Postoperative Drainage for 6, 12, or 24 Hours After Burr-Hole Evacuation of Chronic Subdural Hematoma in Symptomatic Patients (DRAIN-TIME 2): Study Protocol for a Nationwide Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common acute or subacute neurosurgical condition, typically treated by burr-hole evacuation and drainage. Recurrent CSDH occurs in 5-20 % of cases and requires reoperation in symptomatic patients, sometimes repeatedly. Postoperative subdural drainage of maximal 48 hours is effective in reducing recurrent hematomas. However, the shortest possible drainage time without increasing the recurrence rate is unknown.Methods: DRAIN-TIME 2 is a Danish multi-center, randomized controlled trial of postoperative drainage time including all four neurosurgical departments in Denmark. Both incapacitated and mentally competent patients are enrolled. Patients older than 18 years, free of other intracranial pathologies or history of previous brain surgery, are recruited at time of admission or no later than 6 hours after surgery. Each patient is randomized to either 6, 12, or 24 hours of passive subdural drainage following single burr-hole evacuation of a CSDH. Mentally competent patients are asked to complete the SF-36 questionnaire. The primary endpoint is CSDH recurrence rate at 90 days. Secondary outcome measures include SF-36 at 90 days, length of hospital stay, drain-related complications, and complications related to immobilization and mortality.Discussion: This multi-center trial will provide evidence regarding shortest possible drainage time without increasing the recurrence rate. The potential impact of this study is significant as we believe that a shorter drainage period may be associated with fewer drain-related complications, faster mobilization, fewer complications related to immobilization, and shorter hospital stays—thus reducing the overall health service burden from this condition. The expected benefits for patients’ lives and health costs will increase as the CSDH patient population grows.Trial registration: ISRCTN15186366. https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN15186366. Registered in December 2020 and updated in October 2021.This protocol was developed in accordance with the SPIRIT checklist and by use of the structured study protocol template provided by BMC Trials.

National randomized clinical trial on subdural drainage time after chronic subdural hematoma evacuation

OBJECTIVE Placement of a subdural drain reduces recurrence and death after evacuation of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH), but little is known about optimal drainage duration. In the present national trial, the authors investigated the effect of drainage duration on recurrence and death. METHODS In a randomized controlled trial involving all neurosurgical departments in Denmark, patients treated with single burr hole evacuation of CSDH were randomly assigned to 24 hours or 48 hours of postoperative passive subdural drainage. Follow-up duration was 90 days, and the primary study outcome was recurrent hematoma requiring reoperation. Secondary outcome was death. In addition, complications and length of hospital stay were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS Of the 420 included patients, 212 were assigned 24-hour drainage and 208 were assigned 48-hour drainage. The recurrence rate was 14% in the 24-hour group and 13% in the 48-hour group. Four patients died in the 24-hour group, and 8 patients died in the 48-hour group; this difference was not statistically significant. The ORs (95% CIs) for recurrence and mortality (48 hours vs 24 hours) were 0.94 (0.53–1.66) and 2.07 (0.64–7.85), respectively, in the intention-to-treat analysis. The ORs (95% CIs) for recurrence and mortality per 1-hour increase in drainage time were 1.0005 (0.9770–1.0244) and 1.0046 (0.9564–1.0554), respectively, in the as-treated sensitivity analysis that used the observed drainage times instead of the preassigned treatment groups. The rates of surgical and drain-related complications, postoperative infections, and thromboembolic events were not different between groups. The mean ± SD postoperative length of hospital stay was 7.4 ± 4.3 days for patients who received 24-hour drainage versus 8.4 ± 4.9 days for those who received 48-hour drainage (p = 0.14). The mean ± SD postoperative length of stay in the neurosurgical department was significantly shorter for the 24-hour group (2 ± 0.9 days vs 2.8 ± 1.6 days, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS No significant differences in the rates of recurrent hematoma or death during 90-day follow-up were identified between the two groups that randomly received either 24- or 48-hour passive subdural drainage after burr hole evacuation of CSDH.

Unilateral drainage of bilateral chronic subdural hematoma

Bilateral chronic subdural hematoma (bCSDH) is a condition frequently encountered in neurosurgical practice, and it is usually the result of head trauma. Despite its frequency, no consensus currently exists regarding its optimal treatment. While the use of corticosteroids in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma is not currently accepted by the neurosurgical community, there is enough evidence in the literature that supports its use. In bCSDH the unilateral burr hole evacuation of the larger of the subdural collections followed by a course of corticosteroids seems to be an effective and safer course of action in the management of bilateral chronic subdural hematoma.

Surgical management of chronic subdural hematomas through single-burr hole craniostomy: is it sufficient?

Background Symptomatic chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH) remain one of the most encountered forms of intracranial hemorrhages particularly in the elder patients, yet fortunately implies a good surgical prognosis. Burr hole evacuation under general anesthesia is the most commonly used neurosurgical technique for the management of CSDH. Clinical disagreement between many studies regarding the number of burr holes required to achieve the optimal surgical and clinical outcome has long existed. The objective of this study is to evaluate the prognosis and clinical outcome following the use of single-burr hole craniostomy technique in the aim of surgical evacuation of CSDH. Results This is a retrospective study of 30 patients, with symptomatic unilateral or bilateral CSDH managed by the authors strictly by single-burr hole evacuation with closed-system drainage on the corresponding site of the hematoma. Clinical outcome was then assessed at 1, 7, and 30 days after surgery using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and by comparing the Markwalder grade scale before surgery to 1 month following surgery; the pre- and post-operative radiological data, clinical neurological progress and the possible incidence of complications postoperatively were also recorded. Study duration was from August 2019 to October 2020. Our study included 18 (60%) male patients and 12 (40%) female patients. The main presenting symptom was altered level of consciousness noted in 29 (96.7%) patients; a history of a relevant head trauma was recorded in 11 patients (36.7%). The GCS showed a statistically highly significant improvement comparing the preoperative to the postoperative values throughout the follow-up intervals (p = 0.001); similarly, the Markwalder score significantly improved 1 month after surgery, where 17 (63%) patients were Markwalder grade 0, 9(33.3%) patients were grade 1, a single patient (3.7%) was grade 2, and none were Markwalder grade 3. Conclusion Our study concluded that single-burr hole craniostomy with closed-system drainage for the management of symptomatic CSDH would be a sufficient approach to achieve a good surgical outcome with a low complication rate. Larger series and further studies would be yet considered with longer follow-up periods.

Management of chronic subdural hematoma: our experience of last seven years

Background: Chronic SDH is collection of altered blood under dura mater which is variably more than 4-6 weeks old. It usually occurs in presence of atrophic brain which usually occurs in chronic alcoholics and in old age. Pathogenetic factors are mild trauma with or without some form of coagulopathy. There are various management options like twist drill and drainage, burr hole with evacuation with or without placement of drain and mini craniotomy. There are specific indications for each procedure with individual variations. We operated 74 patients of chronic SDH in last 7 years and are presenting analysis of our series.Methods: The study is retrospective. We studied records of 74 consecutive patients operated in single unit at our institute from February 2014 to December 2020. Patients with very poor GCS (less than 5) and children are not included in this study.Results: There was no benefit of drainage tube seen in our series of patients in decreasing incidence of residual collection.Conclusions: Timely intervention in case of chronic SDH is very gratifying in view of improvement of GCS and motor deficit without much effect of the type of procedure performed. Burr hole evacuation is the procedure of choice. Placement of drainage tube in subdural space is not effective in decreasing the incidence of residual collection. But it is very helpful in management of residual/recurrent collections.

Efficacy and mid-term outcome of middle meningeal artery embolization with or without burr hole evacuation for chronic subdural hematoma compared with burr hole evacuation alone

BackgroundChronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common neurosurgical condition with high recurrence rates. Repeated microbleedings from fragile neo-vessels supplied by peripheral branches of the middle meningeal artery (MMA) are believed to be responsible for the growth and recurrence of CSDH. Thus, MMA embolization might be a promising method to prevent re-bleedings and recurrences. This study aims to assess the efficacy, complication rates, and mid-term outcome of MMA embolization with or without burr hole irrigation compared with burr hole irrigation alone.MethodsPatients diagnosed with CSDH who underwent MMA embolization and/or surgical treatment were retrospectively recruited to this single-center study. The outcome variables were defined as treatment-related complications, clinical outcome at discharge, rate of revision surgery, and CT findings during the follow-up period.ResultsA total of 132 patients with CSDH were included in the study. The use of antiplatelet/anticoagulant medication was significantly higher in the combined treatment and embolization group (p<0.001). A trend towards fewer revision surgeries was found in the group of patients who received MMA embolization combined with burr hole irrigation (p=0.083). Follow-up was available for 73 patients (55.3%) with a mean follow-up period of 3.4±2.2 months. Eight patients (15.1%) of the surgery group showed hematoma re-accumulation and needed surgical rescue, whereas only one patient (5.0%) of the combined treatment group needed revision surgery. In all patients treated with only MMA embolization, complete hematoma resolution was found.ConclusionMMA embolization is a safe and efficacious minimal invasive adjuvant and/or alternative procedure for the treatment of CSDH with a reduced recurrence rate.