseline metrics and subsequent volumetric expansion outcomes between patients < 65 years old (N=44) and those > 65 years old (N=36). Volume was estimated by the ABC/2 method. We observed a statistically significant difference between groups in use of anticoagulants χ² =40.305 with p < 0.001, corrective platelet administration χ² =19.380 with p < 0.001, gender χ² =14.573 with p < 0.001, and Glasgow Coma Scale with χ² =23.125 (p=0.026). Overall outcomes were similar in the two groups. Younger patients on average had worse presenting GCS scores, but recovered comparable to older patients. No significant difference in rate of volume expansion, resolution time, or need for surgical treatment was seen between these two groups. We conclude that the initial volume, size, and severity of subdural hematoma determined by the Glasgow Coma Scale score is more likely to predict surgery or future expansion than age of the patient. Patients on oral anti-coagulants that are given appropriate medical reversal agents early do quite well and no impact on the eventual outcome could be demonstrated. Further work is needed to establish better predictors of future volume expansion, and progression to chronic subdural hematoma based on improved severity scales.

Contusion Contrast Extravasation Depicted on Multidetector Computed Tomography Angiography Predicts Growth and Mortality in Traumatic Brain Contusion

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the main cause of death in trauma victims and causes high rates of disability and neurological sequelae. Approximately 38-65% of traumatic brain contusions (TBC) demonstrate hemorrhagic expansion on serial computed tomography (CT) scans. Thus far, however, no single variable can accurately predict the hemorrhage expansion of a TBC. Our purpose was to evaluate contrast extravasation (CE) as a predictor of expansion, mortality, and poor outcome in TBC in a Brazilian cohort. After Institutional Review Board approval, we used multidetector CT angiography (MDCTA) to study 121 consecutive patients (106 men, 87.6%) with ages varying from 10 to 85 years. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects. The clinical and imaging findings were correlated with the findings on the initial MDCTA using either the Fisher exact test or Student t test and a multivariate logistic regression model. Of the persons who presented CE in TBC, 21.8% died (in-hospital mortality), whereas in the absence of this sign, the mortality rate was 7.6% (p = 0.014). In addition, expansion of the hemorrhagic component of the TBC was detected in 61.1% of the CE-positive patients, whereas expansion was only observed in 10% of the CE-negative patients (p < 0.001). Poor outcome was observed in 24.2% of the patients in the CE-negative group, but in the presence of CE, 72.7% evolved with poor outcome (p < 0.001). The CE was a strong independent predictor of expansion, poor outcome, and increased risk of in-hospital mortality in our series of patients with TBC.

Acute subdural hematoma from bridging vein rupture: a potential mechanism for growth

Most acute subdural hematomas (ASDHs) develop after rupture of a bridging vein or veins. The anatomy of the bridging vein predisposes to its tearing within the border cell layer of the dura mater. Thus, the subdural hematoma actually forms within the dura. The hematoma grows by continued bleeding into the border cell layer. However, the venous pressure would not be expected to cause a large hematoma. Therefore, some type of mechanism must account for the hematoma's expansion.

Cerebral venous pressure (CVP) has been demonstrated in animal models to be slightly higher than intracranial pressure (ICP), and CVP tracks the ICP as pressure variations occur. The elevation of CVP as the ICP increases is thought to result from an increase in outflow resistance of the terminal portion of the bridging veins. This probably results from a Starling resistor model or, less likely, from a muscular sphincter.

A hypothesis is derived to explain the mechanism of ASDH enlargement. Tearing of one or more bridging veins causes these vessels to bleed into the dural border cell layer. Subsequent ICP elevation from the ASDH, cerebral swelling, or other cause results in elevation of the CVP by increased outflow resistance in the intact bridging veins. The increased ICP causes further bleeding into the hematoma cavity via the torn bridging veins. Thus, the ASDH enlarges via a positive feedback mechanism.

Enlargement of an ASDH would cease as blood within the hematoma cavity coagulates. This would stop the dissection of the dural border cell layer, and pressure within the hematoma cavity would equalize with that in the torn bridging vein or veins.

Traumatic intracranial hematomas: prognostic value of contrast extravasation

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Contrast extravasation within spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage is a well-described predictor of hematoma growth, poor clinical outcome, and mortality. The purpose of this study was to assess the prognostic value of contrast extravasation in acute traumatic intracranial hematomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In our institution, CTA (including PCCT) is the primary screening technique for cervical vascular injuries. Sixty consecutive patients with at least 1 acute intracranial hematoma (ICH, subdural hematoma, and/or epidural hematoma) meeting predefined size criteria, with CTA/PCCT performed within 24 hours of admission and follow-up CT within 72 hours of admission, were retrospectively evaluated for CE by 2 observers. The predictive value of CE for a composite outcome (hematoma expansion, need for hematoma evacuation, in-hospital mortality) was evaluated on a per-patient basis. Interobserver agreement for CE and the association between baseline variables and outcome were also examined. Different patterns of extravasation were evaluated on a per-lesion basis, with outcomes including hematoma expansion and evacuation.

RESULTS

CE was present in 30 (50%) patients with almost perfect interobserver agreement (κ=0.87; 95% CI, 0.74-0.99). The per-patient multivariate analysis showed independent association of midline shift (P=.020), Glasgow Coma Scale score≤8 (P=.024), and CE (P=.017), with poor outcome and demonstrated a trend toward poor outcome prediction for age 65 years or older (P=.050). In the per-lesion analysis, only extravasation identified on CTA (active and contained extravasation) was associated with hematoma expansion and evacuation.

CONCLUSIONS

Contrast extravasation within intracranial hematomas predicts poor in-hospital outcome in the setting of acute traumatic intracranial injuries.

Extradural haemorrhage: is there a role for endovascular treatment?

The middle meningeal artery (MMA) is the most proximal and largest branch of the internal maxillary artery (IMA). It courses superiorly to the foramen spinosum making a sharp right angle bend entering the skull. The MMA has frontal, parietal and petrosal branches, the frontal branch being identified by its anterior convex curve along the greater wing of sphenoid. Trauma and a resultant extradural haematoma (EDH) demands urgent neurosurgical intervention to prevent imminent foramen magnum herniation and rapid demise. The seriousness of EDHs cannot be overstated and is a clear neurosurgical emergency requiring immediate definitive management. Historically craniotomy is the gold standard. But recent advances propose angiography and subsequent embolization as an alternative to craniotomy. We employed embolization to manage EDHs in two cases whose original clinical presentation did not demand urgent surgery. We discuss their subsequent management focusing on treatment choices and the potential role of endovascular techniques. We describe an alternative diagnostic protocol and embolic agents using Onyx and coils.

Intracranial epidural haematomas in elderly patients: observations in 14 patients

BACKGROUND

Up to now, extra-dural haematomas (EDH) in elderly patients have been known for their poor prognosis and few studies have focused on the particularity of EDH in the elderly. Most clinical studies relating to EDH have generally focused on its occurrence in children and the middle-aged, grouping people of over 50 and 60 years together as the elderly. The purpose of this paper is to present a series of EDH cases in the elderly.

METHOD

500 EDH patients (of all ages) were admitted to our Department from January 1990 to December 2003 and this is a retrospective study of 14 of those patients who were aged 70 years and over.

FINDINGS

The study consists of 8 women and 6 men with an average age of 74 years. A high incidence of disease predisposes elderly to falls, which are the most frequent cause of head trauma. The elderly are less likely to manifest signs or symptoms of increased intracranial pressure due to cerebral atrophy, and almost all haematomas occurred in the parietal area. Post-operative results were satisfactory and only one death was recorded.

CONCLUSION

This study shows that the elderly, presenting EDH after a fall, have a better prognosis than is often feared.

Pure subdural hematomas: a postmortem analysis of their form and bleeding points

OBJECTIVE

Although the literature concerning subdural hematomas (SDHs) is vast, few data are available as to the sources and related clinical differences of SDHs. Pure SDHs of arterial versus venous origin should be compared in terms of cause, size, space-occupying effect, and form.

METHODS

We analyzed data from 46 patients who died as a result of pure SDHs. Twenty-three SDHs resulted from bridging vein ruptures and 23 from torn cortical arteries. We performed a morphometric analysis of the intracranial situation on the horizontal plane at the level of the greatest fronto-occipital diameter. We included in our analysis the clinical one-dimensional parameters (e.g., hematoma thickness, midline shift); the areas of the hemispheres, the SDHs, and their displacement; and the hematoma volume.

RESULTS

Most of the investigated postmortem characteristics of both types of hematomas were similar, with the exception of the form and the midline shift. SDHs resulting from arterial ruptures (which are generally located in the temporoparietal region) differ in form from those caused by bridging vein ruptures (which typically rupture in the frontoparietal parasagittal region).

CONCLUSION

The form difference allows the probable rupture site to be estimated; this observation might prove useful for clinical purposes.

Magnetic resonance imaging for surgical consideration of acute head injury

The authors studied the extravasation of contrast enhancement on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging within 6 hours after head injury in 10 patients with 12 intracranial haemorrhagic lesions. The decision for surgical intervention was made by neurological examination, computed tomographic scan, and contrast extravasation on MR imaging. Nine of 10 patients showed extravasation of contrast agent and one patient showed equivocal findings of contrast extravasation. All intracranial lesions with contrast extrav asation led to enlargement in size. With the exception of 1 patient who showed equivocal findings of contrast extravasation, 9 patients needed surgical evacuation of the haemorrhagic lesions. The results of the current study imply that extravasation of contrast medium indicates persistence of post-traumatic bleeding. MR imaging with gadolinium enhancement in acutely head injured patients may be used to predict the development of haemorrhagic lesions and could be helpful in decision making for surgical intervention.

Three-dimensional computerized tomography angiography in patients with hyperacute intracerebral hemorrhage

OBJECT

The authors confirm the usefulness of extravasation detected on three-dimensional computerized tomography (3D-CT) angiography in the diagnosis of continued hemorrhage and establishment of its cause in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

METHODS

Thirty-one patients with acute ICH in whom noncontrast and 3D-CT angiography had been performed within 12 hours of the onset of hemorrhage and in whom conventional cerebral angiographic studies were obtained during the chronic stage were prospectively studied. Noncontrast CT scanning was repeated within 24 hours of the onset of ICH to evaluate hematoma enlargement. Findings indicating extravasation on 3D-CT angiography, including any abnormal area of high density on helical CT scanning, were observed in five patients; three of these demonstrated hematoma enlargement on follow-up CT studies. Thus, specificity was 60% (three correct predictions among five positives) and sensitivity was 100% (19 correct predictions among 19 negatives). Evidence of extravasation on 3D-CT angiography indicates that there is persistent hemorrhage and correlates with enlargement of the hematoma. Regarding the cause of hemorrhage, five cerebral aneurysms were visualized in four patients, and two diagnoses of moyamoya disease and one of unilateral moyamoya phenomenon were made with the aid of 3D-CT angiography. Emergency surgery was performed without conventional angiography in one patient who had an aneurysm, and it was clipped successfully.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, 3D-CT angiography was found to be valuable in the diagnosis of the cause of hemorrhage and in the detection of persistent hemorrhage in patients with acute ICH.