Introduction. Chronic subdural hematoma is an intracranial hemorrhagic lesion
that illustrates various expressions in clinical and radiological practice.
The aim of this study was to emphasize the correlation between the brain site
of chronic subdural hematoma and clinical symptoms/signs of disease.
Furthermore, the study denotes the significance of hemiparesis occurrence in
the patients with unilateral chronic subdural hematomas more than in those
with bilateral ones, associated with time required to diagnose hematoma.
Material and Methods: A three-year study included 72 patients with chronic
subdural hematoma. According to their clinical and neurological symptoms on
hospital admission, all patients underwent non-contrast brain computed
tomography scan, which confirmed the diagnosis. The radiological parameters,
inlcuding the site of chronic subdural hematoma, a hematoma width and midline
shift were recorded to give precise data about the correlation with
neurological symptoms. A special focus was put on the lag time between the
onset of symptoms and signs to diagnosis of chronic subdural hematoma.
Results. The study proved that the patients with unilateral chronic subdural
hematoma had more frequent occurrence of hemiparesis than the patients with
bilateral chronic subdural hematoma. It took the left-sided chronic subdural
hematomas less time (about 200 hours earlier) than the rightsided ones to
present its symptoms although the average hematoma diameter value was almost
the same. Conclusion. The site and the form of intracranial lesion-chronic
subdural hematoma could have a great influence on neurological and functional
condition in a patient. Although the length of time required for making
diagnosis as well as clinical symptoms greatly differ and the latter are not
always so clear, physicians should maintain a high level of suspicion for
this disease and thus contribute to prompt diagnosis and better clinical
outcome of patients.
Bilateral chronic subdural hematoma: What is the clinical significance?
