Paradoxical herniation associated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy after decompressive craniectomy: A case report

BACKGROUND Whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy(HBOT)can cause paradoxical herniation is still unclear.CASE SUMMARY A 65-year-old patient who was comatose due to brain trauma underwent decompressive craniotomy and gradually regained consciousness after surgery.HBOT was administered 22 d after surgery due to speech impairment.Paradoxical herniation appeared on the second day after treatment,and the patient’s condition worsened after receiving mannitol treatment at the rehabilitation hospital.After timely skull repair,the paradoxical herniation was resolved,and the patient regained consciousness and had a good recovery as observed at the follow-up visit.CONCLUSION Paradoxical herniation is rare and may be caused by HBOT.However,the underlying mechanism is unknown,and the understanding of this phenomenon is insufficient.The use of mannitol may worsen this condition.Timely skull repair can treat paradoxical herniation and prevent serious complications.

Combination of dura turning-over and decompressive craniectomy： a new pattern of surgery for cerebral infarction caused by craniocerebral gunshot injury

Background:Craniocerebral gunshot injury refers to a wound caused by a bullet passing through or lodged in brain tissue,resulting in the loss of function of a certain area or other fatal damage to the human brain.Craniocerebral gunshot injury is usually life-threatening and is very common in modern warfare,accounting for the majority of battle casualties.Most of the patients suffer from acute cerebral infarction caused by vascular injury.Lack of early and solid battlefield emergency medical interference adds to the risk of death among the wounded.Case presentation:We present a 24-year-old man who was shot with a shotgun from a distance of 15m in an accidental injury.Forty-seven grape shots were found on his body surface by physical examination.A computed tomography(CT)scan demonstrated large areas of low-density shadows in his right parietal lobe and right temporal lobe with the midline shifting to the left side 2 days later.Afterwards,the patient was transferred to our emergency medical center at Changzheng Hospital in Shanghai.Cranial computed tomography angiography(CTA)showed a high-density shadow in the initial part of the right middle cerebral artery.The branches after the initial part were obliterated.Prompt medical attention and decompressive craniotomy(DC)surgery contributed to the final recovery from cerebral infarction of this patient.Conclusion:Bullets can penetrate or be lodged in the brain,causing intracranial hypertension.The bullets lodged in the brain can result in stenosis and embolism of a cerebral artery,causing acute cerebral infarction.Combining dura turning-over surgery with DC surgery can not only decrease intracranial pressure,which can increase the blood supply for hypertension-induced vessel stenosis,but also help vessels outside the dura mater grow into ischemic areas of the cerebral cortex.However,this new pattern of surgery needs further support from evidence-based medicine.

Drainage and Cranioplasty as a Treatment for Traumatic Subdural Hygroma Secondary to Decompressive Craniectomy

Background: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is performed to accommodate life-threatening brain swelling when medical treatment fails. This procedure carries the risk of developing traumatic subdural hygroma (TSH) that can adversely affect the neurological status of the patient. The treatment for persistence of TSH includes drainage and shunt placement or drainage and membranectomy. In this paper, we present treatment of two patients whose TSH was effectively treated with simple drainage and cranioplasty. Case Presentation: Patient 1: The patient is a 34-year-old female who had bilateral craniectomy for brain swelling. Four weeks later she became less interactive. CT scan showed bilateral subdural hygroma with 2 cm midline shift to the left. Her clinical status improved and CT scans showed resolution of the hygroma after simple evacuation of the hygroma and cranioplasty. Patient 2: The patient is a 57-year-old male who had post-traumatic acute subdural hematoma and brain swelling on the left side. The clot was evacuated and the bone flap was left out. After showing initial improvement, 10 weeks after the initial surgery the patient progressively worsened and became unresponsive. CT scans showed a large subdural hygroma on the right with midline shift to the left. Simple evacuation of the hygroma and cranioplasty was done. This resulted in radiological and clinical improvement of the patient. Conclusions: Both patients underwent simple drainage and cranioplasty, which resulted in clinical and radiological improvement. This finding suggests that other procedures such as membranectomy and shunting may not be necessary to treat TSH.

Paradoxical herniation after decompressive craniectomy provoked by mannitol:A case report

BACKGROUND Paradoxical transtentorial herniation is a rare but life-threatening complication of cerebrospinal fluid drainage in patients with large decompressive craniectomy.However,paradoxical transtentorial herniation after rapid intravenous infusion of mannitol has not been reported yet.CASE SUMMARY A 48-year-old male suffered from a right temporal vascular malformation with hemorrhage.In a coma,the patient was given emergency vascular malformation resection,hematoma removal,and the right decompressive craniectomy.The patient woke up on the 1st d after the operation and was given 50 g of 20% mannitol intravenously every 8 h without cerebrospinal fluid drainage.On the morning of the 7th postoperative day,after 50 g of 20% mannitol infusion in the Fowler’s position,the neurological function of the patient continued to deteriorate,and the right pupils dilated to 4 mm and the left to 2 mm.Additionally,computed tomography revealed an increasing midline shift and transtentorial herniation.The patient was placed in a supine position and given 0.9% saline intravenously.A few hours later,the patient was fully awake with purposeful movements on his right side and normal communication.CONCLUSION Paradoxical herniation may occur,although rarely,after infusing high-dose mannitol intravenously in the Fowler’s position in the case of a large craniectomy defect.An attempt should be made to place the patient in the supine position because this simple maneuver may be life-saving.Do not use high-dose mannitol when the flap is severely sunken.

Mass brain tissue lost after decompressive craniectomy:A case report

BACKGROUND The brain is the most important organ to maintain life.However,the amount of brain tissue required for maintaining life in humans has not been previously reported.CASE SUMMARY A 33-year-old woman fell from the third floor three months before admission to our department.She received a decompressive craniectomy soon after injury.After the operation,operative incision disunion occurred due to the high pressure.Brain tissue flowed from the incision,and intracranial infection occurred.She fell into deep coma and was sent to our hospital.Her right temporal surgical incision was not healed and had a cranial defect of 10 cm×10 cm.Her intracranial cavity was observed from the skull defect,and the brain tissue was largely lost.In addition,no brain tissue was observed by visual inspection.Cranial computed tomography showed that only a small amount of brain tissue density shadow was compressed in the cerebellum and brainstem.Four days after hospitalization in our hospital,her parents transferred her to a hospital near her hometown.The patient died six days after discharge from our hospital.CONCLUSION This rare case provides some proof of the importance of the brainstem in the maintenance of cardiac rhythm and vascular tension.Neurosurgeons should carefully protect brainstem neurons during operations.Clinicians can maintain the cardiac rhythm of patients who lose their major brain tissue with modern technology,but the family of the patients should be aware of death and end-life care.

Clinical significance of large decompressive craniectomy to control intractable increased intracranial pressure in patients with traumatic brain injury

Objective To investigate the role of decompressive craniectomy (DC) to decrease intractable intracranial hypertension(ICH) due to diffuse brain swelling and / or cerebral edema after severe traumatic brain injury and the time window of DC to affect on prognosis. Methods The clinical record of 132 patients who underwent DC for posttraumatic intractable ICH in our hospital from July 2003 to

The effects of decompressive craniectomy on cerebral blood flow volume and brain metabolism in different aged patients with severe traumatic brain injury

Objective To explore effects of decompressive craniectomy on cerebral blood flow volume and brain metabolism in different aged patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Methods 71 cases were divided into three groups according age: group A( 【 30 years) ,group B ( 30 ～ 50 years) 。

The effect of hematoma puncture drainage before decompressive craniectomy on the prognosis of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage with cerebral hernia at a high altitude

Purpose:Rapid decompressive craniectomy(DC)was the most effective method for the treatment of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage(HICH)with cerebral hernia,but the mortality and disability rate is still high.We suspected that hematoma puncture drainage(PD)+DC may improve the therapeutic effect and thus compared the combined surgery with DC alone.Methods:From December 2013 to July 2019,patients with HICH from Linzhi,Tibet and Honghe,Yunnan Province were retrospectively analyzed.The selection criteria were as follows:(1)altitude≥1500 m;(2)HICH patients with cerebral hernia;(3)Glascow coma scale score of 4-8 and time from onset to admission≤3 h;(4)good liver and kidney function;and(5)complete case data.The included patients were divided into DC group and PD+DC group.The patients were followed up for 6 months.The outcome was assessed by Glasgow outcome scale(GOS)score,Kaplan-Meier survival curve and correlation between time from admission to operation and prognosis.A good outcome was defined as independent(GOS score,4-5)and poor outcome defined as dependent(GOS score,3-1).All data analyses were performed using SPSS 19,and comparison between two groups was conducted using separatet-tests or Chi-square tests.Results:A total of 65 patients was included.The age ranged 34-90 years(mean,63.00±14.04 years).Among them,31 patients had the operation of PD+DC,whereas 34 patients underwent DC.The two groups had no significant difference in the basic characteristics.After 6 months of follow-up,in the PD+DC group there were 8 death,4 vegetative state,4 severe disability(GOS score 1-3,poor outcome 51.6%);8 moderate disability,and 7 good recovery(GOS score 4-5,good outcome 48.4%);while in the DC group the result was 15 death,6 vegetative state,5 severe disability(poor outcome 76.5%),4 moderate disability and 4 good recovery(good outcome 23.5%).The GOS score and good outcome were significantly less in DC group than in PD+DC group(Z=-1.993,p=0.046;χ2=4.38,p=0.043).However,there was no significant difference regarding the survival curve between PD+DC group and DC group.The correlation between the time from admission to operation and GOS at 6 months(r=-0.41,R2=0.002,p=0.829)was not significant in the PD+DC group,but significant in the DC group(r=-0.357,R2=0.128,p=0.038).Conclusion:PD+DC treatment can improve the good outcomes better than DC treatment for HICH with cerebral hernia at a high altitude.

Death after discharge:prognostic model of 1-year mortality in traumatic brain injury patients undergoing decompressive craniectomy

Background:Despite advances in decompressive craniectomy(DC)for the treatment of traumatic brain injury(TBI),these patients are at risk of having a poor long-term prognosis.The aim of this study was to predict 1-year mortality in TBI patients undergoing DC using logistic regression and random tree models.Methods:This was a retrospective analysis of TBI patients undergoing DC from January 1,2015,to April 25,2019.Patient demographic characteristics,biochemical tests,and intraoperative factors were collected.One-year mortality prognostic models were developed using multivariate logistic regression and random tree algorithms.The overall accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves(AUCs)were used to evaluate model performance.Results:Of the 230 patients,70(30.4%)died within 1 year.Older age(OR,1.066;95%CI,1.045-1.087;P<0.001),higher Glasgow Coma Score(GCS)(OR,0.737;95%CI,0.660-0.824;P<0.001),higherD-dimer(OR,1.005;95%CI,1.001-1.009;P=0.015),coagulopathy(OR,2.965;95%CI,1.808-4.864;P<0.001),hypotension(OR,3.862;95%CI,2.176-6.855;P<0.001),and completely effaced basal cisterns(OR,3.766;95%CI,2.255-6.290;P<0.001)were independent predictors of 1-year mortality.Random forest demonstrated better performance for 1-year mortality prediction,which achieved an overall accuracy of 0.810,sensitivity of 0.833,specificity of 0.800,and AUC of 0.830 on the testing data compared to the logistic regression model.Conclusions:The random forest model showed relatively good predictive performance for 1-year mortality in TBI patients undergoing DC.Further external tests are required to verify our prognostic model.

Decompressive craniectomy in herpes simplex encephalitis

Intracranial hypertension is a common cause of morbidity in herpes simplex encephalitis(HSE).HSE is the most common form of acute viral encephalitis.Hereby we report a case of HSE in which decompressive craniectomy was performed to treat refractory intracranial hypertension.A 32-year-old male presented with headache,vomiting,fever,and focal seizures involving the right upper limb.Cerebrospinal fluid-meningoencephalitic profile was positive for herpes simplex.Magnetic resonance image of the brain showed swollen and edematous right temporal lobe with increased signal in gray matter and subcortical white matter with loss of gray,white differentiation in T2-weighted sequences.Decompressive craniectomy was performed in view of refractory intracranial hypertension.Decompressive surgery for HSE with refractory hypertension can positively affect patient survival,with good outcomes in terms of cognitive functions.

Ultrafast power Doppler imaging for ischemic encephalopathy:A case report

BACKGROUND Severely elevated intracranial pressure due to various reasons,such as decreased cerebral perfusion,can lead to devastating neurological outcomes,such as brain herniation.Decompression craniectomy is a life-saving procedure that is commonly performed for such a critical situation,but the changes in cerebral microvessels after brain herniation and decompression are unclear.Ultrafast power Doppler imaging(uPDI)is a new microvascular imaging technology that utilizes high frame rate plane/diverging wave transmission and advanced clutter filters.uPDI significantly improves Doppler sensitivity and can detect microvessels,which are usually invisible using traditional ultrasound Doppler imaging.CASE SUMMARY In this report,uPDI was used for the first time to observe the brain blood flow of a hypoperfusion area in a 4-year-old girl who underwent decompression craniectomy due to refractory intracranial hypertension(ICP)after malignant brain tumor surgery.B-mode imaging was used to verify the increased densities of the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia that were observed by computed tomography.CONCLUSION uPDI showed the local blood supplies and anatomical structures of the patient after decompressive craniectomy.uPDI is potentially a more intuitive and noninvasive method for evaluating the effects of severe ICP on cerebral microvessels.

Basal cisternostomy for traumatic brain injury: A case report of unexpected good recovery

In subarachnoid hemorrhage following traumatic brain injury (TBI), the high intracisternal pressure drives the cerebrospinal fluid into the brain parenchyma, causing cerebral edema. Basal cisternostomy involves opening the basal cisterns to atmospheric pressure and draining cerebrospinal fluid in an attempt to reverse the edema. We describe a case of basal cisternostomy combined with decompressive craniectomy. A 35-year-old man with severe TBI following a road vehicle accident presented with acute subdural hematoma, Glasgow coma scale score of 6, fixed pupils and no corneal response. Opening of the basal cisterns and placement of a temporary cisternal drain led to immediate relaxation of the brain. The patient had a Glasgow coma scale score of 15 on postoperative day 6 and was discharged on day 10. We think basal cisternostomy is a feasible and effective procedure that should be considered in the management of TBI.