Surgical results for hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhagesdepending on intervention timing

Study aim. To analyse the surgical outcomes in patients with haemorrhagic stroke depending on the timing of surgery. Materials and methods. We performed a retrospective analysis of 500 patients (335 (67%) men and 165 (33%) women), who underwent surgical treatment of hypertensive intracranial hemorrhages at the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine between 1997 and 2020. The mean patient age was 53.1 12.2 years. The mean time until surgery was 3.3 2.6 days. Outcomes were assessed on day 30 from disease onset using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Results. In the total sample, outcomes as measured by the mRS were as follows: type 0 84 (16.8%) patients, type 1 37 (7.4%), type 2 46 (9.2%), type 3 38 (7.6%), type 4 43 (8.6%), type 5 142 (28.4%) and type 6 110 (22.0%). Treatment results were better when surgery was delayed (2 = 64.4; p 0.00001). Mortality was 36.4% after surgery conducted in the first day after haemorrhage, while mRS scores of 02 made up 18.6%. Mortality was 20.4% after surgery conducted on the second or third day, and mRS scores of 02 made up 29.6%. Mortality was 17.4% after surgery conducted on day 47, and mRS scores of 02 outcomes were present in 49.0% of subjects. Mortality was 8.8% when surgery was performed on day 8 or later, and favourable outcomes were present in 48.5% of patients. Conclusion. Intracerebral haematoma excision on day 23 leads to better outcomes in patients with reduced levels of alertness up to sopor, while surgery after day 3 leads to better results in alert patients and those with obtundation.

Prognostic Indicators in Patients with Intracerebral Hematoma in an urban clinical setting of a resource limited Country

Context and Objective: Hemorrhagic Cerebrovascular Accidents represent 10 to 15% of all strokes and are often related to the spontaneous rupture of small vessels weakened by chronic arterial hypertension or amyloid angiopathy. The aim of this work was to study the prognostic determinants of intracerebral haematomas at the neurology department of Conakry University Hospital. Patients and Method: This was a retrospective analytical study conducted on all patients who were hospitalized with intracerebral hematoma over the 24-month period. Only the records of patients in whom intracerebral hematoma was confirmed by brain imaging were included in this study. Logistic regression (uni-variate and multi-variate) identified prognostic determinants of intracerebral hematoma at p < 0.05. The data were entered using Epi Info software version 7.1.4.0 then analysed using STATA / SE software version 11.2. Results: This study found 21% of cases of intracerebral hematomas during the study period, with a male predominance of 60% and a sex ratio of 1.50. The study was conducted in the presence of a male patient. Hypertension was the cause found in 89.52% of patients; followed by arteriovenous malformations in 6.67% of patients, 2.86% of cases of amyloid angiopathy and 0.95% of unknown cause. Nevertheless, we still recorded 20% of deaths during hospitalization. Conclusion: Previous quality of life and co-morbidities also modify the prognosis and should be taken into account in the prediction of disability and future quality of life of patients with intracerebral haematoma.

Tranexamic acid for acute intracerebral haemorrhage growth based on imaging assessment (TRAIGE): a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

BackgroundStudies show tranexamic acid can reduce the risk of death and early neurological deterioration after intracranial haemorrhage. We aimed to assess whether tranexamic acid reduces haematoma expansion and improves outcome in intracerebral haemorrhage patients susceptible to haemorrhage expansion.MethodsWe did a prospective, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 10 stroke centres in China. Acute supratentorial intracerebral haemorrhage patients were eligible if they had indication of haemorrhage expansion on admission imaging (eg, spot sign, black hole sign or blend sign), and were treatable within 8 hours of symptom onset. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either tranexamic acid or a matching placebo. The primary outcome was intracerebral haematoma growth (>33% relative or >6 mL absolute) at 24 hours. Clinical outcomes were assessed at 90 days.ResultsOf the 171 included patients, 124 (72.5%) were male, and the mean age was 55.9±11.6 years. 89 patients received tranexamic acid and 82 received placebo. The primary outcome did not differ significantly between the groups: 36 (40.4%) patients in the tranexamic acid group and 34 (41.5%) patients in the placebo group had intracranial haemorrhage growth (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.77, p=0.89). The proportion of death was lower in the tranexamic acid treatment group than placebo group (8.1% vs 10.0%), but there were no significant differences in secondary outcomes including absolute intracranial haemorrhage growth, death and dependency.ConclusionsAmong patients susceptible to haemorrhage expansion treated within 8 hours of stroke onset, tranexamic acid did not significantly prevent intracerebral haemorrhage growth. Larger studies are needed to assess safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid in intracerebral haemorrhage patients.

Appearance of cerebellar cyst following microvascular decompression to treat hemifacial spasm: a report of two cases and literature review

Microvascular decompression (MVD) is an effective and safe approach for treating hemifacial spasm (HFS). Postoperative complications may include facial nerve palsy, hearing loss, intracerebral haematoma, and brainstem infarction. The occurrence of intracranial cyst following MVD is extremely rare, with few cases documented in the literature. Herein, the cases of two patients with HFS who developed ipsilateral cerebellar cyst following MVD are reported. The first patient was a 50-year-old male presenting with a 6-year history of HFS on the right side of his face. MVD was performed, and 12 days postoperatively he developed dizziness and nausea. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a cyst in the ipsilateral cerebellum. Antibiotic treatment provided no benefit, and the cyst was drained. The second patient was a 44-year-old female presenting with a 4-year history of HFS on the right side of her face. MVD was performed, and 18 days following surgery, she developed dizziness and nausea. MRI showed an ipsilateral cerebellar cyst. Conservative treatment was applied and the cyst shrunk. At the 2-month follow-up appointment, symptoms were completely resolved in both patients. Cerebellar cyst is a rare complication following MVD. Timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment should be emphasized, and surgical treatment may be unnecessary.

Comparative effectiveness of surgery in traumatic acute subdural and intracerebral haematoma: study protocol for a prospective observational study within CENTER-TBI and Net-QuRe

IntroductionControversy exists about the optimal treatment for patients with a traumatic acute subdural haematoma (ASDH) and an intracerebral haematoma/contusion (t-ICH). Treatment varies largely between different regions. The effect of this practice variation on patient outcome is unknown. Here, we present the protocol for a prospective multicentre observational study aimed at comparing the effectiveness of different treatment strategies in patients with ASDH and/or t-ICH. Specifically, the aims are to compare (1) an acute surgical approach to an expectant approach and (2) craniotomy to decompressive craniectomy when evacuating the haematoma.Methods and analysisPatients presenting to the emergency room with an ASDH and/or an t-ICH are eligible for inclusion. Standardised prospective data on patient and injury characteristics, treatment and outcome will be collected on 1000 ASDH and 750 t-ICH patients in 60–70 centres within two multicentre prospective observational cohort studies: the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury (CENTER-TBI) and Neurotraumatology Quality Registry (Net-QuRe). The interventions of interest are acute surgery, defined as surgery directly after the first CT at presentation versus late or no surgery and craniotomy versus decompressive craniectomy. The primary outcome measure is the Glasgow Outcome Score-Extended at 6 months. Secondary outcome measures include in-hospital mortality, quality of life and neuropsychological tests. In the primary analysis, the effect of treatment preference (eg, proportion of patients in which the intervention under study is preferred) per hospital will be analysed with random effects ordinal regression models, adjusted for casemix and stratified by study. Such a hospital-level approach reduces confounding by the indication. Sensitivity analyses will include propensity score matching, with treatment defined on patient level. This study is designed to determine the best acute management strategy for ASDH and t-ICH by exploiting the existing between-hospital variability in surgical management.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained in all participating countries. Results of surgical management of ASDH and t-ICH/contusion will separately be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numberNCT02210221and NL 5761.