Spontaneous epidural hematoma in a patient undergoing hemodialysis: a case report]

A 54-year-old male with chronic renal failure due to diabetic nephropathy suffered dysphagia and left facial spasm without head trauma during a hemodialysis session. CT scan revealed a right acute epidural hematoma. MRI and cerebral angiography did not reveal any abnormalities in the intracranial vasculature. The occurrence of intracranial spontaneous epidural hematoma in a haemodialysis patient has not been reported. During hemodialysis, the intracranial pressure transiently increases and rapidly recovers. It is assumed that the decreasing intracranial pressure caused epidural hematoma.     

Epidural hematoma revealed by exophthalmia,two cases reports

Epidural or extradural hematoma is a well known entity, usually a complication of severe traumatic head injury. The clinical presentation is most commonly a decline in consciousness and new neurological deficits. Fewer than 20% of patients demonstrate the classic presentation of a lucid interval between the initial trauma and subsequent neurological deterioration. The association of an epidural hematoma with a subperiostal intraorbital hematoma is rare, where exophthalmia is the only presenting sign. We report on two cases of frontal epidural hematoma revealed by an exophthalmia after a minor head trauma. On reporting our cases we aim to increase the awareness of this association each time a head or facial trauma is associated with exophthalmia.     

Acute epidural hematoma with infarction of the right hemisphere in a 5-month-old child: case report with a long-term follow-up and a review of the literature

Two hours after a fall, a 5-month-old girl was admitted to our hospital because of an extended galea hematoma and restlessness. Five hours after the trauma, a left hemiparesis developed. The child became drowsy. The hematocrit had fallen to 7.1 g/dL. Cranial computerized tomography disclosed a huge frontoparietal epidural hematoma on the right side and a hypodensity in the territories of the middle and posterior cerebral arteries. Immediately before surgery, the right pupil dilated. After evacuation of the epidural hematoma and ligation of the middle meningeal artery, the girl recovered satisfactorily. Nevertheless, magnetic resonance imaging showed a vast defect zone in the territories of the right middle and posterior cerebral arteries. Six weeks after the injury, the visual-evoked potentials were unavailable on both sides. Four years after the accident, visual assessment revealed normal acuity and stereopsis. Cognitive and neuromotor development were undisturbed and appropriate to the age.     

Occlusion of a perforating artery, by descending tentorial herniation after head injury, supplying deep cerebral structure--report of 4 cases and their CT evaluation

Four cases with descending tentorial herniation (DTH) after head injury which showed thalamic, mesencephalic and basal ganglionic low density areas (LDAs) manifesting a infarction in postoperative CT films are reported, and a possible mechanism are discussed in this paper. Case 1: Bilateral acute subdural hematoma with left DTH showed LDAs in the anterior part of the bilateral thalami, left occipital lobe and midbrain. The estimated occluded arteries included the anterior thalamoperforating artery(AThA), posterior cerebral artery and midbrain perforator. Case 2: Right acute epidural hematoma with DTH showed LDAs in the anterior part of the right thalamus and in the left globus pallidus. The estimated occluded arteries included the AThA and anterior choroidal artery. Case 3: Right acute epidural hematoma with DTH showed LDAs in the anterior part of the left thalamus, and in the left midbrain tegmentum. The estimated occluded artery was the interpeduncular thalamoperforating artery (IThA). Case 4: Right chronic subdural hematoma with DTH showed LDA mainly in the left thalamus except for the superior thalamic region. The estimated occluded arteries included the AThA and/or IThA and thalamogeniculate artery. Cases 1 and 4 were adult males and cases 2 and 3 were infant males, and the prognosis was good in the infant males, and poor in the adult males. Each of the 4 cases showed no loss of consciousness just after the head injury while 3 out of them deteriorated within several hours, and one was a case of chronic subdural hematoma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Serial CT Findings of a Rapidly Calcified Epidural Hematoma in a Young Adult: A Case Report

We report serial computed tomography (CT) findings in a rare case of a rapidly calcified epidural hematoma. A 21‐year‐old female patient was admitted to our hospital after being involved in a motor vehicle accident. An initial cranial CT revealed a right frontal bone fracture. She complained of right frontal headache, but showed no neurological deficit or tendency for bleeding. Therefore, she was treated conservatively without surgical intervention. Follow‐up CT revealed an ossified epidural hematoma (EDH) 17 days after the head injury, and the ossification later thickened. However, a decrease in the width of the EDH was observed during the 9 months of follow‐up during which serial CT images were acquired. The EDH resolved 9 months after the initial trauma, but the calcification layer remained thickened.     

Epidural hematomas in a child with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome

INTRODUCTION. Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder. It is characterized by severe growth failure, premature aging, and very early atherosclerosis with coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease. CASE REPORT. A 10-year-old boy with HGPS was admitted to our department because of progressive deterioration after a mild head injury. The CT scans revealed epidural hematoma in posterior fossa and another one in the temporal region on the left side. On admission the child was given an estimated score of 10 on the GCS. Neurological examination revealed right hemiparesis. The boy was operated on, and both hematomas were evacuated. In a few days the neurological symptoms disappeared, and he was discharged from the hospital with only residual, minimal right hemiparesis. CONCLUSION. Intracranial pathology was certainly caused by the head trauma, but was more severe than would have been expected had the trauma been the sole cause. We suggest that progressive atherosclerosis of intracranial vessels was responsible for formation of the hematomas.     

Chronic epidural hematoma of the vertex

Epidural hematomas of the cranial vertex can be rarely found in patients victims of head trauma. The diagnosis of the vertex hematoma may be delayed by the odd location of the bleeding site and the absence of a clear localization symptomatology. The current method of choice for investigation of head trauma patients, the computed tomography (CT) scans, may also give misleading diagnostic clues. Epidural hematomas of the vertex can be also encountered in a chronic form, and re-bleeding is possibly the underlying mechanism for the long term permanence of the hematoma. We report a case of a patient with a chronic epidural hematoma of the cranial vertex with a long interval between the trauma and the symptoms onset. We review the current literature focusing on the diagnostic pitfalls and forms of treatment of the chronic epidural hematoma of the vertex.     

Can Subdural Hematoma Be a Trigger for Guillain–Barré Syndrome?

Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory polyneuropathy which follows a precipitating event in approximately two thirds of cases. Although its pathogenesis is unclear, it is likely to be a consequence of an immune-mediated process. In the literature there are three case reports of GBS following subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, and facial bone fracture after head trauma.The unique feature of our case with GBS after subdural hematoma is the presence of cerebellar symptoms. We believe that GBS results from an aberrant immune response following trauma that somehow mistakenly attacks the nerve tissue of its host, and we discuss the effects of the trauma of head injury on cellular and humoral immunities and the absence of antiganglioside antibody (anti-GD1b IgG, which is accused of ataxia and cerebellar symptoms) in this case report.     

Cerebral infarction in the caudate nucleus associated with acute epidural hematoma and diffuse brain injury in a child after severe head injury

Case report A 6-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital 20 min after receiving a direct impact to his head in an automobile accident. He was semi-comatose on admission and computed tomography showed acute epidural hematoma in the right supratentorial region. Three hours later, his consciousness deteriorated due to the enlargement of the hematoma. Surgical removal of hematoma relieved his consciousness disturbance. Post-operative magnetic resonance imaging revealed spotty high-intensity lesions in the corpus callosum on T2-weighted images, and a solitary high-intensity lesion in the left caudate nucleus extending to the medial globus pallidum on T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted images. Magnetic resonance angiography showed no abnormality in the main arteries. These results suggested cerebral infarction in the vascular territory supplied by the recurrent artery of Heubner in association with diffuse brain injury. Post-operative course was uneventful and he was discharged without neurological deficit.Conclusions Post-traumatic cerebral infarction in the caudate nucleus is extremely rare, and its association with diffuse brain injury and epidural hematoma is apparently unique.     

Hemophilia and child abuse as possible causes of epidural hematoma: case report

INTRODUCTION: Head trauma is an important consequence of child abuse. Specific pathophysiological mechanisms in child abuse are responsible for the "whiplash shaken-baby syndrome", which would favour the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhages. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a child who developed epidural hematoma following minor-intensity head trauma. Initial diagnosis of child abuse was made, but subsequent investigation led to the diagnosis of hemophilia A. CONCLUSION: Even though epidural hematoma is not closely associated with child abuse, this etiology must always be considered when the reported trauma mechanism is out of proportion to the magnitude of the encountered lesions.     

Intracerebral Hematoma Caused by Ruptured Traumatic Pseudoaneurysm of the Middle Meningeal Artery : A Case Report

Hematomas caused by ruptured traumatic pseudoaneurysms of the middle meningeal artery (MMA) usually present with extradural hematomas, whereas intradural intraparenchymal hematomas are extremely rare. We report a case of traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the MMA giving rise to an intracerebral hematoma after head trauma. A 70-year-old man suffered a massive intracerebral temporoparietal hemorrhage after a head injury. CT angiogram of the brain revealed a large hematoma in the right middle cranial fossa extending to the right sylvian fissure. Cerebral angiogram also revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the MMA, which was successfully treated surgically. Although traumatic MMA pseudoaneurysm producing intracerebral hematoma (ICH) is rare, it should be considered as a possible cause of intracerebral hematoma.     

Lower limb monoplegia and dissociated hypoesthesia after peridural anesthesia]

Neurological sequelae reported after epidural anesthesia include epidural hematoma, spinal cord ischemic injury and lumbosacral nerve root injury. We describe here a case of monoplegia of the right lower limb associated with an ipsilateral loss of perception of pain and temperature following an epidural anesthesia. MRI was compatible with a right centrolateral infarction in the gray matter of the spinal cord below D8. Hypotension, vascular spasm, trauma, arteriosclerosis, pressure increase in the epidural space are potential causative mechanisms. Unilateral symptoms might result from injury to a sulcocommissural artery or an anterior spinal artery when duplicated.     

Chronic epidural hematoma with rapid ossification

CASE REPORT: The authors present a rare case of ossified chronic epidural hematoma. A 13-year-old female patient presented with an ossified chronic epidural hematoma. She had sustained a head injury about 10 weeks previously and had received conservative care for a delayed-onset epidural hematoma at a local hospital. Ossification was identified about 4 weeks after the head injury and then progressed rapidly. A chronic epidural hematoma with a thick collagenous capsule and newly formed bone was removed 73 days after the head injury. CONCLUSION: An epidural hematoma with mild symptoms can be treated conservatively. When, however, the hematoma is observed not to be naturally absorbed during serial follow-up examinations, surgical removal must be considered, even if the patient's condition is good, because this entity carries the risk of bone calcification and ossification.     

Giant intracranial arteriovenous malformation as the focus of epileptic seizures

A man in his late thirties was found in a supine position in the hallway of his house. He had been diagnosed with epilepsy at approximately 20 years old. Since stopping treatment, epileptic events occurred more frequently and his condition deteriorated in the past 2 years. Autopsy revealed that head injuries were found on the left side of his head. A fracture from the left parietal bone to the anterior cranial fossa was also detected. A subdural hemorrhage (hematoma) spanned a wide range. A subarachnoid hemorrhage was also identified in the left parietal region. His brain weighed 1603 g, was edematous, and showed right uncal herniation. In the right cerebral hemisphere, a thick, enlarged blood vessel ran from the sagittal sinus. An egg‐sized tumorous lesion of blood vessels was found on the bottom of the frontal lobe. This vascular lesion had formed between the sagittal sinus and right anterior cerebral artery. Pathologically, veins and arteries were found together, and, thus, this case was diagnosed as an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). No other pathological and toxicological findings were observed. Subdural hematoma, the cause of death, occurred from the fall to the floor. An epileptic seizure may have been the cause of the fall. AVM on his brain was considered to be the focal lesion of epileptic seizures.     

3D打印技术在硬膜外血肿手术中的应用

目的探讨3D打印技术在硬膜外血肿手术中的初步应用。 方法选取山东省滨州市阳信县人民医院神经外科自2016年1月至9月收治的2例硬膜外血肿患者,获取颅脑CT扫描的原始数据,制作硬膜外血肿的三维模型和与头面部组织完全贴合的"盔甲"三维模型,依据硬膜外血肿在"盔甲"模型的投影进行剪切,得到硬膜外血肿的范围,通过3D打印实体化得到手术模具。设计合理的手术切口进行手术,观察术后治疗效果。 结果患者术后复查CT显示血肿清除比较彻底,无迟发性出血;术前剧烈头痛、意识障碍及肢体偏瘫等颅内高压症状消失。随访6个月,患者恢复正常生活及社交,GOS评分5分。 结论应用3D打印技术进行模具打印,能够对硬膜外血肿进行精确定位,评估手术风险,选取合理的手术入路,降低手术创伤,解除血肿压迫。     

An unusual case of cerebral penetrating injury by a driven bone fragment secondary to blunt head trauma

Temple trauma that appears initially localized to the skin might possess intracranial complications. Early diagnosis and management of such complications are important, to avoid neurologic sequelae. Non-penetrating head injuries with intracranial hemorrhage caused by a driven bone fragment are extremely rare. A 53-year-old male was referred to our hospital because of intracerebral hemorrhage. He was a mechanic and one day before admission to a local clinic, tip of metallic rod hit his right temple while cutting the rod. Initial brain computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated scanty subdural hematoma at right temporal lobe and left falx and intracerebral hematoma at both frontal lobes. Facial CT with 3-D reconstruction images showed a small bony defect at the right sphenoid bone's greater wing and a small bone fragment at the left frontal lobe, crossing the falx. We present the unusual case of a temple trauma patient in whom a sphenoid bone fragment migrated from its origin upward, to the contralateral frontal lobe, producing hematoma along its trajectory.     

Biochemical effects of experimental epidural hematoma on brain parenchyma of rats

INTRODUCTION: The management of epidural hematoma is classified into surgical or conservative treatment according to clinical and radiologic parameters. In the recent years, the number of paper suggesting conservative management has been increasing. The experimental works that have been performed are based on especially the effects of epidural hematomas. Basic pathophysiologic factors on ischemia result of brain trauma are based on biochemical mediators. Nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) are the substances that play important roles in brain damage after trauma. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In this study, 36 rats are divided into three groups (n = 12/group). Epidural hematoma was achieved by 0.1 ml autolog blood in rat epidural space with balloon model. Early and late phase biochemical effects on parenchyma of epidural hematoma operated in a volume which neither alters intracranial pressure (ICP) nor creates shift effect were observed. Biochemical changes of NO and MDA levels were examined in each of three experimental groups. RESULTS: NO values increased significantly in the early group (6 hours) compared with those in the control group. Difference of NO values between the control and late groups was not significant. An increase has been found in MDA values in the control group compared with those in the early group. MDA values of the late group (30 days) were closer to that of the control group. CONCLUSION: In this study, considering biochemical results, we have found that conservative volumes which neither increase ICP nor cause brain shift do not lead to permanent changes on brain.     

Traumatic posterior fossa hematoma

The traumatic posterior fossa hematoma was regarded as relatively rare thing, but recently, as the result of the prevalence of CT scanners, the number of reported cases is increasing. We report nine cases of traumatic posterior fossa hematoma. We divided into two categories: one was the acute epidural hematoma, the other was the acute subdural hematoma with cerebellar contusion. Five were cases of the acute epidural hematoma, three were cases of the acute subdural hematoma with cerebellar contusion and a case had both an epidural and a subdural hematoma. All the cases had struck the occipital region and had the occipital bone fracture. The prognosis of the five cases of the acute epidural hematoma was excellent, but that of the four cases of the acute subdural hematoma with cerebellar contusion was poor and they all died inspite of the removal of the hematoma executed in three cases. We estimated that the hitting forth was extremely strong in cases of the subdural hematoma with cerebellar contusion, and that the momentary deformity of the occipital bone might injure the cerebellum directly. Once a hematoma was produced in the posterior fossa, it oppresses the brainstem and causes the acute hydrocephalus, so the state of consciousness and respiration deteriorate suddenly. In cases of the acute epidural hematoma, appropriate surgical intervention could save the patients and resulted in good outcome. But in some cases of the fulminant type acute epidural hematoma of the posterior fossa caused by tearing the sinuses, though we have not experienced, patients die before the diagnosis and treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Acute spontaneous subdural hematoma in a teenager

A teenager with a history of sudden onset of headache and vomiting is described. Computed tomography revealed an acute subdural hematoma in the right temporaparietal region, causing marked compression of the right ventricular system and a shift of midline structures to the left. No operation was carried out because the symptoms and neurological signs were slight enough to allow monitoring by means of close clinical and neuroradiological investigations. Within 18 days the hematoma resolved spontaneously and completely. There was no history of trauma or any objective sign of trauma about the face or head, and radiography of the skull showed no fracture. We are not aware of any other report of a spontaneous subdural hematoma which did not require surgery. This feature makes our case unique. In addition, comparable cases in the literature are reviewed and the etiological possibilities of spontaneous subdural hematoma are discussed.     

Delayed Bilateral Abducens Nerve Palsy after Head Trauma

Although the incidence of unilateral abducens nerve palsy has been reported to be as high as 1% to 2.7% of head trauma cases, bilateral abducens nerve palsy following trauma is extremely rare. In this report, we present the case of a patient who developed a bilateral abducens nerve palsy and hypoglossal nerve palsy 3 days after suffering head trauma. He had a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of 15 points. Computed tomography (CT) images demonstrated clivus epidural hematoma and subarachnoid hemorrhage on the basal cistern. Herein, we discuss the possible mechanisms of these nerve palsies and its management.