Analysis of predisposing factors for chronic subdural hematoma recurrence

Abstract

SUMMARY OBJECTIVES: To identify recurrence and its potential predisposing factors in a series of 595 patients with an initial diagnosis of Chronic Subdural Hematoma (CSDH) who underwent surgical treatment at a Reference Hospital of São Paulo. METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study, in which the medical records of all patients with a CSDH diagnosis submitted to surgical treatment from 2000 to 2014 were analyzed. RESULTS: The final study population consisted of 500 patients with a diagnosis of CSDH (95 patients with a diagnosis of Cystic Hygroma were excluded), of which 27 patients presented recurrence of the disease (5.4%). There were no statistically significant differences in relapses when cases were stratified by gender, laterality of the first episode or surgical procedure performed in the first episode (trepanning vs. craniotomy). It was possible to demonstrate an age-related protective factor, analyzed as a continuous variable, regarding the recurrence of the CSDH, with a lower rate of recurrence the higher the age. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that, among possible factors associated with recurrence, only age presented a protective factor with statistical significance. The fact that no significant difference between the patients submitted to trepanning or craniotomy was found favors the preferential use of burr-hole surgery as a procedure of choice due to its fast and less complex execution.